Stale Bread Cake Recipe
Welcome back to the Scrappy Cooking series! Today we’re making a simple and delicious vegan chocolate cake out of a very common food scrap. Get ready for this stale bread cake recipe to blow your mind!
Did you know that the most wasted food in the world is BREAD?! Seriously. An estimated 900,000 tons of bread are thrown out globally every year. It’s hard to believe since bread also happens to be one of the most beloved foods. Sadly, people tend to throw away bread as soon as it goes stale, even though there are great ways to give it a second life!
I’ll be honest with you: when the idea of making a chocolate cake out of stale bread first entered my mind, I wasn’t sure it would work. But I had to try! After all, who doesn’t love a chocolate cake? And I am very happy to say that this stale bread cake recipe exceeded all my expectations!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- First and foremost, it’s a Scrappy Cooking recipe, which means it reduces your household food waste and saves you money!
- It’s a chocolate cake. Need I say more?
- You don’t need to be an expert baker to make this! The only equipment you need is a blender and a cake tin (or a deep sheetpan).
- Depending on the amount of bread you have leftover, this recipe can be upscaled or downscaled very easily.
- The kids will love this stale bread cake recipe! It’s like magic, transforming one type of food into something completely different.
How to Make This Recipe
First, preheat the oven to 350 F and prepare your cake tin. To stop your cake from sticking to the tin, you can line it with parchment, spray with cooking oil, or use a silicone tin if you have one.
Next, you need to round up all of the ingredients and add them to a blender. You can use a traditional blender or an immersion blender and an appropriate container.
Blend everything together to form a smooth batter. Pour it into the cake tin. Ideally, the batter shouldn’t be more than an inch in thickness to ensure that it bakes evenly.
Bake for 37 minutes until it is thoroughly cooked. You can use a toothpick to check that it’s done – simply dip it into the cake, and if it comes out clean, the cake is ready!
Melt some chocolate using your preferred method. Add some toppings and voila! I used fresh fruit, but you can also add nuts, seeds, or sprinkles!
Hack It!
- Will this work with gluten-free bread? The answer is yes, although the cooking time may vary. Be sure to check in with your cake throughout the baking process to make sure it doesn’t overbake.
- This stale bread cake is delicious in any form! Pour it into a heart-shaped tin for Valentine’s Day, or into a square tin to make tray-bake style dessert.
- You can customize your toppings as much as you like. I used melted chocolate and fresh fruit, but feel free to let your imagination run wild. Nuts, seeds, candied orange peels, homemade nutella, freeze-dried berries, and more!
- Depending on the amount of stale bread you have, you can adjust the size of this recipe. If you’re making a smaller batch, you can even split the batter and make cupcakes.
Other Ways to Save Your Bread
- Bread is actually freezer-friendly. If you buy a fresh loaf and freeze it straight away, you can enjoy that same freshness when you defrost it.
- Sharing is caring. If you live with roommates or family, how about sharing groceries? Shopping mindfully can significantly reduce household waste!
- In the early stages of going stale, you can revive your bread by running it under the tap for about 10 seconds (no, I am not joking) and sticking it in the oven wrapped in foil.
- As well as making this stale bread cake, you can also use your overdue bread to make croutons, breadcrumbs, or stuffing.
Other Recipes You’ll Love
- Secret Garden Focaccia Bread
- Vegan Pumpkin Latte Brownies
- Vegan Pecan Pie
- Aquafaba Chocolate Pudding
- Date Seed Coffee
If you love simple yet delicious vegan recipes, check out the PlantYou Planner! It’s a fully customizable digital meal planner with a huge database of plant-based meals. The planner currently has over 500 beginner-friendly vegan recipes for every occasion. You can not only select your weekly menu, but you can also toggle the number of servings and enjoy the perks of a dynamic shopping list generated by the planner!
I am also super excited to release my debut cookbook in 2022! The PlantYou Cookbook contains over 140 whole-foods plant-based recipes with helpful infographics. If you’re thinking of venturing into plant-based living, this cookbook is a must!
The Recipe: Stale Bread Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups stale bread, broken into pieces
- 1 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp flaxseed, mixed with 2 tbsp water to achieve a flax egg
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 4 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
Equipment
- Cake Pan
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and prepare a cake pan with parchment paper or oil.
- Combine all ingredients in a blender friendly container, and blend until a batter is formed.
- Bake for 37 minutes until cooked through. Top with icing of choice (I used melted chocolate and coconut oil) and fresh fruit.
Pingback: Vegan Magnolia Bakery Banana Pudding - PlantYou