No waste: What to do with your flopped cakes

We’ve all been there – cakes that have been overmixed, overbaked, have sunken centres, have stuck to the pan or leaked out the sides. There are loads of ways to mess up something you’re baking, but what you do with it is what really counts!

When you’ve wasted valuable time and ingredients, chucking it in the bin is simply heartbreaking – so don’t! This is your time to prove that you’re actually a really talented baker and nothing can get you down, no matter how bad it burnt, sunk or flopped.

You’ve got this!

Flop: Overbaked, dry or broken sponge

Fix: Cake pops! Cake pops are the best way to disguise just about any bad bake. You don’t even have to put it on a stick. Just eat them like truffles! All you have to do is break up your bake and mix it with frosting or jam. Roll into bite-sized balls and refrigerate. If you want to get really fancy, dip them in chocolate and allow to set.

Fix: Dry it out in the oven to make delicious rusks. Slice the flop up and lay the pieces down on a lined baking tray, place in a 100°C (80°C for fan-forced) oven and leave for one to two hours or until crunchy and dried out. Store in an airtight container.

Fix: Fold the broken pieces into ice cream. Or whip up this leftover cake pudding and no one will ever know!

ALSO READ: Leftover chocolate cake pudding

Flop: You forgot the baking powder 

Fix: Brownies are just cakes without baking powder, so slice it into wedges, add a scoop of ice cream and some chocolate sauce and all will be forgotten. TRY: The ultimate brownie recipe

Flop: Sunken cake

Fix: Pile on whipped cream or berries. Or just dust it with icing sugar and pretend you intended to make it like that all along!

Fix: Turn it into an ice-cream cake. Leave the cake in the tin, pile it with store-bought ice cream and smooth the top. Freeze until solid then unmould and serve!

Fix: Crumble up the cake and spread it out on a lined baking tray. Bake in a 150°C (130°C fan-forced) until golden and crispy. Allow to cool and use as a topping for desserts – it’ll be a delicious extra crunch! 

Flop: You burnt the outside of the cake

Fix: Slice off the crusts and layer it into a trifle. Drizzle the cake with a little booze, top with Mascarpone, a drizzle of honey, some fresh fruit and some chopped nougat and voila – you’re an instant trifle queen! TRY: Terrific trifle

Flop: Broken pastry or tart cases

Fix: If your tart case has holes in it, fill it with a chocolate ganache (1 part cream to 1 part chocolate). See? Chocolate fixes everything!

Fix: One of the world’s most famous desserts by Michelin-starred chef Massimo Bottura was created from one of his chefs dropping a lemon tart. “Oops! I dropped the lemon tart!” can become the inspiration for your flops, too! Just call it a work of art and own it.

Flop: Underbaked cake or pudding

Fix: Heard of the liquid-centred chocolate fondant? It’s really just underbaked cake. Serve your underbaked cake or pudding warm with vanilla ice cream and just like that you’ve invented something new. TRY: The perfect chocolate fondant

ALSO READ: 10 great tips for flop-proof baking