Have you ever made a cake with not so fresh bread? We recently learned of a traditional Italian recipe in which stale, dry bread was a key ingredient in making a tasty cake. So, using a slightly updated version, we decided to try it out ourselves and we absolutely loved it! The next time you have stale bread, a bunch of bread crusts in the freezer, or too much bread, give this recipe a try.
As a nation, bread is our most wasted food – around 29 million loaves or more than 15,000 tons of bread go to waste each year. Bread can become moldy or stale due to our humid climate. The best place to store your bread is in the freezer and take out slices as you need it. This prevents them from going moldy and ensures they don’t go to waste.
If you find your bread slices sticking together after placing a loaf in the freezer, gently tap the loaf on the bench to loosen the slices. If it’s still stuck, find a gap between the two slices and carefully slide a butter knife in, then move from side to side to separate the slices.
In Aotearoa we also throw away the crust and ends of the buns a lot because we, or our children, don’t like to eat them. These parts are perfectly good and there’s a lot we can do with them, so keep them in a freezer bag to turn them into something delicious at a later date. You can make it into chocky bread muffins, garlic bread chips, cinnamon sugar bread chips, use it as a topping for fruit crumble and more!
Find additional recipes mentioned on our website at www.lovefoodhatewaste.co.nz and see what else we’re up to on our social media pages at @lovefoodhatewastenz on Facebook and Instagram.
bread cake
Ingredients
3 hard buns (or about 125g or 3½ cups hard bread) made in fine breadcrumbs
25g cocoa powder
80g brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
350 ml of vegetable milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon of oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Method
1. Heat oven to 350°F for baking or 350°F for fan baking and line an 8” pie pan by greasing it.
2. Mix dry ingredients (first five ingredients) in a large bowl.
3. Add remaining ingredients and mix to combine, using a spoon or hand mixer.
4. Pour into prepared pan and bake for about 45 minutes or until set and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into center.
5. Let cool in the pan for about 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
6. Serve as is or with your favorite frosting if desired.
cooking tips
If you have a large enough blender, place all the ingredients in the blender and blend until combined and smooth.
This recipe can also be made with cow’s milk.
For a sweeter cake, add more sugar, chopped chocolates, or chocolate chips to the mix.