Leftover Cake Trifle
Transform your unloved leftover pieces of cake into an irresistible trifle. This recipe for leftover cake trifle is quick to make and very forgiving. Chuck in whatever cake you’re keen to use up and add custard and cream.
And before you start, yes there is such a thing as leftover cake. It happens for many reasons. But what an awful shame to throw it away, especially if someone has taken the time and effort to make and bake it.
Some of you may remember that I made a date and walnut cake for last month’s We Should Cocoa challenge. Well, with so many goodies on offer, we sadly neglected this poor cake. CT it seems, is also not a great fan of dates. It was a jolly good cake and one I shall make again – moist, tasty and luckily long lasting. But we only managed a few slices.
With this month’s We Should Cocoa challenge being set to use up leftovers, I had initially thought I would use this cake as my offering. But what to do with it?
Well not being blessed with a lot of creative imagination, I opted for the first thing that came into my head – which was trifle. I then started to think this was perhaps a bit cheeky using virtually the same thing for two challenges in a row BUT by now my mind was very much set on making this trifle anyway.
Leftover Cake Trifle
Julia of A Slice of Cherry Pie and Scott of Real Epicurean run a monthly blogging event which I am not usually able to enter, but the ingredients for In The Bag this month are chocolate, cream and nuts – well really! It was clearly meant to be.
My cake already had the requisite chocolate and nuts in it – all I needed to do was add some cream. I did add a bit more chocolate and a few more nuts just to make sure though.
How big your trifle is will depend on how much cake you have leftover. But I find a relatively small amount of cake goes a long way in a trifle. I had three large slices and it made a trifle big enough to feed six.
This was very different from a normal fruity trifle; different yes, but delicious just the same. It had an aromatic spicy taste from the Maya Gold and wasn’t too sweet. The light creamy top combined with the grounding damson soaked date cake and crunchy nuts gave a complementary mouth feel and taste.
This was an excellent way to use up a cake that wasn’t loved as much as it should have been. Two bowls at one sitting is, perhaps, sufficient.
If this trifle doesn’t do it for you, I have a couple of other recipes which use leftover cake. These chocolate cake truffles work with chocolate cakes or other rich cakes. Whereas these St Clements cake truffles work with citrus or lighter sponges.
Other Recipes That Use Leftovers
- Cheese & leek bread pudding
- Jammy flapjacks
- Leftover mashed potato omelette
- Leftover minced meat buns
- Pineapple juice cake
- Vegetable fritters from leftover cooked vegetables
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Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this leftover cake trifle, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. And do please rate the recipe. Have you any top tips? Do share photos on social media too and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them.
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Choclette x
Leftover Cake Trifle
Ingredients
- 3 large slices of cake (I used my leftover date and walnut cake)
- 8 tbsp fruit liqueur (I used homemade damson liqueur)
- 1 pint (475 ml) cold custard (I used homemade)
- 250 ml double cream (heavy cream)
- 25 g flaked almonds
- 20 g chocolate (I used Maya Gold)
Instructions
- Cut the cake slices into roughly 2½ cm (1 inch) cubes.3 large slices of cake
- Place them into a medium sized or large dessert bowl.
- Spoon the liqueur over the cake.8 tbsp fruit liqueur
- Pour the custard over the cake pieces.1 pint (475 ml) cold custard (I used homemade)
- Whip the cream until it just holds its shape then spoon over the custard.250 ml double cream (heavy cream)
- Toast the almonds in a dry frying pan over a medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Stir occasionally and toast until golden. Allow to cool.25 g flaked almonds
- Grate the chocolate then scatter over the cream.20 g chocolate
- Finally scatter the almonds over the chocolate.
Its the dates that put me off it, detest them, but other than that it looks delicious
Sounds perfect! It reminds me of this great chocolate cake I had while on vacation in Hawaii, and the local chocolatiers grow and prepare homemade chocolate goodies that can’t hardly be beat! When you top a chocolate cake with anything, it’s still a winner.
CC – well it was a first for me. Don’t leave it too long.
Millie – thank you, you’re very sweet. I’ve only just seen the film – how I’d love to have a shop like that and work that sort of magic.
Ananda – it was a rather luscious bowl full 🙂
Hazel – I’m not too keen on really sweet (unless it’s brownies), so this worked really well. It was that damson liqueur that made it.
What an amazing new dessert you have created, I can hardly believe it was made using leftovers! Sounds perfect – not too sweet, nutty, spicy and the damson liqueur… oh my.
Oh that is one bowl of whole goodness…they looks luscious and heavenly! Slurp 🙂
oh my word, one spoonfull and i would think i’d gone to heaven. just love the gorgeous combination of ingredients, very yummy indeed.
wishing you a lovely chocolaty-creative week xxx
it’s just like the film isn’t it, coming here to all this lucious and decadent chocolate loveliness mmmmmm mmmmmm mmmmmm
hugs
millie
I’ve never had chocolate trifle – what a great idea!
Celia – that’s just what CT said – it’s tiramisu without the coffee!
Great re-use of the cake! Sounds like a bit of a cross between trifle and tiramisu! 🙂
Suelle – Trifle with chocolate meringues too – wow, I want some of yours. Luckily, don’t have to think about what do to with leftover trifle – it didn’t hang around for very long!
Kath – Oh you – I wonder what a bowl of trifle would be like after a journey with Royal Mail? Can vouch that damson liqueur is wonderful in trifle – pretty damn good out of trifle too 🙂
Johanna – Thanks. I can’t complain really, CT is a very unfussy eater (on the whole)!
BVG – I’m with you on that one.
Brittany – Beat me, I love dates!!!
Chele – yep, it didn’t last long.
Dom – chocolate in trifle was a first for me, but think there will certainly be a 2nd and a 3rd 🙂
Baking Addict – thanks
Liz – dates, chocolate and cream – that is heaven.
KitchenMaid – thanks, always good to get a bit of ego bolstering. Like the coriander idea, but think customs might have something to say about it!
Not a lot of creative imagination? I think you’re being far too modest! This looks absolutely heavenly – dates, walnuts, chocolate and cream would be in my top 10 ingredients (or things to scoff by the handful) – I think I’ll have to make the cake (and hide it) so I can make the trifle…P.S Well done on guessing the coriander seeds – shall I send you some in the post as a prize?!
Dates and chocolate – heaven!
Great idea to use up your cake.
I love love love chocolate trifle… this looks exceptionally good!… heaven x
Lovely looking trifle, I bet that got eaten up pretty quickly.
Okay, oh my..we are huge fans of trifles let alone walnuts and dates! This would be such a treat at our house!! (I can’t believe CT doesn’t like dates, I mean, what’s not to like?!)
any type of trifle is good by me – but add chocolate into the mix and I am truely happy out!!
wonderful idea – I loved the sound of that cake first time around but this makeover sounds just as delicious – glad you could please the philistines 🙂
Oh goodness this sounds good. I am liking your thinking with the damson liqueur. I am definitely going to be pinching that idea next time I make a trifle. Any left? Could you post me a bowl?
This could roll on and on – how do you use leftover trifle? LOL!
I had too much gingerbread leftover, and also made a trifle with it, plus over-ripe pears and some chocolate meringues crumbled into the cream. Should have used some alcohol though – it was a little too dry.
CityHippy – He did the decent thing and professed to enjoy it 😉
So did CT eat it this time round with the dates hidden amongst the cream and nuts?