KUALA LUMPUR, June 13 — We’re seeing the boom of home baking like never before. From simple milk loaves to all manner of sourdough confections, it’s clear that everyone loves bread... or finds the task of sifting flour and kneading dough a calming, meditative exercise.
Which means, inevitably, we find ourselves with more baked goods than we know what to do with.
Even if you don’t participate in the worldwide phenomenon, even if you don’t revel in the joys of baking, chances are your friends and family are baking at home and offering their surplus creations to you with much love (and plenty of relief they don’t have to finish all that themselves, no doubt).
Once we even had a homemade cheesecake delivered to us, made by a friend who bakes practically on a daily basis.
Her passion for cheesecake is unparalleled; opening the box we realised the cheesecake is 100 per cent cheese, not unlike a German-style Käsekuchen.
(When asked, she explained, “Why waste space on a biscuit or cracker base when you can have more cheese?”)
All this leads to the very real danger that some of these baked treats will go stale. While stale bread can be easily repurposed as croutons or fodder for a creamy bread-and-butter pudding, stale cake is a harder pickle to tackle (apologies for the mixed metaphors).
Another day, another kitchen conundrum. Or, perhaps, an opportunity to experiment.
One of my favourite treats as a kid was the roti kok sold by a snacks vendor from his motorcycle cart right outside the school gates. Basically crunchy bars of buttered and toasted bread, the best part for me was the generous sprinkling of granulated sugar on top.
Now that I’m an adult, I’d think twice before embracing a shower of powdered sugar on my desserts. Waistlines to watch and all that. Still, the memory gave me an idea.
Stale cake isn’t that different from stale bread after all. Sliced in the right shapes, it can be toasted easily. Garnished with slightly healthier toppings, and this becomes another treat we could make in the spirit of waste not, want not.
OATY, TOASTY SPONGE BARS
What I began with was what I had in the pantry: leftover chocolate sponge cake. Of course, were this still fresh, I wouldn’t have employed it in this recipe. Cakes are best fresh. (Unless the cake is poorly made, in which case this recipe might be the save you need.)
Cutting the cake into bars increases the speed with which they toast and get crunchy. Short on time? Cut them into cubes and get your toasty treats even faster. But watch them in the oven — they go from crunchy to charcoal faster than you’d imagine!
For toppings, I’ve gone for healthy oats rather than a layer of sugar. Goodness knows there's plenty of sugar in the cake already. Wish to amp up the health quotient? Add nuts such as walnuts to the oats for crunchier, tastier and more nutritious toasty bars.
A little melted butter will help the dry toppings stick easily to the stale cake. If you’re lactose intolerant or wish to eschew the butter (but why?), an egg wash would work too.
I find adding a little bit of water to beaten eggs makes it a smoother egg wash. Another substitute, just in case you have run out of eggs in your pantry and are loath to head out again for another grocery run: use aquafaba which is the viscous liquid canned beans are soaked in.
It’s an excellent replacement for egg white and brimming with protein. Enough of us have stocked up on loads of beans during the weeks of quarantine that this wouldn’t prove much of a challenge. (And no, your oaty, toasty bars won’t reek of beans — the amount used is negligible, just enough for the oats to stick.)
Butter, eggs or bean water: take your pick.
These are perfect for teatime, though you’d be forgiven for snacking on them any time of the day. When they are this addictive, who could blame you, really?
Ingredients
500g leftover sponge cake, cut into bars or cubes
20g butter, melted
(Or alternatively use 1 small egg, beaten with a little water to create an egg wash)
100g rolled oats
50g walnuts (optional)
Cinnamon powder
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Slice the leftover sponge cake into rectangular bars or into cubes, depending on your preference. Arrange in a baking tray. Using a basting brush, coat the top of the cake bars with the melted butter/egg wash.
Just a little will be enough for the oats to stick. The idea here is to moisten the top of the cake, not to drench it completely. You can choose the coat the entire top area or just part of it, to create a border design.
Sprinkle the oats (and walnuts, if using) on top. Finally dust with some cinnamon powder.
Place in the oven and bake for about 10-15 minutes until the bars are toasted. As every oven is different, watch from time to time and remove earlier if necessary to prevent burning.
Allow to cool on a wire rack before serving.
For more Weekend Kitchen stories and recipes, visit https://lifeforbeginners.com/weekend-kitchen/.
