Use Leftover Cake To Give Stuffed Fruit Pastries A Textural Upgrade

So you have slices of cake leftover from yesterday's birthday party, and you're not in the mood to eat any more of it straight off the tray. One way to repurpose the sweet treat is to instead pack it into your next batch of fruit pastries for added texture and flavor. 

First, scrape off any thick layers of icing before cutting the sponge into smaller pieces. You'll then need to combine the crumbles of the cake with the fruit you intend to fill the pastries with, like cherries, apples, pineapple and mango pieces, or a seasonal berry mixture. The cake will absorb moisture from your fruit filling while also adding a touch of sweetness. Plus, the spongy pieces can help bulk up the middle of your pastry creations. Whether you're folding mini apple dumplings or making strawberry rhubarb turnovers to serve with tomorrow's morning coffee, the addition of cake crumbles can turn an average pastry recipe into a sweeter, more satisfying treat. And you won't have to look at that birthday cake again.

You can play with using complementary flavors for your next pastry recipe, and you don't have to stick to using a plain chocolate or vanilla sponge, either. While vanilla cakes are easy to fold into fruit mixtures, chocolate and coffee-flavored cakes can build interesting layers of flavor in homemade pastry creations. Use a caramel-infused sponge to give your maple apple crostata recipe a delicious boost or tuck crumbs of red velvet cake into your next raspberry oatmeal breakfast bar project. Even DIY guava Pop-Tarts can take on new, tasty dimensions with pieces of coconut, strawberry, or lemon cake packed into the sweet, chewy centers.

With so many inventive culinary options to explore, you may be less likely to send party guests home with wrapped-up leftover pieces of cake. Or, at the very least, you won't dread having an excess amount of cake lying around after the last party guest exits your kitchen.