common baking bloopers and rescues

I've made so many bloopers in the kitchen.  SO MANY.  There are probably 3-5 bloopers for every pretty picture that I post.  It's part of the process, but it does make for a lot of cleaning. It also can potentially be a lot of food waste, but I've learned common rescues that can save some baking fails.  I wish I could tell you that I've saved them all but cookies charred to a smoky crisp are going to taste like cookies charred to a smoky crisp no matter how pretty I make them look. 

That said, take a look at these baking rescues I've regularly used before tossing the tray in the trash.

Cake Stuck to the Pan
Oh I know this frustration.  You've carefully greased your cake pans and confidently placed your batter in the oven.  The cake looks beautiful as you pull it out.  You wait for it to cool and it falls apart with part of it stuck to the pan when you try to take it out.  It smells and tastes great but argh.  Here's 3 common things I've done to rescue a botched cake.

1. First check if you can lift the remaining pieces of cake out of the pan and assemble the whole layer like a puzzle.  If you are able to do this and your goal is to make a layer cake, I find that frosting can be used like glue and mortar to assemble the layer and then suggest using the reconstructed layer as a middle layer of the cake. The outer layers and frosting will help hold it together. Use a bunch of frosting!
2. Cake pops! Who doesn't love a cute cake pop? Pivot and crumble that cake into a large bowl.  Mix your frosting right in the bowl with the crumbled cake.  Place the entire bowl in the fridge for 5-10 minutes to chill a little bit.  Roll the frosting/cake mixture into balls using approximately 1 TBS of cake/frosting at a time.  Place them in one layer on a baking tray and place in the fridge or freezer to chill.  Melt your favorite chocolate chips or candy melts and cover each cake pop in the melted chocolate. (Optional: insert a lollipop stick to each cake pop and secure with melted chocolate).  Add sprinkles or decorations and return to the fridge to set.
3. Trifle! Grab frosting, whip cream, candy, sprinkles, fruit etc. Crumble up part of your cake on the bottom of a large bowl (preferably clear so you can see the layers) or trifle dish.  Then layer frosting, whip cream, fruit, sprinkles and/or candy and keep repeating until you've used all of your cake.

Crumbling Cookies or Energy Bites
I have completely burned cookies before...as in, beyond repair burned cookies.  I can't help anyone there. Most of my cookie fails; however, have been situations where the flavor is good or almost where I want it, but the texture is a problem and they crumble.  I've also made this mistake with energy bites.  My go-to rescue for this situation is to use the work in progress as a "granola" on Greek yogurt. 

Bread Didn't Rise
Bread baking can truly be a science.  A loaf of bread can rise beautifully one day and not so much the next.  I feel puzzled by it but it's interesting to analyze.  I've rescued my less than ideal loaves of bread two ways.

1. The French Toast Casserole.  This brunch type casserole is forgiving and a crowd pleaser.  Simply tear up your loaf of bread and place it into a greased casserole dish.  Put together a combination of whisked eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon and an extract of your choice.  Pour it over the bread, cover and allow it to sit in the fridge over night and soak it all in.  Put some cubed butter on top in the morning and bake covered for about 45 minutes and uncover and bake for another 15 minutes or until the egg mixture is set.  Top with fruit and maple syrup and ta-dah.
2. Bread Crumbs.  Slice or tear up your loaf of bread and leave it out over night to stale a little bit.  Place it on a baking tray and bake in the oven on a low heat like 170-200 degrees for approximately 45 minutes to an hour.  Place in a food processor and process until the texture is fine crumbs.  You can also add in dried spices before processing if you would like Italian bread crumbs.

There you have it! A few tips to save some of the baking bloopers that happen on occasion.  I would love to hear more ideas if you have them! Send me any questions and have a great week.