Save Stale Cake With This Quick And Easy Trick

Generally speaking, if you're going to take the time to bake the perfect carrot cake using expert advice or make a devil's food cake from scratch, you want it to remain fresh for as long as possible. Ensuring freshness is usually a simple matter of allowing the cake to cool completely before storing it in an airtight container on the counter for a day or two, the fridge for a bit longer, or in the freezer for several months. Of course, cake is finicky, and even the most perfectly preserved pastry can become disappointingly stale, crumbly, and flavorless despite your best efforts.

However, it's fairly easy to revive stale cake with a steamy oven trick using the right amount of heat plus moisture. Cold, dry air is the enemy of a moist, tender cake, stealing its springiness and turning it into little more than a plate full of crumbs. Popping a stale cake into an oven on low heat (about 325 degrees Fahrenheit) with an oven-safe ramekin full of water will infuse it with moisture and make it taste just as good as fresh.

You can do something similar in your microwave by sandwiching the cake between two moist paper towels, or in your air fryer using the steamer function. Whatever method you decide to use, remember that the goal is for moisture to gently kiss the cake. Never pour water directly onto it, and make sure your paper towels are damp, not dripping, if you use the microwave method.

Once your cake is fluffy and moist again, it's important to keep it that way, as steaming it multiple times could result in a soggy cake that's more prone to spoilage. Instead, use a ridiculously easy cake soak technique to lock in that renewed moisture by brushing a light layer of simple syrup onto the warm cake. The sugary syrup will soak into the crumb and keep it hydrated for longer. This is also an excellent way to bump up the flavor in a bland cake — think lemon simple syrup on a vanilla cake or cherry for a chocolate sponge.

Of course, some cakes are too far gone to be rescued, which just means they're at the perfect stage to make something else delicious. For instance, you can turn stale pound cake into indulgent French toast, slice angel food cake into cubes to use in parfaits and trifles, or toast spice cake crumbs to use on ice cream. Stale cupcakes easily become cake pops — just scrape the frosting off into a bowl, crumble the cupcakes into it, and whip them together into cake pop batter.

In fact, the only time your cake is too far gone to rescue is if it's unsafe to eat. When you're deciding whether to revive your stale cake with steam or make it into another tasty dessert, inspect it closely for mold. If something tastes or smells "off," it's best to just throw the cake away.