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Home » Gluten-Free Baking » Gluten-Free Cakes » Leftover Porridge Cake

Leftover Porridge Cake

By Georgina Hartley  •  Published February 12, 2021

This post contains affiliate links. Please read my disclosures.

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Pinnable image of honey being drizzled over a slice of Porridge Cake on a wire rack. With title text at the bottom

This Leftover Porridge Cake recipe is ideal if you are stuck with a saucepan full of cooked oatmeal. It is a delicious and  healthy cake for snacking, warm with spices and bursting with fruity blueberries. It even makes a great dessert served warm with ice cream. Plus it is gluten-free and refined sugar-free with a dairy-free option.

honey being drizzled over a slice of Porridge Cake on a wire rack

It happened again this morning. My husband was on breakfast porridge duty and his idea of how much porridge the whole family can eat in one sitting is incredibly optimistic. No leftovers ever go to waste in our house so we need to find a way to use this oatmeal in other recipes.

What is porridge?

Porridge is commonly eaten at breakfast and is made from a whole or ground starchy plants cooked in liquid, usually water or milk. Although you can get different kinds of porridge made from a variety of different plants, this recipe is based on using leftover cooked oatmeal.

A saucepan of porridge

What can you do with leftover porridge?

There are a number of ways you can use leftover porridge:

  • Keep it in the fridge for tomorrow. It will become quite solid so loosen it up when re-heating with extra milk.
  • Add a couple of tablespoons into a smoothie.
  • Add an egg and a banana to a couple of tablespoons for Quick Porridge Pancakes.
  • You can even use it in meatballs or meatloaf in lieu of breadcrumbs.
  • Or…make Porridge Cake – read on!!
Porridge Cake on a wire rack on a wooden board

To save us from eating porridge for days on end we love to bake cooked oatmeal up into this delicious and healthy Porridge Cake which is ideal for the whole family to snack on, lunchboxes and actually perfect for little fingers to hold if you are baby led weaning. It’s also makes for a great dessert warmed up which you can serve with yoghurt or even ice cream!

We all enjoy going back for little nibbles of Porridge Cake and it rarely lasts the day it is baked.

In fact it has come to the stage when we make extra porridge just so we can have this cake on hand for snacking.

Close up of a slice of porridge cake on a wire rack next to the whole cake

Why you’ll love this Porridge Cake

  • A great way to use up leftover porridge.
  • You can use any cooked oatmeal, even if it’s been flavoured or you’ve put a few extra ingredients in it. Every Porridge Cake will be slightly unique as there are no hard and fast rules to the kind of porridge you can use. It turns out a little differently every time.
  • It is usually a very moist cake though but the texture is incredibly addictive.
  • The cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla give this cake a great backdrop of deep flavour.
  • The burst of fruity blueberries really make this humble little cake quite special.
  • Plus it only takes 10 minutes to mix up so is very quick to prepare.
  • It bakes into a small 6 inch cake so you won’t have loads of cake to contend with either. It’s the perfect amount.

What kind of leftover porridge can you use for Porridge Cake?

This recipe works with any leftover porridge or cooked oatmeal.

You can use cooked jumbo rolled oatmeal, quick porridge oatmeal or even steel cut oatmeal.

However, there will be a variation on how this recipe turns out for you depending on how your porridge has been cooked. If you like your porridge very loose then your cake will be ultra moist. If you leave your porridge overnight before baking it then your resulting cake will have a more solid structure as the oats have absorbed more of the liquid.

You can even use porridge that has little extras in it. Chia seeds, flaxseed, almond butter. It all adds to your own unique porridge cake.

What ingredients do we need?

  • Porridge or cooked oatmeal – the texture and flavour of porridge will dictate how your cake turns out. There is no wrong porridge to use though.
  • Unsalted butter – used here for richness of flavour. You can swap out for coconut oil if you need your cake to be dairy-free.
  • Honey – this is all the sweetness we need. You can substitute for maple syrup if you would like.
  • Eggs – this recipe uses medium size
  • Vanilla extract – try not to use essence. Extract gives a lovely clean vanilla flavour.
  • Ground almonds – you can swap this out for almond flour or plain gluten-free flour or even regular flour.
  • Spices – we use cinnamon and nutmeg here for a warming flavour but you can also add a touch of ground ginger or even mixed spice.
  • Baking powder – for a little bit of lift.
  • Blueberries – the pockets of fruity blueberries in the cake are such a treat. You can swap out for raspberries (which will create a wetter cake) or sultanas (which will create a drier cake).
  • Salt – it just balances all the flavours.
ingredients for porridge cake

How do we make it?

For full recipe instructions go to the recipe card at the end of this post.

The steps are simple:

  1. Mix together the cooled porridge, melted butter, honey, eggs and vanilla extract until combined.
  2. Add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients and beat to combine.
  3. Stir through the blueberries.
  4. Bake for 1 hour.
A series of process images showing the step by step process of making Leftover Porridge Cake

Recommended Equipment: 6 inch x 4 inch Round Cake Tin

Tips for Porridge Cake

  • Wait until your porridge has completely cooled before beginning making the cake. You could even leave it in the fridge overnight and make it the next day.
  • If your porridge is already flavoured with cinnamon or vanilla then just reduce the quantities of the flavourings slightly so it doesn’t get overpowering.
  • You can make by hand in a mixing bowl with a wooden spoon if you don’t want to clean your stand mixer.
  • Stir the blueberries through gently so they don’t break up in the cake mixture.
  • Allow the cake to rest for 5 minutes before removing from the cake tin.
Porridge Cake on a wire rack

How do you serve Porridge Cake?

This cake is extremely moist. You can serve 2 ways:

  1. Allow to cool completely and serve as a regular cake. It’s delicious drizzled with honey or with a pat of warm butter.
  2. Serve still warm where it will have soft pudding texture – almost like a Bread and Butter Pudding. Delicious with yoghurt, cold cream or hot custard or even ice cream

How to store it

This cooked oatmeal cake is delicious at room temperature so you can keep the cake out of the fridge for a day or two wrapped in aluminium foil but only if you are going to eat it within that time frame. Otherwise the cake is best kept in the fridge. Take it out 30 minutes before you want to serve it to bring it to room temperature.

a slice of porridge cake on a wire rack next to the whole cake with honey pot at front of frame

Can you make this cake dairy-free?

Yes, you can swap the butter for coconut oil.

Variations for Leftover Porridge Cake

  • Sultanas – swap the blueberries with sultanas where it really will take upon a Bread and Butter Pudding identity.
  • Orange zest – add the zest of half an orange for a lovely citrusy kick.
  • Chocolate – Add 50g cocoa powder and even a handful of chocolate chips for a lovely Chocolate Porridge Cake.

More oat recipes you’ll love!

  • Banana Oat Bread
  • Cheesy Oat Bacon Breakfast Muffins
  • Healthy Banana Flapjacks
  • Chocolate Dipped Oat Peanut Butter Cookies
  • Gluten-Free Parkin
  • White Chocolate Raspberry Flapjacks
A forkful of porridge cake being taken out of a slice.

I urge you to give this Leftover Porridge Cake a try. If you do then please leave a comment below and give the recipe a rating which helps others find the recipe on Google. If you then go on to use this recipe as a launch pad for your own culinary creation then I’d also love it if you’d share it and tag me on Instagram. It is so lovely for me to see your versions and variations of my recipes.

honey being drizzled over a slice of Porridge Cake on a wire rack

Leftover Porridge Cake

Georgina Hartley
This Leftover Porridge Cake recipe is ideal if you are stuck with a saucepan full of cooked oatmeal. It is a delicious and healthy cake for snacking, warm with spices and bursting with fruity blueberries. It even makes a great dessert served warm with ice cream. Plus it is gluten-free and refined sugar-free with a dairy-free option.
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 1 hr
Course Cake
Cuisine British
Servings 8 people
Calories 289 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 300 g leftover porridge - cooled
  • 60 g unsalted butter - melted then cooled
  • 80 ml honey
  • 3 eggs - medium
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 200 g ground almonds
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¾ teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 125 g blueberries

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 180°C /160°C fan assisted oven / gas mark 4.
  • Line and grease a 6 inch round baking tin.
  • Place the leftover porridge, melted butter, honey, eggs and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl or stand mixer and beat until combined.
  • Whisk together the ground almonds, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl.
  • Add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients and beat to combine.
  • Stir through the blueberries.
  • Pour the cake mixture into the prepared baking tin and place in the centre of the oven. Bake for 1 hour.
  • Remove from the oven and remove the cake from the tin to cool on a wire rack.

Video

Notes

Ingredient Substitutions

  • Butter – you can switch for coconut oil if you would like a dairy-free version.
  • Honey – you can swap for maple syrup.
  • Ground almonds – you can swap for Gluten-Free Plain White Flour or even regular All Purpose Flour
  • Blueberries – swap for raspberries, sultanas or a handful of mixed dried fruit.

Cooking Tips

  • Wait until your porridge has completely cooled before beginning making the cake. You could even leave it in the fridge overnight and make it the next day.
  • If your porridge is already flavoured with cinnamon or vanilla then just reduce the quantities of the flavourings slightly so it doesn’t get overpowering.
  • Stir the blueberries through gently so they don’t break up in the cake mixture.
  • Allow the cake to rest for 5 minutes before removing from the cake tin.

How to store this cake

This cake keeps well stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Take out of the fridge 30 minutes before serving to bring up to room temperature.

Nutrition

Calories: 289kcalCarbohydrates: 21gProtein: 9gFat: 21gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 78mgSodium: 245mgPotassium: 122mgFiber: 4gSugar: 11gVitamin A: 287IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 95mgIron: 2mg
Have you tried this recipe?Head to the comment section and let me know what you think!

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Diane says

    February 23, 2021 at 9:27 pm

    5 stars
    Thank you so very much for sharing your gifts. I’m a novice at gluten free baking partly due to fear of failing. Your recipes give me a confidence boost. I happened upon this recipe in a timely manner and gave it a go. I substituted with a loaf pan, maple syrup and almond flour. I added half of a very ripe banana, 2 Tsp chopped pecans, 1 tsp of fresh lemon juice, and 1 tsp lemon zest. I forgot the nutmeg, but I liked it very much and I wanted to share this small success story with you. Oh, and thank you also for offering the US measurement conversion. Another huge help for this timid baker.

    Reply
    • Georgina Hartley says

      February 24, 2021 at 9:55 pm

      Those sound like lovely substitutions - I'm happy you like the cake!

      Reply
  2. Esther says

    February 18, 2021 at 4:30 pm

    OMG I just noticed you have a US measurement selection, love it. Although I am sure all my UK family are just fine and happy with the normal measurements. I have got rather lazy here in the US with measurements, the scale is a blessing.

    Reply
    • Georgina Hartley says

      February 18, 2021 at 10:26 pm

      That's great - the measurements don't easily convert for all my recipes but this one fit well.

      Reply

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About Me

Hello, so lovely of you to drop by. I am Georgina. I bake a lot, eat a lot and love writing about my gluten-free kitchen adventures here. I run a gluten-free cake business but am mostly kept busy with my 2 cats, 1 dog, 1 husband, 2 gorgeous sons and twin baby girls.

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