If you have small amounts of cold cuts, cheeses and vegetables at home—maybe leftovers from previous preparations—the savory empty-fridge loaf cake is the perfect recipe to avoid waste and bring something tasty to the table. With a few ingredients and little effort you can make a soft, flavorful and always different savory loaf cake, ideal as an appetizer, for a homemade aperitif or as a savory snack.
This empty-fridge recipe is also incredibly easy and quick: thanks to the instant baking powder for savory preparations, the batter doesn’t need resting time and goes straight into the oven, just like a quick savory tart. The best part? You can personalize it every time based on what you have available, creating always-new and tasty combinations.
With the arrival of warmer weather and outdoor days, the savory empty-fridge loaf cake becomes a great picnic idea, perfect for day trips or informal lunches. You can serve it along with other rustic preparations such as mini savory tomato muffins, the rustic ricotta and speck ring or the 7-jar savory cake, for a varied and colorful buffet.
In short, a quick and versatile recipe, perfect to give leftovers a new life… and win everyone over at first bite!
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very economical
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Cooking time: 45 Minutes
- Portions: 8Servings
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 245.72 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 18.56 (g) of which sugars 1.59 (g)
- Proteins 9.90 (g)
- Fat 15.27 (g) of which saturated 4.20 (g)of which unsaturated 9.95 (g)
- Fibers 0.82 (g)
- Sodium 452.23 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 77 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for the savory empty-fridge loaf cake
If you are celiac you can replace the 00 flour with the same weight of a gluten-free bread mix (I use the mix B Schär). Remember to check that the following ingredients have the label “gluten free”: turkey cold cuts, instant baking powder for savory preparations.
- 3 eggs (medium)
- 1 3/8 cups all-purpose flour (tipo 00) (or gluten-free bread mix)
- 1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano PDO (grated)
- 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano (grated)
- 3/4 cup zucchini (or other vegetables of your choice (grated))
- 1/2 cup carrots (or other vegetables of your choice (grated))
- 1.5 oz prosciutto crudo (or other cold cut of your choice (sliced and chopped))
- 1 oz cooked ham (prosciutto cotto) (or other cold cut of your choice (sliced and chopped))
- 1/2 cup cheese (diced (about 1.8 oz))
- 4 2/3 tbsp sunflower oil
- 3.4 fl oz milk (about 1/3 cup)
- 1 packet instant baking powder for savory preparations (one sachet (about 15 g))
- 1 pinch salt
- to taste pepper
- to taste pumpkin seeds (or sesame, poppy seeds…)
Tools
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Grater large-holed grater
- 2 Bowls
- 1 Wooden spoon
- 1 Loaf pan about 9.5 x 4 in
- Parchment paper
How to prepare a soft and flavorful savory empty-fridge loaf cake
To prepare the savory empty-fridge loaf cake, start with the vegetables: you can use whichever you prefer, but since they will be added raw, it’s important to cut them very small or, even better, grate them with a large-holed grater. Wash and trim the zucchini, then grate them (1) letting them fall into a bowl. Peel the carrots and grate them into the same bowl (2). Set aside. Cut the cold cuts into strips (3).
Cut the cheese into small cubes (4). Then prepare the base batter: crack the eggs into a bowl, add a pinch of salt, a grind of pepper, the Parmigiano and the Pecorino (5). Mix briefly with a wooden spoon, then drizzle in the oil while continuing to stir (6).
After incorporating the oil, pour in the milk (7) and mix it into the other ingredients. Then add the flour mixed with the instant baking powder for savory tarts (8). Still using the spoon, fold the flour into the liquid ingredients, stirring well, until you obtain a homogeneous and fairly dense mixture (9).
Now add the grated vegetables. Squeeze them quickly with your hands before joining them to the batter, so they lose some of their vegetable water (10). Add the diced cheese and the cold cuts as well (11). Mix thoroughly so the ingredients are evenly distributed (12).
Line a loaf pan about 9.5 x 4 in with parchment paper and pour in the batter, leveling it well with the back of a spoon (13). If you have them, you can sprinkle some oil seeds on top: I used pumpkin seeds (14). Bake the loaf cake in a preheated oven at 356°F (conventional) for 40-45 minutes. Before removing it from the oven, check that it is cooked inside by inserting a wooden skewer; it should come out dry. Remove from the oven and let it cool (15) before unmolding.
You can serve the savory empty-fridge loaf cake as an appetizer or a bite for the aperitif; it’s also perfect to put in a picnic basket for an outdoor lunch.
Storage
The savory empty-fridge loaf cake keeps at room temperature for about 2–3 days, well covered with plastic wrap or inside an airtight container to maintain its softness.
Alternatively, you can store it in the refrigerator for up to 4–5 days: before serving you can warm it slightly in the oven or microwave to bring back the loaf cake’s softness and flavor as if freshly baked.
This quick and easy savory loaf cake can also be frozen: you can slice it and freeze the slices individually so you can defrost only the amount needed.
Tips and variations
For a perfect result, do not open the oven during the first half hour of baking: just like with sweet cakes, instant baking powder for savory preparations is sensitive to temperature changes and opening the oven door too early could cause the loaf to collapse.
The great thing about the savory empty-fridge loaf cake is that it’s meant to be personalized: it’s a versatile recipe designed to use different, even leftover, ingredients to avoid kitchen waste.
Regarding vegetables, use what you have: zucchini, carrots and peppers, but also spring onion, leek, cauliflower, radicchio or arugula. The important thing is to cut them very finely or grate them, so you get a soft and well-incorporated savory loaf cake.
Among cold cuts you can choose cooked ham, prosciutto crudo, salami, mortadella, speck or roasted turkey: every combination will create a different quick savory tart full of flavor.
For cheeses, prefer firm, non-watery cheeses like Gruyère, scamorza, fontina or provolone to avoid a too-wet batter and ensure a perfect texture.
You can also enrich your savory empty-fridge loaf cake with olives, nuts or fresh herbs to make it even more delicious.
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
How to make a soft savory empty-fridge loaf cake?
To get a soft savory loaf cake, it’s important not to overwork the batter and to squeeze the vegetables well so they don’t release too much water during baking.
Can I use any ingredients for this empty-fridge recipe?
Yes, this empty-fridge recipe is designed to be adapted: you can use vegetables, cold cuts and cheeses you have at home, keeping roughly the same weight and just being careful to avoid overly watery ingredients.
Can the savory empty-fridge loaf cake be prepared in advance?
Of course! This quick and easy savory loaf cake is perfect to prepare in advance and keep for aperitifs, buffets or meals out of the house.
Can I replace the instant baking powder?For a quick savory tart the instant baking powder is recommended, but you can alternatively use brewer’s yeast: use 5 g of active dry yeast (to add to the flour) or 10 g of fresh yeast (to dissolve in warm milk). Once the dough is formed, put it in the loaf pan and cover it with plastic wrap; let it rise in the switched-off oven with the light on until it reaches the edge, then proceed to bake.
