Image is for illustrative purposes only.
This is the simple crumb base I keep on hand for cheesecakes, mousse cakes and any dessert that needs a firm, buttery layer underneath. It is made from dried white cake that has been ground fine, together with ordinary cake crumbs, a little cinnamon and caster sugar, all bound with melted butter. Nothing is wasted: offcuts and trimmings from sponge baking become the base of the next cake.
Pressed into a ring and chilled, it sets into a short, sandy layer that cuts cleanly with a knife and holds its shape under a soft filling. The flavour is gently sweet and biscuity with a warm hint of cinnamon, so it sits quietly under whatever you put on top rather than competing with it. It can be used raw and chilled, or baked briefly for a crisper, drier base.
Ingredients
The weights in the recipe table below will yield the following 'weight per unit' and 'number of units'. If you would like to change the recipe to cater to a different 'weight per unit' and/or 'number of units',
you can use the Recipe Calculator Tool below the ingredients table.
Note: The Recipe Calculator Tool is available to subscribers.
Weight Per Unit: 257
Number of Units: 5
Unit Size: 160 mm round cake base, 250 g each
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WEIGHT
(grams)
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ALTERNATIVE METRIC
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INGREDIENT
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IMAGE
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CONDITION
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A
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600 |
21.1 ounces
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Ground Dry White Cake
Plain white or vanilla cake that has been dried out completely and then ground to a fine, sandy powder. Bakeries make it from trimmings and offcuts dried in a low oven, and it gives a crumb base its body and short texture.
dried right through
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finely ground |
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B
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275 |
9.7 ounces
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Cake Crumbs
Soft crumbs from fresh or day-old plain cake, rubbed or blitzed to a coarse crumb. They are softer and slightly moist compared with fully dried ground cake, and they help the base hold together.
plain cake
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coarsely crumbed |
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C
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7.5 |
0.3 ounce
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Cinnamon
Cinnamon (/ˈsɪnəmən/ sin-ə-mən) is a spice obtained from the inner bark of several trees from the genus Cinnamomum that is used in both sweet and savoury foods. While Cinnamomum verum is sometimes considered to be "true cinnamon", most cinnamon in international commerce is derived from related species, which are also referred to as "cassia" to distinguish them from "true cinnamon".
ground
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D
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150 |
5.3 ounces
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Sugar
Sugar is the generalized name for sweet, short-chain, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. They are carbohydrates, composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. There are various types of sugar derived from different sources. Simple sugars are called monosaccharides and include glucose (also known as dextrose), fructose and galactose. The table or granulated sugar most customarily used as food is sucrose, a disaccharide. (In the body, sucrose hydrolyses into fructose and glucose.) Other disaccharides include maltose and lactose. Longer chains of sugars are called oligosaccharides. Chemically-different substances may also have a sweet taste, but are not classified as sugars. Some are used as lower-calorie food substitutes for sugar described as artificial sweeteners.
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E
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250 |
8.8 ounces
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Butter
Butter is a solid dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented cream or milk, to separate the butterfat from the buttermilk. It is generally used as a spread on plain or toasted bread products and a condiment on cooked vegetables, as well as in cooking, such as baking, sauce making, and pan frying. Butter consists of butterfat, milk proteins and water.
unsalted
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melted |
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1282
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Recipe Calculator Tool
Using this tool, you can alter this recipe for your own requirements. Use the two fields below to generate new weights for the ingredients above.
STEP 1. Enter your Custom Weight Per Unit
The 'Custom Weight Per Unit' is already loaded with the weight per unit for this recipe but can be changed if required. If all you wish to do is change the number of units (or servings), just leave the current weight per unit.
STEP 2. Enter your Custom Number of Units
This is the number of units (or servings) you want this recipe to yield.
STEP 3. Click Calculate
The new weights for your adjusted recipe will be displayed in the table above.
Method
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STEP
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ACTION
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DETAIL
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CONDITION
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1 |
Prepare |
Line the base of your cake ring or springform tin with baking paper and set it on a flat tray or board. |
Ring sitting flat so the base presses out level |
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2 |
Melt |
Melt E (butter) gently until it is fully liquid but not hot. |
Clear and just warm to the touch |
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3 |
Mix |
In a large bowl, combine A, B, C and D (ground dry white cake, cake crumbs, cinnamon and caster sugar) and stir until the cinnamon and sugar are evenly spread through the crumbs. |
Even colour, no streaks of cinnamon |
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4 |
Combine |
Pour the melted E (butter) over the crumb mixture and rub or mix it through with your hands or a paddle. |
Crumbs look like damp sand and hold together when squeezed in the hand |
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5 |
Fill |
Weigh the mixture into the prepared rings — about 250 g for a 160 mm ring, 500 g for a 250 mm ring, or 30 g for an individual dessert ring. |
Even weight in each ring |
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6 |
Press |
Press the crumbs down firmly and evenly with the back of a spoon or a flat-bottomed glass, working from the centre outwards. |
Flat, compact and level, with no loose crumbs at the edge |
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7 |
Chill |
Refrigerate the pressed bases for at least 30 minutes before filling. For a crisper, drier base, bake instead at 170°C (340°F) for 10 minutes and cool completely before use. |
Firm and set; a baked base should be cooled right down before any filling goes on |
Important Notes
The halved recipe makes about 1,280 g of crumb mix. The chef's working rates are 500 g for a 250 mm (25 cm) base, 250 g for a 160 mm (16 cm) base, and 30 g for a single-serve dessert ring — so this quantity gives you roughly five 160 mm bases, or two 250 mm bases with a little left over.
Dry your own cake for the ground portion: spread plain cake offcuts on a tray and leave them in a very low oven until they are completely dry and snap when broken, then grind them fine. Any moisture left in them will make the base go soggy in storage.
The unbaked mix keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for about a week, or several weeks in the freezer. Pressed bases can be made a day ahead and kept covered in the fridge until you are ready to fill them.
Tools & Arrangements
Food processor or blender for grinding the dried cake, large mixing bowl, small saucepan or microwave-safe bowl for melting the butter, digital scales, cake rings or springform tins, baking paper, flat tray or board, spoon or flat-bottomed glass for pressing.
