Cleaning-Out-The-Fridge Cake

By cake, I mean a savory cake that is baked in a long, narrow loaf pan.

I've come up with a savory cake batter that allows me to throw in whatever needs to be used up in the fridge. I always have bits of cheese lying about and often have bacon, ham or even leftover roasted chicken. Add some sautéed vegetables for texture and flavor, mix it up, bake it and voilà! Dinner is served!

I call it Cleaning Out The Fridge Cake.

The basic batter recipe:
3 large eggs
1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup milk - whole or 2%
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt

Mix everything together in a big bowl.

Then you fold in:
4 ounces grated cheese such as Gruyère, Comté or Swiss
4 - 8 ounces sautéed vegetables such as zucchini, peppers, fennel, onions, jarred roasted red peppers or roasted tomatoes
8 ounces soft cheese such as chèvre or feta
1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs or 1 teaspoon dried
freshly ground black pepper
optional: 1/4 - 1/2 cup of diced ham or diced, cooked chicken, smoked salmon, dried fruit, pitted olives

Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Serve warm or cold.

Create the ultimate combination to suit your taste!
Some great ones are smoked salmon and sautéed fennel, ham and olives. Chèvre, plumped up golden raisins and mint. Mozzarella, sun dried tomato and rosemary.

The amount of additional salt and freshly ground pepper will depend upon what ingredients you're using.

Yesterdays bread with roasted red peppers, fresh goat cheese, herbes de provence and grated Comté cheese.

Here are a few more savory cake recipes with slightly different batter recipes.
Roquefort and Pear Cake
Savory Cheddar-Chive Bread
Roquefort Walnut Savory Loaf