The Leftover Dessert Your Ice Cream Has Been Needing

Is there anything better than ice cream? Maybe one thing: ice cream and cake. If you think America's favorite dessert stands just fine on its own — you're absolutely right. But there's a quick cake hack you can try that is the absolute magic formula you didn't know your ice cream needed.

If you have some leftover cake on hand (remnants of somebody's birthday dessert, store-bought from the bakery, or the leavings of a late-night bake fest — any kind will do), simply cut or break it up bread pudding style and toast it in an air fryer or the oven. Toasting not only refreshes the treat but also crisps it and lends brand-new texture and flavor.

With your freshened up fragments nice and warm, layer on scoops of a complementary ice cream flavor, and top with whipped cream. You can also add favorite sundae condiments like syrups and nuts. The end result is a fabulously comforting, toasty, decadent dessert that you'll be making over and over again.

One splendid thing about this treat is how quickly and conveniently it can be made. This is the kind of dessert you can easily create late at night when sugar cravings hit — as long as you have the basic elements on hand. It's awfully sad to hit up your freezer at midnight only to find the ice cream in it has become crystallized and inedible. To prevent this and ensure you have plenty of good product to work with, you can stop freezer burnt ice cream with this one-step hack that minimizes exposure to air.

Fundamental cooking rules also apply with a shortcut treat like this one. Quality ingredients will yield a better final product, so starting out with a topnotch frozen component will bolster your end result. Check out our guide on how to choose premium ice creams and weed out the posers to help you select a superior chilly accompaniment.

Finally, to go all out with your midnight indulgence you can add some spirits to the ice cream and cake party. With a little advance planning, make your ice cream boozy with just one easy step for a treat that's warm, cold, toasty, sweet, and buzzy all at once.