Monday 5 March 2012

Coffee House Parfaits


Remember my Coffee House Cake recipe?  This is what I did with some of the leftover cake.

Parfaits are a wonderful way to use up leftover cake or to stretch a small amount of cake into more servings.  They make a pretty presentation, wonderful for company. 

Here’s how I made my Coffee House Parfaits.  For two generous servings you’ll need: 


  • 2 two-inch squares of leftover Coffee House Cake (There are 3 in the picture because I wasn't sure how much cake I'd need.)
  • 2 cups milk
  • 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 banana
  • Whipped cream (not pictured)

Whisk the milk, cornstarch, brown sugar, and salt together in a saucepan.  Heat the mixture over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until it comes to a boil and thickens.  Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla.


Pour the pudding into a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap.  Make sure the plastic is sitting directly on the surface of the pudding.  It will help to prevent a skin from forming on the top of the pudding.


Allow the pudding to cool to room temperature, then put it in the fridge to cool completely.

When the pudding is cold, assemble the parfaits.  (You’ll want to wait until shortly before service to do this.  If the assembled parfaits sit too long, the banana will turn brown.)


  • Crumble some cake into the bottom of each glass. 
  • Spoon in some pudding on top of the cake. 
  • Slice the banana and make a layer of slices on top of the pudding in each glass. 
  • Crumble in some more cake. 
  • Make another layer of pudding. 
  • Pipe on a top layer of whipped cream (or spoon on a dollop instead).  

I garnished the whipped cream with a sprinkle of nutmeg.  Cinnamon or cardamom would work well too.
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This post is linked to Made-by-you-Monday hosted by Skip to my Lou, to Recipe Party @ The Sweet Spot, to Cast Party Wednesday hosted by Lady Behind The Curtain, to What Makes You Say "Mmmm" Monday Linky hosted by Things That Make You Say "Mmmm", to Show Me...Extraordinary...Link Party hosted by The 36th Avenue, and The Gallery of Favorites hosted by The 21st Century Housewife and Premeditated Leftovers.

Skip To My Lou

The Sweet Spot

Cast Party Wednesday

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The 36th AVENUE

Gallery of Favorites

6 comments:

Alea Milham said...

You are brilliant! This is such a lovely dessert. There are so many possibilities for different variations based on what type of leftover cake I have on hand, though this looks so delicious, I can see myself making a cake on purpose just to make these.

Aunt B said...

Thank you very much. That compliment means a lot coming from you!

You're right Alea: It is an infinitely adaptable recipe. I've used lots of different combinations of cake, fruit, and pudding over the years. Have fun playing with this.

chow and chatter said...

these look wonderful and wow thats amazing you spend so little on food hats of to you

Aunt B said...

Thanks Rebecca. :) The reduced spending is a result of years of practice..Out of necessity, not desire. I'm fortunate to have had such good teachers and--thanks to all the wonderful blogs out there--I'm still learning all the time. :)

April J Harris said...

Your parfaits sound absolutely lovely, and would be perfect with your coffee house cake. This is such a wonderful, adaptable idea - thank you for sharing it!

Aunt B said...

They are adaptable. :) I've made them in different forms over the years and always enjoyed them. Thanks for hosting the Gallery. I find good ideas there every week.