This Clever Martha Stewart Recipe Lets You Make Cake Without A Cake Pan

We love a good homemade cake, but let's face it ... sometimes, the standard circle cake can be pretty boring. This is especially true if you want to make something unique for a special event. But before you buy a new mold or pan, you might want to consider using a mixing bowl instead. Yes, really!

Hear us out: On Instagram, @marthastewart shared a brilliant cake recipe called a cherry-cheesecake celebration bombe. The dessert, which was published in the June 2021 edition of ​Martha Stewart Living​, is prepared in a mixing bowl, resulting in a beautiful dome cake.

Specifically, the dessert is a four-layer cake made of "no-bake cheesecake batter, a blend of freeze-dried cherries and cookie crumbs, ice cream spiked with cherry syrup, and a tender sponge cake," according to the Martha Stewart website. The layers are prepared in a freezer-safe bowl, then frozen until solid. Finally, the cake is unmolded from the bowl, and the cheesecake layer is covered with even more cookie crumbs. Yum.

marthastewart/conpoulos_photographer/Instagram

What's more, you can make this recipe entirely no-bake by using a round store-bought sponge cake. The trick is to find one that fits perfectly into the opening of your bowl. Another option is to use a classic yellow or chocolate cake, if that's all you can find.

Needless to say, we love the idea of using mixing bowls as freezer cake molds. To recreate the cherry-cheesecake celebration bombe, visit the Martha Stewart website here.

Of course, mixing bowls aren't the only items that can double as freezer cake molds. A bread loaf pan works just as well, as proven by this lemon icebox cake recipe by The Sweet Occasion. Similarly, a muffin tin is perfect for making mini ice cream cakes, which is ideal for kids. These options are ideal if you're serving a small crowd — or if you simply have limited space in your freezer.