Does it have to be a cake? I love the idea, but I think it might be difficult to get the center reheated. How about meatloaf cupcakes? Their smaller size would make reheating easier. Just a thought. I'm looking forward to other replies. This idea would be fun for family get togethers where there are several children.

Meatloaf cupcakes. I like that idea!

I was curious, so I had to look. I couldn't find a recipe, so I don't know if it's reheatable. But I did find a picture of a meatloaf cake.

Here is a link that might be useful:

Would you have time to assemble just before placing on the buffet?
It seems like it would be easier to reheat two individual layers and the potatoes and just stack and "frost" at the last minute.

And what's wrong with cold??? :-)
Ain't ya ever had a meatloaf sammy???

The cupcake idea is awesome too, is it an option for what you're wanting to do?

Deanna

I've never gried to make a "layer cake" type meatloaf, only loaf shaped ones frosted with mashed potatoes and served immediately.

I have put the frosted loaf in the oven and the potatoes will brown eventually, so I'm really afraid that you probably won't be able to heat the meatloaf all the way though if you try to heat it after it's been assembled and refrigerated.

I'll also be interested to hear suggestions, and I love the idea of meatloaf cupcakes, everyone gets their own personal serving.

Annie

Hmmm... might do the cupcakes. Although it wouldn't really be exactly what I was trying to achieve. But if it comes down to it and it's the only solution, I will do that.

Robin, that picture is great!! It's exactly what I'm trying to do. Thanks for posting that. If I can emulate it AND have it at the right temp, it will be exactly perfect. Otherwise, I can at least model the cupcakes after that cake. I love the cherry tomatoes!

The thing is, I'm the host of the party. It's a huge potluck with somewhere in the neighborhood of 20+ attending, all women and all bringing a dish. So there is a LOT going on at the beginning of the party, such that my attention cannot be focused on fussing over something in the kitchen.

The party starts at 7 with people arriving anywhere after about 630, and we eat at 730. So the idea is for me to grab it out of the oven right at 725 or so, put it on the table, and we eat!

Now, maybe I can frost the top layer with the decorative piping, frost the bottom layer with a plain spread of potatoes, and heat them separately... Then just frost the sides and add the tomatoes on top at the last minute. I'll have to see how long it takes me to do that part to see if I can make that work.

As far as cold goes, if it were just the meatloaf, I think it would be fine cold. But I'm not sure cold mashed potatoes would be very appetizing, unfortunately!

How about testing and re-heating in the MW? Use some moist paper towels in there so it doesn't dry out. That way you won't burn any mashed potatoes.

I think you just solved your own problem. I think as long as you keep the layers shallow you'll be fine. For the same amount of food, I'd go with a short 9x13 rather than a tall 9" round.

If your cake even begins to approach what Robin linked, I'll be super impressed! Good luck - looks like a fun project. And forgiving. If the layers break along the way who cares, you're "frosting" it!

Your mashed potatoes in the middle are going to have to be very stiff to support the upper layer. Maybe some potatoes that were sliced and fried for the middle? Just a thought. Good luck and I will be waiting to hear how you did!

How about instead of mashed potatoes you frost it with "buttercream" frosting? made from cream cheese, a bit of mayo perhaps....seasonings like garlic.
Would you have time to pipe that ontop of the "cake" after it comes from the oven? because ti will melt in the oven.
OPr how about a layer of savory cheesecake mixture, on top before it is baked and baked with the "cake"....so you would have a "cheesecake" meatloaf.

It seems to me if you could hold it on low, in two pans covered with foil, you could assemble it quickly and pop it on the table. That way the potatoes wouldn't brown.
Cute idea.

If you reheat in a low oven - like 250 degrees F, I don't think the potatoes will brown. They might get a bit dry outside, but they shouldn't brown. Low power on your microwave would be another alternative for reheating. Or possibly a combination of approaches - like 20 mintues on 30% power in the microwave followed by putting it in a low oven for 20 minutes to give time for the heat to equalize.

You could do some experiments with just a layer of mash potatoes to see if the surface gets too dried out or browns - no need to include the meat loaf.

It looks like they used some kind of tomato paste or ketchup between the "cake" layers in the picture. That might heat better than a middle layer of mash potatoes and it looks very like a cake with jam between the layers.

Does your dish need to be hot? Years ago some adventurous hostesses would make a cold sandwich cake. Bread would be sliced horizontally with different sandwich fillings in between each layer. Then the whole thing was frosted with what LindaC described --cream cheese and mayo -- and decorated with vegetable flowers.

I was thinking like Deanna. For big holiday meals I've made the mashed potatoes ahead and kept them hot in a crockpot with no problem. If you put it together at the last minute that might work for you. The cupcake idea sounds cool and that cake in the link....WOW!

David

Excellent ideas and suggestions!! Thank you!

I didn't notice the middle of the cake in the picture was red. I'm glad you pointed that out. That might make things much easier to deal with as I won't have to worry about having stiff potatoes in the middle as Linda pointed out.

I wasn't sure about how the cream cheese & mayo would work till shambo suggested serving it cold. Serving it cold (or room temp) would eliminate the need for any last minute prep which is ideal.

So! If I do the middle layer with a seasoned tomato paste, then frost the outside with a cream cheese/mayo (also seasoned) and stick it in the fridge that morning, I can then just plop it on the table at serving time.

I'm going to make this on Sunday and see how it tastes. If that doesn't work out well, I will probably go back to the mashed potato idea and do the heating in the MW which, duh, why didn't *I* think of that!? The combo of MW/oven might work even better.

I'll report back on Sunday night. Thank you thank you thank you!!

I have recipe look up Martha Stewarts meatloaf cake.My daughter and I made it for hubbys birthday because he loves meatloaf.It was too much work I thought.You usemashed potatoes for icing,baked in 2 -10" pans.Then decorate with carrots,peas etc.

Success! Ok, now this doesn't look that great but I wasn't really being too careful. I just wanted to get a general idea of how it would look, how much work it would be and how much time it would take.

Firstly, my meatloaf recipe is going to have to go easy on any fat. I used two lb of ground beef (90/10) and less than half a pound of sausage but I think that sausage was full of fat because boy was there a lot of shrinkage and fat. That didn't help the look of the cake as they were no longer really round like a cake. So I'm going to get much leaner beef and leave out the sausage next time.

I decided to go ahead with the mashed potatoes method after seeing Martha Stewart's demo. It helped me to see it actually being done. And I went with instant mashed potatoes. Not the most delicious, I know, but smooth and easy to work with and quick.

I went ahead and put it together and stuck it in the fridge, then reheated it in the MW for about 12 minutes. It heated up just fine temperature-wise but the side decorations kinda melted.

I'm thinking that I'm going to just bake the suckers about 2 hours before the party, let them sit for about 20 minutes, then go ahead and do the frosting with the potatoes. I will then just put it on a warming tray and cover it up till party time. Not ideal as I really don't want to be busy at that time, but it only took me about 15 minutes to do the entire cake.

Oh, and I didn't add the cherry tomatoes, or peas/carrots as Martha did, but I probably will for the party. Just didn't feel like messing with it today.

The meatloaf/potato combo tasted pretty good in the end. The fact that it was instant mashed potatoes wasn't as bad as I thought it might be -- it worked quite well with the meat.

Thanks so much everyone for your input. It was invaluable!!

WoWoWoWoW!!!!

Totally amazing!

You next assignment: Make a cake to look like a meatloaf. :-)

dcarch

Did you use mashed potatoes in the middle or the red sauce?
I think it turned out great!

LOL Arch!

I used mashed potatoes in the middle and it worked fine. I think that the instant mashed potatoes are ideal for this as I had no trouble keeping the cake together.

Now, when I cut the cake open, you couldn't actually see the mashed potatoes in the middle. Probably because the MW melted them into the meatloaf.

However, the presentation BEFORE the cake is cut is what's of paramount importance. So as long as it looks really cute and like a cake while still whole, the look of the individual slices won't matter.

Thanks, y'all!!

Wow, I would never have guessed it was anything but the real deal. Nice work!

Great job! It looks awesome :-)

Alexa

I can't believe it's not butter, I mean a cake! It looks terrific!

Lee

It looks great May!!

David

Thanks for all the nice comments!! :)