Bread Pudding: Eggnog Bread Pudding

Ingredients

1 cup dark rum
1/2 cup cranberries
Day old loaf of french bread
1 stick unsalted butter

Eggnog
6 egg yolks
8 oz heavy whipping cream
1 can condensed milk
1 can evaporated milk
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup dark rum
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves
pinch salt

Icing:
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup heavy cream
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup dark rum
3 tablespoon water, plus extra, as needed

Directions

In a small bowl, soak the cranberries in the dark rum.

Coat baking pan using the stick of butter.

Melt the remaining stick of butter in a sauce pan.

While the butter is melting cut loaf of bread into 1 inch chunks. Transfer bread into a bowl, and pour melted butter over the bread.  Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, lightly beat the eggs until just broken.

Mix together 1/2 of the cranberries, all of the rum, and all of the remaining ingredients through the pinch of salt.

Pour the custard mixture over the bread. Make sure that every piece of bread is crushed, coated, and submerged in the custard.

Pour this mixture into the buttered baking pan.  Top with the remaining cranberries. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 8 to 12 hours to allow the bread to fully absorb the custard.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes, or until top is golden brown and edges pull away from the pan.  Allow to cool about 10 minutes. Custard will completely set during cooling.

While the bread pudding is baking prepare the icing.

In a food processor, combine All of the ingredients except the water.  Process until smooth, adding more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the icing is pourable. Pour the icing over the bread pudding and allow to set for 20 minutes or more before slicing.

Bread Pudding: Pumpkin Bread Pudding

Ingredients

Bread Pudding:
1 stick butter melted
1 day old (minimum) loaf French bread
4 eggs
8 oz heavy whipping cream
1 can condensed milk
1 can evaporated milk
1 cup brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon cloves
pinch salt
2 cups of Pumpkin Puree

Icing:
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup half and half
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3 tablespoon water, plus extra, as needed to loosen the icing
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions

Coat baking pan using the stick of butter.

Melt the remaining stick of butter in a sauce pan.

While butter is melting cut loaf of bread into 1 inch chunks, and pour melted butter over the bread.

In a mixing bowl, lightly beat the eggs until just broken.

Vigorously whisk together all of the ingredients through the pumpkin puree.

Pour the diced bread into the custard.

Stir to completely combine.

Pour the custard-bread mixture into the prepared baking pan.

Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 8 to 12 hours to allow the bread to fully absorb the custard.

Just before you're ready to cook, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, and remove the pan from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature while the oven preheats.

Bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes, or until top is golden brown and edges pull away from the pan.  Now for some off reason I completely forgot to take a pic of the finished product 60 minutes later, but believe me when I say it was a beautiful, vibrant, orange color!

While the bread pudding is baking prepare the icing.

In a food processor, combine the powdered sugar, heavy cream, cream cheese, 3 tablespoons water, and vanilla. Process until smooth, adding more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the icing is pourable. Pour the icing over the bread pudding and allow to set for 20 minutes or more before slicing.

Tasty Toppings: Cream Cheese Glazed Icing

Ingredients

Icing:
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup half and half
4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3 tablespoon water, plus extra, as needed
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions

In a food processor, combine the powdered sugar, half and half, cream cheese, 3 tablespoons water, and vanilla.

Process until smooth, adding more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until the icing is pourable.

Spoon the icing over the dessert and allow to set for 20 minutes before serving.

Carrot Loaf Follow Up...

So it turned out delicious!  But a bit too dense.  I'm going to tweak it a hair and then it will be absolutely perfect!  I was feeling up to the task of baking, so I whipped out my supplies and equipment on Friday and went to work!  I didn't frost the loaves because I wanted to taste the flavor of the bread unadulterated by a topping of any kind.  I brought them to a barbecue and was gobbled up VERY quickly!  But the perfectionist that I am was a little unhappy with the outcome.  I'm going to re post my new recipe below with the anticipated tweaks:

Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice
3 teaspoon baking powder (tweaked from 3 tsp baking soda)
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
2 cups minced carrot
1 cup minced coconut
1 cup applesauce
1-8 oz container sour cream (tweaked from 1-6 oz container plain yogurt)
6 egg whites
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup toasted and chopped walnuts/pecans

Directions
1.  Sift into a mixing bowl the flour, salt, spices, and baking powder.
2.  Minced together the carrots and coconut.
3.  In a separate bowl mix together the remaining wet ingredients, carrot + coconut mixture.
4.   Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and slowly pour the wet ingredients into the well. 
5.  Carefully fold the wet and the dry together until combined.
6.  Fold nuts into the batter.
7.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
8.  Pour batter into prepared pans.
9.  Bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes, or until bamboo sticks inserted into bread comes out clean.
10.  Let cool 10 minutes in the loaf pan.  Remove from loaf pan and allow to cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

So Sorry...

I felt extremely under the weather this past weekend and did not feel up to baking or doing anything else...but this weekend:  LOOK OUT!  This weekend is going to be a triple threat!  I'm testing a rejoojing my banana, carrot, and coconut loaves!!  With any luck my camera will be fired up and all ready to go!  Stay tuned...but for now let me post the carrot cake recipe as promised...ENJOY!

Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice
3 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups minced carrot
1 cup minced coconut
1 cup applesauce
1-6 oz cup plain yogurt
6 egg whites
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup toasted and chopped walnuts/pecans

Directions
1.  Sift into a mixing bowl the flour, salt, spices, and baking soda.
2.  Minced together the carrots and coconut.
3.  In a separate bowl mix together the remaining wet ingredients, carrot + coconut mixture.
4.   Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and slowly pour the wet ingredients into the well. 
5.  Carefully fold the wet and the dry together until combine.  Do not over mix or else the loaf will be tough
6.  Fold nuts into the batter.
7.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
8.  Pour batter into prepared pans.
9.  Bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes, or until bamboo sticks inserted into bread comes out clean.
10.  Let cool 10 minutes in the loaf pan.  Remove from loaf pan and allow to cool completely on a wire rack before icing

Toppings
1.  Orange cream cheese icing
2.  Orange glaze
3.  Brown sugar walnut
4.  Streusel w/ and w/out nuts

Carrot Loaf with An Orange Walnut Cream Cheese Frosting...

How does that sound?  Close your eyes (after reading this post of course!)...smell the aroma of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, vanilla, and brown sugar filling your kitchen...taste the sweet burst of flavors flowing from the bouquet of spices.  See the crunchy nutty brown crust and the moist warm cake smeared with honey butter!  OMG I'm in heaven just thinking about it!

I was going to work on some adjustments to the apple spice nut loaf but I was inspired to work on perfecting my carrot loaf. Somewhere in my tastebud's mind she's thinking orange and carrots may make a good combo...I've never tried this before, so I'll be testing this on my family and friends who are usually too anxious to serve as my guinea pigs.

My my recipe makes 2 loaves, so I'm going to make 2 different toppings: 1) orange walnut frosting; and 2) cinnamon-sugar walnut topping...I hope I bought enough walnuts!  ARGH!  4 cups unchopped...I'll make it a game time decision whether the loaves will have walnut in the batter or simply in the topping/frosting...Or an orange glaze?????  Decisions decisions...so many possibilities!

DOH!  I lost my camera on a flight to Trinidad, where, BTW, I learned how to make pastelles, sweet bread, and other stuff I'll talk about real real soon...STAY TUNED...Innywho, I promise to buy a camera soon!  I'm going to take pictures of each step of the directions once my camera situation is straightened out.  I'll show you the pre-bake batter and the fresh out the oven results...then some beauty shots to cap off a wonderful day of baking...


Tomorrow, look out for my loaf, frosting, and topping recipes...and don't worry.  I make these loaves all of the time, so if I don't get to the photo shoots on the 1st go-round the urge to make it again (with some kind of a tweak) will come again...whole wheat and gluten free versions to come!

Send comments and suggestions, or feel free to share your own favorite recipes!  Happy Baking!