Secret Recipe Club: Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding with Rum Cinnamon Sauce

.  Fall, in my mind, means comfort food.  Warm, comfort food.  From soups to pies to all of those highly anticipated holiday meals.

And bread pudding.

Bread pudding is easily my most favorite indulgent treat.  There's absolutely nothing healthy about it [what baked good is...] but uggGggGggGggggh, it is SO good.  I can't resist it.  I get it from my mama.

So for this months' SRC, there was zero question about what I would choose to make from Kate's Kitchen, my October assignment.

Kate's lovely blog is full of savory cooking recipes and you know they must be de-lish because her hubby is actually a sous chef.  As well as her appointed taste tester.  So while I eat pre-made salads from the grocery store, I can't even imagine the decadent, wondrous meals going down in Kate's house.  Lucky gal!

But as I perused Kate's blog, I came across her Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding with Rum Cinnamon Sauce....hmm, no brainer.

And this recipe did not disappoint.

Bread puddings are one of those goodies that require the least amount effort but produce crowd pleasing favorites that no one can ever get enough of.  And during the hectic holiday times, who doesn't love a dish that you quickly prepare the night before, let set while you sleep, and pop into the oven in the morning for a hearty, filling breakfast?

This custard-laden bread dish consists of your classic bread pudding ingredients but Kate's subtle variations create a dish on a level of it's own.  For example, allowing the butter to seep into each piece of bread, the studding of chocolate chips throughout the dish, and the drizzle of butter and brown sugar across the top before baking.  I guess that cinnamon rum sauce [that simply screams holidays!] seeping into every crevice doesn't hurt either.

But to really get what I'm saying here, you're just going to have to bake up a batch of this yourself.  It took me oh, all of about 6.25 minutes to whip together and you just let the oven do the rest.  I'm already envisioning this dish at our breakfast table for the coming holidays.  It's that worthy.

I highly recommend you make try this recipe out before the holidays though, just to make sure you really like it.  It typically takes about half of a panful of taste testing bites to truly get a feel for it though.  I guess you'll just have to sacrifice for this one though ☺

So THANK YOU, Kate, for such a quality recipe that will remain in my repertoire for a long time coming.  I'm so excited to have been assigned your blog and can't wait to see what you whip up next.  Until next month, SRCers!  .

My Notes:

• Feel free to use whatever type of bread you have on hand, but I always recommend quality breads such as challah, brioche, etc.  And if you're feeling really adventurous, try out the best homemade challah recipe I've come across [and I'm not just saying that because it's my recipe, I promise!].  
• This particular recipe doesn't require overnight setting, but it doesn't mean it can't!  The longer a bread pudding sits, the better it will taste.  Trust!
• If you're looking for a more adult version of the rum cinnamon sauce, substitute in 1/4 cup of rum for the rum extract and water.

Adapted From Kate's Kitchen

Ingredients:

Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding:

1 lb. bread loaf, cut into 1-inch cubes

1/2 c. unsalted butter, melted

1 scant c. semisweet chocolate chips

2-1/2 c. half & half

1 c. sugar

6 large eggs

4 large egg yolks

2 tbsp. vanilla extract

1/8 tsp. salt

2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

2 tbsp. packed light brown sugar

Rum Cinnamon Sauce:

1 c. unsalted butter, melted

1 c. dark brown sugar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tbsp. rum extract

3 tbsp. water

1 tbsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Spray a 13x9-inch baking pan with cooking spray.  In a large bowl, toss together bread and melted butter to coat bread pieces evenly.  Add chocolate chips and mix well.  Spread bread mixture evenly in prepared pan.
2. In the same bowl, whisk together half & half, eggs, egg yolks, vanilla extract, and salt.  Pour the custard over the bread mixture.  Press bread down to make sure each piece is coated with the custard.  Let stand for 30 minutes to soak, pressing bread down every 10 minutes.  
3. Heat oven to 350°F.  Drizzle the remaining melted butter and brown sugar over top of bread pudding.  Bake 1 hour or until puffed and golden.  
4. For the sauce, in a small bowl whisk together melted butter and brown sugar until sugar is dissolved.  Add cinnamon, rum extract, water, and vanilla extract, and mix until combined.  Serve over bread pudding.

Yield: 2 dozen servings

White-Out Cake and a Birthday Re-Do

. August 18, 2011.

It should have been a celebratory day and a night filled with a birthday dinner, birthday cake, and who can forget the presents. But August 18, 2011, didn't go quite as planned.  And the birthday boy was not happy.

Instead of the previously mentioned events and also a brand new episode of Jersey Shore [which we were both excited about!], we spent the night a little differently.  A little darker-differently.

Mmhmm.  The one night out of the year, the day of Robbie's birth [25 looong years ago], Omaha decided to have a rather brutal storm and knock out our power.  Lights, T.V., and all.  So from 8:00 P.M. and into the next morning, Robbie, myself, and the three pups, spent the hours in the dark-as-night living room bored. as. ever.  What the heck did people do before electricity?  Because we couldn't figure it out.

This is what we felt like.

But how did this effect our cake eating?  Well the power decided to shut off mid-blending of the frosting.  Figures.  The rest of the cake was set and ready to go, but no frosting means no birthday cake for Robbie.

No lights, no Jersey Shore, no birthday cake.  All in all, a crap birthday.  And my sweet boyfriend was not a happy camper.  He went to bed at 9:30 P.M. claiming he was tired.  But the next morning he admitted he was a little upset about his botched birthday.  And can you disagree with him?    I'm not a huge fan of my own birthday, but even I would have been a little upset if the power went out on my birthday and we had to [literally] sit in the dark without anything to do.

Don't worry, I decided that we needed to re-do his birthday the following night and it was much better.  I finished the frosting, assembled the cake, we ordered a pizza [Robbie's fav] and watched the Chiefs preseason game.  I think he was much happier on the 19th.

But let's get to this cake!  I, of course, let Robbie pick out exactly what he wanted and he [like Hollyann] went basic and classic.  But sometimes those are the very best of things and this cake is definitely one of those things.  Sometimes Robbie's choice of desserts [which are usually the complete opposite of something I would choose] never cease to amaze me just how delicious they are.  Good thing I have him around.

So, Robbie wanted a completely white cake [anything vanilla always attracts him].  After brainstorming a few different combinations, he decided on a white cake with a custard filling and vanilla buttercream, which ironically are all recipes from my new Magnolia Bakery book.  And my goodness, did this combination hit the spot with us both.

The white cake is simple and fantastic.  Soft, fluffy, and sweet.  The homemade custard filling is unlike anything I've ever made before.  Thick, creamy, and a wonderful accent to the cake.  Almost vanilla pudding like but better.  Homemade better.  And last but not least [whatsoever] is that rich, smooth, vanilla buttercream.  Classic yet perfect in every way .

I will admit, the cake assembly consists of a couple steps.  But when you're making it for a birthday, those steps fall to the way side.  These celebrations call for extra special treats and this White-Out Cake [deemed so by me!] did not disappoint.

My Notes:

• To make the whole process easier and not as time-consuming, you can break up making each component.  The the cakes can be wrapped up and kept for a night or two, the custard can be refrigerated until it's ready for use, and the frosting can also be covered and kept for quite a while.  How do I know this?  Well due to our little power outage, I had to do these exact things and everything was still wonderful.
• For the frosting, I only ended up using 6 cups of powdered sugar.  You very well might not need all 8 cups, but that all depends on how thick you like your buttercream.  You can also use this buttercream recipe to frost two dozen cupcakes.
• Before assembling the cake, I chose to cut off the tops of the cakes so the custard would have a flat base and I would end up with a flat, even cake.  
• I specify to bring the custard to within 1-inch of the edges because if you bring it all the way to the edges, the custard will drip down the sides and it will be very hard to frost the cake.  Odds are you won't use all of the custard, I ended up taking some off because the drippage thing started to occur.
• If you aren't going to eat the cake right away, refrigerate it, otherwise the custard gets a little runny.

From the Magnolia Bakery Cookbook

Ingredients

Old-Fashioned White Cake:

1/2 c. unsalted butter, softened

1-1/2 c. sugar

2 c. self-rising flour

1 c. milk

2 tsp. vanilla extract

4 egg whites

Creamy Custard Filling:

1 c. sugar

6 tbsp. all purpose flour

1/4 tsp. salt

2 c. milk

4 egg yolks, slightly beaten

1 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. vanilla extract

Vanilla Buttercream:

1 c. unsalted butter, very soft

8 c. powdered sugar

1/2 c. milk

2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

1.  For the cake, heat oven to 350F.  Grease and lightly flour two 9-inch round cake pans and line the bottoms with waxed paper.

2.  In a large bowl, on medium speed of electric mixer, cream butter until smooth.  Add sugar gradually and beat until fluffy (about 3 minutes).

3.  Add flour in three parts, alternating with milk and vanilla extract, beating well after each addition.  

4.  In separate bowl, on high speed of electric mixer, beat egg whites until soft peaks form.  Gently fold egg whites into batter, making sure no white streaks are showing.

5.  Divide batter evenly among cake pans.  Bake 22 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of cakes comes out clean.  Let cakes cool in pans for 10 minutes.  Remove from pans and cool completely on wire rack.

6.  For the custard, in a small bowl, combine sugar, flour, and salt.  Set aside.  In medium-sized saucepan, heat milk until very hot but not boiling.

7.  Pour milk into dry ingredients and beat until well blended.  Pour back into pot and stir continually over low for 5 minutes until very thick and smooth.

8.  Add egg yolks and cook for 3 minutes.  Remove from heat and cool for 10 minutes, stirring from time to time.  Add vanilla extract.  Cover and refrigerate until needed.

9.  For buttercream, place butter in large mixing bowl.  Add 4 cups of powdered sugar and then milk and vanilla extract.  Beat until smooth and creamy.  Add remaining powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, until icing is thick enough to be of good spreading consistency.

10.  To assemble, place one cake on serving platter.  Cover the first cake with the custard filling, bring to about 1-inch of edges.

11.  Gently top with second cake.  Frost cake as desired, beginning with the sides to seal in the custard.  Gently frost the top, so as not to press out the custard.

Yield: 8 servings