SMS Sweet Almond Bread Pudding with Raspberry Sauce

This week's recipe was chosen by Candace of Candy Girl- Sweet Almond Bread Pudding with Raspberry Sauce. I was super excited about this recipe because I love bread pudding! No one else in my house is, so I planned to make about half of the recipe and freeze some of it. I picked up a half loaf of brioche on my way to work on Friday hoping it would be stale by Sunday when I planned to make it.

After reading through the whole recipe earlier in the week, I became less and less excited about the raspberry sauce. It just didn't scream fall to me. And I only had whole raw almonds on hand so I knew I was going to have to make some alterations to the recipe this week. I also had a hard time with the thought of using an entire quart (or half quart in my case) of heavy cream, so I opted for half and half instead. So lets just say I used the recipe as a guide and kind of did my own thing.

The basic recipe is super easy to follow. Heat the cream and sugar, temper the eggs, and soak the bread in the custard mixture. My only snafu was I had just opened a new bottle of vanilla that had a flip cap on it. Not even looking, I squeezed the bottle assuming it had a squeeze top not realizing it had a pour spout on it. I think I ended up with three times the amount of vanilla I should have used! I just crossed my fingers and moved on. Instead of using the almonds, I ended up topping the mixture with sugar and pecans because pecans have become my favorite nut to bake with. I baked the whole mixture for about 45 minutes since it was only a half recipe and it came out perfect.


I tasted a tiny sliver of the bread pudding after it cooled slightly, and oh my goodness was it good. Flavorful (with triple the amount of vanilla) and creamy. It would have been perfect with a nice scoop of vanilla ice cream! I did end up skipping the raspberry sauce and settled on a butter rum sauce instead. My aunt used to make something similar with her apple cake and it was delicious! There were a ton of recipes online, so I picked the most fattening and sugary one and went with it (only because I skimped on calories with the pudding). Knowing no one else would want a piece, I waited until my girls went to bed, sliced a piece of the pudding, topped with a nice helping of rum sauce, and enjoyed! Just one word- awesome! I didn't feel like struggling with lighting and my camera so I will post pics tomorrow.

I know bread pudding is probably one of those desserts most people either love or hate, so if you're one of the lovers, definitely give this recipe a go. You can find the original recipe on Candace's blog. And be sure to see what all the other SMS bakers thought of this week's recipe!

Here are my alterations to the original recipe...

-Used half and half instead of heavy cream
-Used pecans in place of almonds
-Omitted the almond extract and doubled the vanilla

And here is the recipe I used for the rum sauce which I found on Cooks.com

1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/4 Cup Butter
2 T Rum (I used Capt. Morgan Spiced Rum)

Combine all ingredients but rum in a saucepan and bring to boil over medium heat. Continue to boil for another five minutes. Add the rum and combine.

Birthday Cake

So I'm finally getting around to posting about my daughter's first birthday cake. I wanted it to be something special, and after making the zebra cake earlier in the week and seeing a post for a rainbow cake on Cookies with Boys, I thought it could be fun to make the rainbow cake. In hindsight, I probably should have gone with flavor for Little H's first birthday, but if anything my three year old and my four year old niece would appreciate it.

I used the basic yellow cake recipe I made for the vanilla oreo cupcakes I baked for her classroom and used food dye to make the colored layers. Warning... making a rainbow cake is messy and uses a LOT of bowls (but well worth it). After carefully mixing all the colors, my daughter and I were ready to assemble. I was very careful in pouring the different layers so one layer of batter didn't mix in with the one beneath it. Instead of pouring the batter into the pan, I kind of drizzled it in. After about fifteen minutes of carefully drizzling, I realized this cake was going to be more of a rainbow swirl than a cake with perfectly layered colors because the rising agent kicked in and the batter was starting to bubble. I hoped for the best and threw the cake into the oven.

The cake rose beautifully, but the one was a little lop-sided so I sliced the domes off each layer. I just used a basic white icing for the frosting. I would have loved to get a little more creative, but time was not on my side. Our errands ran a little longer than expected before the company came and I was left icing the cake at the last minute. So what do you do when you're short on time and you're trying to please kids? Sprinkles of course! On they went...

Like I said, the whole appearance thing is kind of lost on a one year old, but she did manage to get a hand in the icing after we sang happy birthday. I was anxious as I cut into the cake to see what it turned out to look like, and even though it wasn't perfectly layered, it was still cute. Next time, I may use a little more food color to make the colors more intense, but the pastel effect was nice for a baby. I have also come to the conclusion that if you want a layered rainbow cake, the only way to make one is to bake seven different layers. You just can't fight chemistry and physics! Overall, a cute recipe but a lot of work. But my babies are worth it!!!

Apple Orchard Pecan Crumble

I always seem to be late these days. I never used to be late! I was the one who was always a half hour early for work in the morning... I would get there just as the doors to the party were opening... I would have to wait ten minutes at the bar for a friend to arrive at a restaurant... And then I had kids. Don't get me wrong, I love my two little girls more than anything in this world, but I am always late now! And very late posting Sweet Melissa Sundays this week.

The recipe for this week was chosen by Christine of Christine Cooks, Apple Orchard Pecan Crumble! There is nothing like a good apple dessert in the fall and I have been looking forward to making this ever since I saw it posted on the Sweet Melissa page. I never got around to making it earlier in the week because I didn't have the apples, and then I was making cupcakes for my daughter's birthday party at school, then the cake for her birthday party with our family, and then we had cake for my niece's birthday party on Sunday... I'm sure you get the idea! But this recipe was not going to escape me! So I stopped at the produce stand on the way to dinner at my parents' house last night and picked up some apples so I could throw it together there.

I would say this recipe is super easy to throw together at the last minute, but it took me about an hour to prep everything before I could get it into the oven. My littlest one was entertained with the tupperware cabinet just long enough for me to peel the apples and then I had to stop what I was doing every couple minutes to chase her away from the steps going upstairs. And then my older one had an accident and I had to give her a bath... And then my niece tripped and took a header into the doorframe...

I only made half the recipe for the filling and used a Stayman Winesap, a Jonagold, and a Macoun apple. Per the suggestion of the other bakers, I made the entire recipe for the crumble. I am so glad I did because the crumb to filling ratio was perfect! I also cut the sugar in half and agree with Sarah of Blue Ridge Baker that you could eliminate the sugar all together if you wanted. I baked the entire thing for a little over an hour or just until the filling started to bubble up around the edges. I didn't want to bake for too long because I like the apples to still be intact after baking.

This crumble was a huge hit in my parents' house. My mom, dad, and I all split a small casserole dish and I sent a medium sized dish into my husband's work. If anyone read my last post, you would know that although my husband loves my cooking, he isn't overly expressive when complementing me. But even he gave it rave reviews last night- twice! This recipe will definitely be a repeat in my house.

Thanks Christine for picking such a wonderful recipe to welcome the fall season! Be sure to check out her page if you would like the recipe. And don't forget to check out what all the other Sweet Melissa Sunday bakers thought.

Blackberry Cobbler

We celebrated my dad's 65th birthday this weekend and I was in charge of making dessert for his birthday dinner. My family is definitely more of a pie family than a cake one. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that my mom hardly ever made cakes when were growing up. For whatever reason, her cakes never rose- and I mean never! One time she and my aunt were making a cake using the exact same recipe at the same time and my aunt's came out perfect and my mother's was perfectly flat. But she is one amazing pie baker!

Ironically, a few weeks ago my mom and I were flipping through a Southern Living cookbook looking for a chocolate cake recipe to send my aunt when we came across this recipe. The picture in the book looked amazing and blackberries are in season, so I decided to go for it.

Armed with $16 worth of blackberries, I set all the ingredients out and began to read through the directions. It kind of struck me as odd, but you are supposed to make the crust and then roll out and bake half of it, crumble it, and mix it in with the berries. I wasn't too sure about this, but went out on a limb and followed the directions. I really liked the crimped edges of the crust in the cookbook's picture, but I don't have pastry wheel to make the pretty little edges. So I got creative and used a vegetable slicer my mom picked up for me a few years back. Its supposed to cut raw veggies with a little wave pattern, similar to waffle fries. It worked like a charm and now I have a multi-use kitchen tool!

Although it probably would have been a little prettier in a nicer baking dish (I don't have a great picture of it either), the cobbler was delicious, crumbled crust and all. My dad loved it which is what really mattered! Despite the fact that its a little expensive to make, its a wonderful recipe and one I will definitely make again in the future. Oh, and one more thing... the recipe calls for 2 1/4 cups sugar which seemed a little excessive to me. I guess it is supposed to cut the tartness of the berries. I used 1 1/2 cups and I think the flavor was perfect.

Blackberry Cobbler

Southern Living Annual Recipes 1999

Filling:


8 Cups Fresh Blackberries
2 1/4 Cups Sugar
1/3 Cup Flour
1 t Lemon Juice
4 T Butter (optional)

Pastry:

2 1/2 Cups Flour
1 3/4 t Baking Powder
3/4 t Salt
1/2 Cup Shortening
2/3 Cup Milk

Stir together the filling ingredients and let stand for 10 minutes or until the sugar dissolves.

Begin to make the pastry by combining the first three ingredients in a medium bowl. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until the mixture is crumbly (I used two butter knives). Add milk, stirring with a fork until dry ingredients are moistened and mixture forms a soft ball.

Turn dough onto a floured surface a knead 6-8 times. Roll out half of pastry to 1/4 inch thickness and cut into 1 1/2 inch wide strips. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet (I used parchment paper).

Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to a wire rack and cool. Break strips into pieces.

Spoon half of blackberry mixture into a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Top with pastry pieces. Spoon remaining blackberry mixture over pastry. Dot with butter (optional).

Roll remaining pastry to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into 1 inch strips and arrange in a lattice design over filling. Sprinkle with sugar, if desired. Place cobbler on a baking sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until golden. Serve with vanilla ice cream and blackberry syrup if desired.

A couple notes...

• I found it easiest to make the pastry first. While the first part is baking, mix together the blackberries. Roll out the second part of the pastry while everything is cooling/combining.
• I reduced the sugar to 1 1/2 cups.
• I added about 1 t lemon zest in addition to the lemon juice.