Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce

It's no secret that I love sweets! One of my favorite desserts is bread pudding. Whenever I see it on the dessert menu at a restaurant, I just have to order it. I love it most when it's super moist on the inside and a little crunchy on the top. I'm pretty picky about my sauce too...I like it to be a little sweet, but I don't always love the overpowering rum sauce that lots of restaurants like to use. I was excited to try out this warm vanilla sauce recipe and it did not disappoint! It was just the right amount of sweet and super creamy.

For this recipe, I picked up a loaf of Jimmy John's day old bread. If you live near a Jimmy John's, you must swing by and pick up a loaf of day old bread...it's only $0.50 a loaf and it makes this bread pudding taste so good! If you don't have a sandwich shop nearby, pick up a loaf of Italian or French bread at the grocery store. It will still be super tasty.

I originally doubled the sauce recipe and we had quite a bit leftover. You should have just the right amount when made as directed below, but if you love sauce and want to make sure you have plenty, double the sauce recipe! I'm sure you can find something yummy to dunk into any leftover sauce you may have. The bread pudding is best served warm from the oven with the warm sauce drizzled over it, but it tastes totally amazing heated up the next day! Enjoy!

Bread Pudding with Vanilla Sauce
Adapted From: Kitchen Joy

4 - 6 cups French bread, cut into cubes (I picked up a loaf of day old bread at Jimmy John's and it was perfect for this recipe)

2 cups milk

½ cup sugar

¼ cup butter

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons light brown sugar

For the Vanilla Sauce:

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoons flour

1/4 cup unsalted butter

3/4 tablespoon vanilla extract

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 8x8-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

2.  In a medium saucepan, whisk together the milk, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add butter and heat over medium-low heat until butter has melted and milk is warm, but not boiling. Remove from heat and whisk in vanilla and beaten eggs. 

3.  Pour egg mixture into the bowl of bread cubes. Stir the bread until all cubes have been coated with the egg mixture. Let sit for 5 minutes. 

4.  Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish. Sprinkle brown sugar over the top. Bake uncovered for 35-40 minutes, or until it is set in the center and the top is lightly golden. 

5.  To make the Vanilla Sauce, whisk together sugar, flour and heavy cream in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the butter and heat until boiling, stirring often. Let simmer until the sauce has thickened for a few minutes. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Pour warm sauce over bread pudding and enjoy!

 

Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

 

Up next on the cupcake list: Vanilla Cupcakes with Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting.  I scoured the web for the "best" vanilla cupcake recipe I could find.  I read a lot about Magnolia Bakery's Vanilla Cupcakes.  They look incredible, but I read mixed reviews.  I finally decided to try this recipe.  This recipe called for yogurt, and I wasn't sure how that would turn out.  They took much longer to bake then the suggested 15-20 minutes...I think it was more like 25 minutes.  Once cooled, I frosted them with this Chocolate Cream Cheese frosting.  Scroll all the way to the bottom for the recipe. I used my standard Nestle Cocoa Powder to create the frosting, I don't buy into the Premium Cocoa Powder hype! :)  Chocolate is chocolate and that's fine with me!

Verdict:  The yogurt gave the cupcakes a very dense texture.  They didn't puff up like you would expect a cupcake to, which could have contributed to the longer bake time.  They weren't super sweet, and we could actually eat more than one at a time.  The frosting had a very distinct cream cheese flavor.  It was very easy to pipe and had a nice smooth, creamy texture.  I used my Wilton Jumbo 1M tip for the piping.  They turned out much cuter than the previous batch.  We kept the cupcakes stored in the refrigerator so that the cream cheese frosting would stay cold.  C said that he preferred the cupcakes cold!  Even Little Man had a whole cupcake, sans frosting.  His tummy isn't sold on chocolate just yet, so we try to avoid it when we can!

If you are looking for a good go-to cupcake that isn't super sweet, this may be your cupcake!