Overnight Blueberry French Toast

What holiday weekend would be complete without an indulgent breakfast or two? Or, in my case, four. By the time my husband and I got done working our way through the half dozen donuts from the Amish market (best donuts ever!) and the cinnamon buns we bought on impulse because they were in the day old section it was already Saturday and the loaf of bread I'd bought to make French toast had aged quite a bit. No worries, since the recipe I was planning to use would only be improved by the aging process. I wanted to make a French toast casserole I could prepare the night before and bake first thing in the morning, so the extra dryness of the bread only helped with the overnight soaking process.

I used a recipe for overnight blueberry French toast from Real Mom Kitchen as my jumping off point but made quite a few changes from the original recipe. For one, I omitted the blueberry syrup since I'm a traditionalist and prefer maple syrup instead. I also reduced the amount of cream cheese to four ounces since the entire package seemed to be an excessive amount. I like to save on calories and fat wherever I can and still got plenty of little bites of cream cheese in each serving. In addition, I couldn't bear to empty out the entire carton of eggs as the recipe called for 12 so I checked out some similar recipes online and based on those only used eight. I added a tiny bit more liquid to compensate but honestly couldn't tell anything was missing or wrong with the finished product as a result of that change. To enhance the flavor I added some vanilla extract and a dash of King Arthur Flour's unique citrus and vanilla flavoring, Fiori di Sicilia. Finally, because it was Thanksgiving weekend, I threw in some cranberries along with the blueberries for good measure and topped the entire thing with a dusting of cinnamon.

The dish does have to bake for an hour so it was good to be able to get all of the prep work done the night before. The end result was a perfectly baked dish with slightly crispy bites on top and moist bites from the middle. I had no problems with sogginess, as some French toast casserole recipes sometimes suffer from. The amount of fruit called for is perfect and those small bits of cream cheese are a clever addition. What I'm happiest with were my flavor additions as I really think they made the dish something special. I'll admit that I even had some for dessert later in the day because I couldn't stop craving it.

Overnight Blueberry French Toast
Recipe adapted from Real Mom Kitchen

12 slices bread, cut into cubes (I used a 16 oz. loaf of French bread, Texas toast also works well)
4 ounces cream cheese, cut into cubes
1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup cranberries (fresh or frozen)
8 large eggs
1/3 cup sugar
2 1/4 cups milk (I used 1 1/4 cups skim milk and 1 cup cream)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon Fiori di Sicilia (optional)
1 teaspoon cinnamon (or more if desired)

Arrange 1/2 of the bread cubes in a greased 9 x 13 pan.
Sprinkle cream cheese cubes, blueberries, and cranberries evenly over the bread cubes.
Top with remaining bread cubes.
Mix together eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, and Fiori di Sicilia.
Pour over bread cubes, sprinkle cinnamon on top, and cover pan with foil. Let chill in refrigerator overnight.
Bake covered with foil at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 30 minutes or until fluffy and golden. Serve with maple syrup. Serves 8.

The Cupcake Recipe That Lied to Me

Oh yes, this is quite the tale of deceit. It is the story of an innocent little baker, eager to please her book club group with some tantalizing seasonal cupcakes. She scoured the internet searching for the perfect recipe and slaved away in the kitchen, only to be crushed by sadness at the discovery that her cupcakes tasted nothing like the ingredients she'd put into them. It is a dramatic tale of loss and betrayal, worthy of being ranked with Shakespeare's best. Or not. Perhaps it's just another all too common story of trying out an recipe from a random blog and coming up with something less than stellar. Reminds me that it's sometimes best to stick with recipes from published cookbooks.

The recipe in question was meant to be Eggnog Cranberry Cupcakes with White Chocolate Spiced Buttercream from Your Cup of Cake. From my book club's taste test the only flavors that could be detected in the finished product were the cranberry and the spice. Disappointing because my husband loves white chocolate and we both love eggnog, so I was hoping for a great combination of seasonal flavors here. Unfortunately, the eggnog flavor disappeared completely and there wasn't enough white chocolate in the frosting to actually give it that flavor. Still, the amount of spice is spot on and the frosting is nice and fluffy. If I hadn't told anyone what the cupcake was supposed to be they would have happily assumed I'd served them spiced cranberry cupcakes.

On top of that I took the trouble to leave a comment on the blog post basically saying that while the cupcakes were good they were not as advertised/what I expected so I was left disappointed. I didn't intend for it to be a mean comment or anything, just trying to help other readers out in case they're tempted to try this recipe. When I visited the page again later in the day to work on this blog post I noticed that the blogger had deleted my comment. That makes me a little mad. That's pretty poor blogging behavior right there, to censor things so only comments from adoring fans are shown and "real" comments from people who have tested the recipe get deleted. Despite the number of other delicious-looking cupcake recipes on her blog I don't think I can trust that her blog posts or the comments are honest and helpful so I'll pass on making anything else from her blog.

Christmas Pudding Cupcakes

See those glorious specks in the browned butter frosting? Perfection!

At the end of my whirlwind trip to London last year I found myself with a few hours to kill in Heathrow Airport. You know how they tell you to get there hours before your flight is scheduled to leave? Yeah, that's good advice if the wait in the security line is longer than five minutes or there's a problem with your ticket. Otherwise you'll be sitting there becoming increasingly hungry and might find yourself tempted by the overpriced food vendors. After I polished off a bacon, tomato, cheese, and ketchup baguette I was still ready for more. Must have been emotional stress eating at the thought of leaving my beloved London. Although it seems silly to visit an American chain while overseas, I gravitated toward the Starbucks kiosk in search of a festive holiday drink to end my dream vacation. I try to avoid desserts from chain stores that don't specialize in baked goods but while I was scrutinizing the menu for differences between the US version and the UK branch, a certain item caught my eye in the bakery case: a Christmas pudding cupcake.


Frankly, it didn't look that impressive and the photo I snapped of it is even more underwhelming but I found myself unable to resist anything with the word "cupcake" in the name. I was intrigued by what their version of Christmas pudding in cupcake form might taste like. Turns out the answer to that was simple and easy to sum up: delicious. I wish I had clearer memories of the flavors involved but I remember that the cake contained just the right amount of raisins to be reminiscent of Christmas pudding without being overly dense. The frosting was of the kind I would happily eat with a spoon straight out of the bowl, delicately flavored and paired nicely with the cake. Aside from confusion over the name I think it's something that would sell nicely here in the US.

I promised myself I'd try to recreate it in my own kitchen once I got home but somehow that plan fell by the wayside as I plunged into the holiday season. So here I am a year later unable to recollect the delicious details. After my suggestion to take a trip to England purely for the purpose of taste testing another was ruthlessly shot down by my husband, I decided to come up with my own interpretation of a Christmas pudding cupcake that may or may not resemble Starbucks' version. No matter as these are delicious concoctions in their own right.

Surprisingly, no one else out there on the internet seems to have tried this concept so I had to start completely from scratch. Of course, to add to my problem there just have to be hundreds of widely varying Christmas pudding recipes out there. I should also say that the one time I had Christmas pudding it wasn't my favorite, so I wasn't eager to completely copy the stuff. Just capture the essence in a more cake-like form. From my research, I came away with the thought that the defining characteristics are dried fruit in the form of raisins, cranberries, dates, etc. and spices like cinnamon and nutmeg. Booze is a popular addition but since I don't own any of the traditional ones like rum or brandy I left that aspect out. I think it would be a welcome change to my recipe if you'd like to try it for yourself. I started with a sticky date cupcake recipe from the indispensable 125 Best Cupcake Recipes and went crazy from there. I substituted raisins and dried cranberries for some of the dates, decreased the overall amount of fruit, threw in some mixed citrus peel, and added the necessary spices to give it that holiday flair. The cake's a little denser than I envisioned so perhaps next time I'll try it with a more traditional vanilla cake recipe as my starter, but the denseness does work with the spices and fruit to emulate a good old fashioned fruitcake. There's just the right amount of fruit in each cupcake and the unexpected citrus burst from the mixed peel is the kicker.

And browned butter frosting? Why did no one ever extol the virtues of browned butter to me before? Damn, is this stuff good. Very, very sweet, but a perfect match for the spiced cake. Quite a winning combo to get me into the holiday spirit!

Christmas Pudding Cupcakes
Recipe adapted from 125 Best Cupcake Recipes by Julie Hasson

1/3 cup raisins
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup chopped dates
1/8 cup mixed peel, chopped
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk

1) Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 12 muffin wells with paper liners.
2) In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine raisins, cranberries, dates, and water. Cook until fruit is soft and water is absorbed. Stir in mixed peel. Set aside and cool.
3) In a small bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg.
4) In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together granulated and brown sugars and butter until well combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture, beating until combined. Add milk and fruit mixture, beating until smooth.
5) Scoop batter into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and tops of cupcakes spring back when lightly touched. Let cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool completely on rack.

Browned Butter Frosting
Recipe adapted from The Sister's Cafe

1/3 cup unsalted butter
3 cups powdered sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2+ Tb heavy cream

1) Melt butter in small saucepan over medium heat. Continue cooking, stirring constantly and watching closely, until butter just starts to turn golden (4 to 6 minutes). Butter will get foamy and bubble and you will see black flecks start to form toward the end. Remove from heat. Cool to room temperature.
2) Beat butter and powdered sugar with an electric mixer until combined. Add vanilla and gradually add cream until frosting reaches the desired consistency. Pipe onto cooled cupcakes.

These are especially delicious served warm, so feel free to pop them in the microwave.

A Photo A Day [Days 101 & 102]

Day 101

This is Punky, my first born. I found a poem online that perfectly captures her:

"My Cat is the cat of all cats
For she is like a beautiful Painting
She sleeps and awakes in the early morning
To demand her requests for the day.
My Cat is the cat of all cats
She is royal and dignified.
Poets and Writers have long been inspired
She is admired by all who encounter her
My Cat is the cat of all cats
And shall remain so, until the end of her nine lives."
-Kim Day

Day 102

Thawing out cranberries for a pie I plan to make in honor of National Pastry Day. Sure, it'll be a bit late since that's today but it's a great excuse to bake something unhealthy. I'm being patriotic or something. While some of these cranberries have seen better days at $0.25 per bag I'm not about to complain about a few shriveled berries.

This week's theme: up close

Unofficial Cupcake Hero: November

We're already a week into November and still no word back from I Heart Cuppycakes as to whether or not Cupcake Hero will continue. As I mentioned last week, she replied to my initial email after October's results came in telling me to hold off on posting the next Cupcake Hero because she needed to reevaluate the competition due to her busy schedule and some complaints from bakers about how it's organized. Which is a shame because I know most of us don't take this so seriously that we'd complain but it seems that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Anyway, because November's such a short month I don't want it to slip by without some sort of cupcake challenge for those of us who enjoy these events not for the prizes but as a way to push ourselves and discover fun new recipes from others. I've also gotten a few comments and emails from other bakers who seem as eager as I am to see this challenge continue. For those reasons I'm disobeying orders here and am going ahead with posting November's challenge. Let's see how good of a turnout we can get to maybe help convince I Heart Cuppycakes that there's a lot of support for this great competition.

Since I don't have the official sanction I'm going to call this an unofficial Cupcake Hero. So don't count on the usual big prizes this time around. Instead bake for the glory of being the (unofficial) Cupcake Hero! That's reward enough, right? Because I'd hate to see you go without and because I like giving things away so much I will make some sort of cupcake-themed item for the winner and put together a prize pack. Hopefully we can keep this competition going!

And now on to this month's ingredient:


Yup, it's cranberries! Since it's nearly Thanksgiving here in the US I'm going with one of my favorite ingredients that's both in season and in keeping with the upcoming holiday. Cranberry sauce, berries, juice, whatever! It's your choice. Just get creative!

Even though this isn't official I'm sticking with the same guidelines as Cupcake Hero:

• Anyone can enter.


• Create a cupcake using CRANBERRIES in at least one component be it the cake itself, frosting, filling, garnish etc.


• Post the recipe for your entry on your blog and then email your name, the link, the name of the cupcake and a brief description/promo blurb to me at sourkrautkrafts@gmail.com with Cupcake Hero in the subject.


• Also join the Flickr group and upload 1-2 pictures per entry. I can't promise the administrator will actually post your pics since this is an unofficial competition but I want to stick as close to the Cupcake Hero rules as possible.


• While you're there, consider leaving a comment in the discussion section letting I Heart Cuppycakes know how much you support Cupcake Hero and want it to continue.


• Multiple entries welcome but separate email per entry.


• Deadline will be November 29th at noon Eastern Time. I will post the roundup by the 30th, followed by voting until December 3rd.


• Readers will pick finalist #1. I pick finalist #2.


• I bake both finalist cupcakes and assemble a focus group to help me decide the winner to be announced on December 6th.


• Any questions? Email sourkrautkrafts@gmail.com

White Chocolate Bread Pudding Cupcakes

Finally! I have two worthy contenders for Sweetest Kitchen's white chocolate Mystery Box Cupcake Challenge. While it was a toss up between these and the banana Nutella ones, I've decided to go with the others just to spite my husband who gave these his top vote. Ok, not really, but judging from people's reactions to the amazing and unexpected combination of banana, Nutella, and white chocolate I'm going to ignore his vote because he suffers from a sad affliction that has clearly affected his judgment on this and every other issue in life. You see, he doesn't like Nutella. I know, I know. There can be no help for someone so warped and, well, wrong, but at least he still manages to find a reason to live despite this lack of appreciation for one of the greatest foods known to mankind.

These cupcakes, however, are perfect for him as white chocolate happens to be his favorite. He's enjoyed the past month as I've experimented with white chocolate in my cupcake creations. He's so sweet and devoted to the cause that he even went with me for a late night road trip to the nearest Whole Foods, which is not actually near, just so I could stock up on more good quality white chocolate for my experiments. This is one such experiment that turned out wonderfully! I am eschewing tradition with the substitution of bread pudding for the standard cake one has come to expect when handed a cupcake. While some may argue that I'm testing the boundaries of the definition of a "cupcake" here, I'd say these fall squarely into the category. They are self-contained nuggets of delicious goodness topped with the ever-important frosting. My deadened taste buds are beginning to perk back to life and these were a wonderful treat to welcome them back.

Imagine the taste of cream-laden bread pudding made with sweet white chocolate offset by tart cranberries and the slightly bitter crunch of homemade toffee in a single serving size. It's all topped with an airy whipped white chocolate topping. I was initially concerned that the bread pudding wouldn't bake together into a cohesive cupcake-like unit, but when baked in paper cup liners they slid right out in the perfect cupcake shape. No fork required for this bread pudding!

If you make these for yourself, be sure to read through the recipe as there's a lot of cooling, setting, and waiting involved. You'll need to allot time for all of that. They are well worth the effort, though. Even the stress of getting your homemade toffee just right and not burnt is worth it, trust me.

You can check out my other white chocolate cupcake experiments here on my blog:

• Peanut butter cupcakes frosted w/white chocolate buttercream


• Peach cupcakes w/a white chocolate ricotta mint filling topped w/whipped white chocolate ganache


• White chocolate Cosmo cupcakes


• Banana cupcakes w/white chocolate cream cheese filling topped w/a swirled blend of white chocolate & Nutella buttercream

Toffee
Recipe from Cupcake Bakeshop

1/4 plus 1/8 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 teaspoons corn syrup
1/2 cup sugar

1. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, bring everything to a boil. Stir until the sugar is dissolved.
2. The mixture will start to boil with vigor. Do not stir. Let the mixture boil over medium-low heat until the mixture turns a deep nutty brown, about 15-20 minutes.
3. Pour on to a prepared baking sheet (either covered in a silpat or oiled parchment paper) and leave it to cool.
4. After the toffee has cooled, break it into small chunks. I found using a potato masher helped after I'd broken it into smaller chunks by hand.

White Chocolate Bread Pudding
Recipe adapted from Cupcake Bakeshop

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 loaf of dense white bread, 1 or 2 days old
5 ounces good quality white chocolate, chopped
4 large egg yolks
1/4 plus 1/8 cup sugar
1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
toffee from recipe above, chopped

1. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, whisk together the cream, milk, vanilla, and flour. Bring to a boil, stirring. Remove from heat, cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 30 minutes.
2. Chop bread into 1/2″ cubes. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
3. Bring mixture back to boil and stir in chopped white chocolate. Take off the heat and continue to stir until chocolate is melted.
4. Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl. Slowly add the warm chocolate mixture, whisking constantly until combined.
5. Pour the mixture carefully over the bread cubes. Add cranberries and stir until all cubes are covered with chocolate mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 15 minutes.
6. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 14 cupcake wells with paper liners (paper cup liners work best).
7. Set aside about 1/8 cup of the toffee. Sprinkle the remaining into the bread cubes. Stir to combine.
8. Scoop soaked bread cubes into cupcake papers until bread cubes are level with the top of the rim.
9. Carefully pour the remaining liquid into each cupcake filling until nearly full.
10. Bake at 350 degrees for ~22-25 minutes until set.
11. Remove from oven and cool in pan 5-10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool cupcakes completely on a wire rack.

White Chocolate Whipped Frosting
Recipe adapted from Inside BruCrew Life

3 ounces white chocolate, chopped
1/8 cup plus 1/2 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 plus 1/8 cup powdered sugar

1. Stir white chocolate and 1/8 cup heavy cream in a pan on low heat until melted and smooth. Cool.
2. Using mixer with the whisk attachment, beat 1/2 cup heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
3. Using mixer with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on high until light and fluffy. Beat in cooled white chocolate mixture until smooth.
4. Fold in the whipped cream by hand until incorporated.
5. Pipe onto cupcakes (for an extra treat warm the cupcakes first) and sprinkle with remaining toffee pieces, if desired.



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