French Toast Cupcakes

Today I made French Toast Cupcakes

Anybody that knows me will know two of my great loves are French Toast and turning things that aren't normally cupcakes into cupcakes. I love the idea of taking such basic ingredients of bread and eggs and turning them into something magical. I stumbled upon this idea online before and have had such a desire to make them ever since. These little guys play a trick on your taste buds as they look like a normal cupcake but then they taste like French Toast it normally takes people a second for the penny to drop. They are like little bread and butter puddings too. I add a slight crumb to the tops of these cupcakes for a crunchy contrast to the super soft texture of the cupcake. 

These cupcakes are so versatile you can eat them at any part of the day. They are a pretty quirky take on a fairly traditional breakfast. I normally serve these for breakfast still warm drizzled with Maple Syrup with a cup of tea. Although in my house we've been known to have one for dessert with ice-cream or as a late night snack. The mixture is so easy to throw together and can stay in the fridge for a day or two. In fact, they turn out better when you let the bread rest in the mixture for a number of hours or even over night. The bread cubes get to soak up all the eggy goodness. I use a typical Italian style loaf for this recipe, I normally buy the bread a day or two before I need it as the whole process is easier if the bread is a couple of days old and not too soft. 

Ingredients: 

( Makes 12 )

For the Cupcakes:

• 1 Large Italian or French Loaf.
• 120mls Milk
• 7 Large Eggs
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 2 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Golden Sugar
• 1/4 Teaspoon Nutmeg
• Maple Syrup - to serve

For the Topping:

• 40g Plain Flour
• 20g Butter
• 2 Tablespoons Granulated Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Golden Sugar

Instructions: 

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Using a sharp knife trim off all the crust from the loaf of bread and cut into 3/4 inch cubes. Place all cubes into a large bowl. (I normally make breadcrumbs from the crusts I cut off, these can be frozen up to three months)

2. In another bowl whisk the Eggs, Milk, Nutmeg and Sugars until fully combined and light in colour. 

3. Pour the mixture over the bread cubes and mix around carefully with a spoon until all cubes are coated. Chill in the fridge for at least half an hour or a couple of hours. You can leave the mixture in the fridge over night (So you can prepare for breakfast the night before)

4. To make the crumb topping place the Butter, Flour and Sugars in a small bowl and mix until resembles breadcrumbs. Set aside.

                   

5. Oil your cupcake tin. Fill each space right up to the top. Sprinkle a generous amount of the crumb on top of each. 

6. Bake for 20-24 minutes. Mine normally take 22 minutes. You will know when the top of the crumble is nice a golden brown. Leave to cool for 6-8 minutes in the tin then turn them out on to a wire wrack. Drizzle with copious amount of Maple Syrup and Enjoy. 

"I'd rather have too much of a good thing than not have the good thing at all"

White Chocolate and Forest Fruits Bread and Butter Pudding.

Today I made White Chocolate and Forest Fruit Bread and Butter Pudding 


I remember the very first thing I made by myself when I was 8 was Bread and Butter Pudding. I saw some chef make it on tv and decided to make it from memory. I'm pretty sure that was the day I fell in love with baking. I'll never forget the look on my fathers face as he ate this dessert his child just made, and so began my love of feeding people. Even to this day I have very fond memories of making this dish. My recipe has developed over the years, I now have about twelve different Bread and Butter Pudding Recipes that I chop and change depending on who I'm making it for and for what occasion. The one I made today is probably my favourite, well definitely in my top three.

The one I made today doesn't actually use bread, so it's kinda of like my cheat bread and butter pudding like another recipe of mine using Brioche. This recipe uses Croissants as a substitute for the bread. The Croissants give you a light and almost fluffy pudding, which really lightens a normally stodgy, filling dessert. The normal add-in in a Bread and Butter Pudding are raisins or more recently dried apricot. I like to go another way with this dessert in particular and pimp it out with creamy White Chocolate and Forest Fruits. The White Chocolate melts into the custard creating an irresistible sweet and creamy sauce while the mixed berries pack a tangy punch,

Ingredients:

• 6/8 Croissants
• 50g Butter
• 3 Egg Yolks
• 150g Caster Sugar
• 100g White Chocolate
• 100g Mixed Berries
• 400mls Milk
• 40g Granulated Sugar - To Sprinkle

Instructions:

To Make The Custard:

1. Pour the milk into a saucepan and heat at a medium temperature until it's just below boiling point. 

2.  Separate the three eggs and put the egg yolks into a glass bowl - You can save the Egg Whites to make meringues or an Egg White Omelet. Whisk in the Caster Sugar until it's all incorporated.

3. When the milk is heated pour half of it into the Egg and Sugar mixture while stirring constantly. When the Milk is stirred through you can them pour the Sugar and Egg mixture into the other half of the milk in the pan and stir constantly for 3-4 minutes it will start to look frothy on top - that's how you know it's ready.

For the Pudding:

4. Cut all the Croissants in half and lightly butter each half, line them up in a oven proof dish, I normally line them up crust side up as it looks prettier.

5. Cut up the White Chocolate into chunks, I like to leave the pieces quite large so they melt and you get little pockets of White Chocolate Sauce within the pudding. 

6. Sprinkle the White Chocolate Chunks all over the Croissants, I normally push a few of the chunks down to the bottom so they're all evenly dispersed. 

7. Then add on your mixed berries of choice. I like to use Forest Fruits as it's a great combination of Raspberries, Cherries, Strawberries and Blueberries.

8. When you have all your White Chocolate and Forest Fruits added in you can then pour in the Custard you've made, the custard should fill up to top. You can leave the croissants sit in the custard for some time so they soak up all the custard-y goodness. I normally make this dessert before I start making dinner so it has plenty of time to soak up. 

9. Put the Oven proof dish into a baking tray and fill the baking tray with some boiling water, this steam helps to cook and set the bottom of the custard. Before you place in the oven sprinkle the top of the pudding with Granulated Sugar. 

10. Cook in the oven for 20-25 minutes at 180°C until the top of the Pudding is golden brown and crispy and the custard has set. I normally serve this dish with a scoop of Vanilla Ice-cream  and dusted with Icing Sugar.

“Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside.”