Cupcake Bread Pudding

How do you feel about bread pudding?  The custardy texture and eggnoggy flavor remind me of pumpkin pie and eggnog; two of my favorite things to taste during the holidays. Bread pudding is a homey comfort food that I bake occasionally to use up stale bread.

For two weeks I have had a dozen, unfrosted, jumbo cupcakes in the freezer.  This wealth of cupcakes was created when one of my Christmas baking projects, graduated cupcake trees, didn't work out as planned. I quit assembling them after six trees were completed and I was a stressed out, cranky wreck. My mile wide frugal streak wouldn't let me do anything with those extra cupcakes except place them in the freezer for later use.

Yesterday I took six, unfrosted, jumbo cupcakes out of the freezer to prepare for our New Year's Eve dessert. The other half a dozen jumbo cupcakes were still in the freezer and I didn't even want to think about them last night as I prepared the buffet for our evening festivities.

This morning I sat pondering one question,"What am I going to do with the rest of those jumbo cupcakes?"  As I mulled over this thought, I remembered a Paula Deen episode where she created doughnut bread pudding. Inspiration struck as I thought about that episode; if Paula Deen can make bread pudding with doughnuts, then I can make bread pudding with -jumbo cupcakes! Yes, I would do it. Excitement coursed through me as I headed for the kitchen to create a new type of  sweet, custardy pudding - Cupcake Bread Pudding.

I substituted four cups of diced, unfrosted,  yellow cupcakes for the bread in my recipe and placed the cubes in a buttered, 9 inch x13 inch baking pan. Next, I assembled the rest of the ingredients in a bowl, mixed them well, and poured the mixture over the sweet chunks of cupcake in the baking pan. The baking time and temperature stayed the same and the finished product looked like - bread pudding. Tasting time arrived this evening about seven o'clock. I sliced the cooled pudding, placed the slices on a plate, and topped the slices with whipped cream. Bill and I simultaneously placed a forkful of pudding into our mouths and began to chew. Cupcake Bread Pudding has a much smoother texture than basic bread pudding. Flavor wise, the pudding is sweeter, with a more pronounced eggnog flavor. In our opinion, vanilla sauce would add too much sweetness; the whipped cream was perfect with this new version of bread pudding.

 Here is my recipe.  Happy baking and enjoy your cupcake bread pudding. Any questions? Leave a comment for me and I will answer you as soon as I can.



Fluffy Cupcake Bread Pudding

Equipment:

• two mixing bowls, one medium and one large
• wire whisk or hand mixer
• 1Tablespoon
• 1 butter knife
• one 9"x13" baking pan

Ingredients:

4 cups diced, cupcakes                                                       4 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract                                                   1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

2/3 cup sugar                                                                       3 1/2 to 4 cups of milk

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)                                      small amount of butter 

Directions:

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Butter your 9"x13" baking pan and set it aside.
• Place 4 cups of milk in a large mixing bowl.
• Place eggs, sugar, nutmeg, and vanilla in a medium mixing bowl and mix well.
• Put your 4 cups of diced cupcakes in the buttered dish.
• Then pour the egg and milk mixture over the top of the cupcake cubes.
• Using a tablespoon, pat down the cubes so that they are all covered with the egg and milk mixture.
• Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until a butter knife inserted into the middle of the pudding comes out clean.
• Can be served warm or cold, with whipped cream