Panettone bread and butter pudding

Great recipe if you have leftover panettone (MW gave me this great idea when we visited her place last year).

But actually I didn't have any leftovers. Instead, I started stocking up some on Boxing Day - they get marked down at least 50%, so its a great buy!! ;p

M was got rather excited when I told her what I was planing to make. She told me that when she was a very small girl, her nanny made the yummiest bread and butter pudding ever. Its practically impossible to compete with a cherished memory and can only hope to dish out something nice.



Ingredients


250g panettone or bread
2 eggs
142g double cream
225g milk
1/2 vanilla stick
2 tbsp caster sugar
icing sugar for dusting
2 tbsp raisins/sultanas or any other dried fruits like apricots, cranberries, dates, dark chocolate chips, etc. or nuts (optional)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees.

2. Slice bread into bread chunks, butter one side and lightly toast them under the broiler. Note that sweet bread browns faster so do not let them burn!

3. Bring milk and cream with vanilla stick and seeds scraped out to a low boil and set aside to cool. If you want to add in some raisins/sultanas, soak them into vanilla solution to plump up a bit.

4. Grease dish with some butter.

5. Whisk egg with caster sugar and then stir in vanilla solution.

6. Arrange bread onto buttered dish, scatter raisins/currents (if using) and pour custard liquid into dish.

7. Bake for 40-45 min until centre is slightly wobbly in hot water bath.

8. Dust a little icing sugar and serve with some vanilla ice-cream or extra cream, if desired.

I don't actually like bread and butter pudding as I find those served at buffet rather odd tasting but couldn't help having a second serve of this. It was very scrumptious and totally satisfying. Actually used a 50% bread mixture of wholemeal bread. It was a good pairing as the panettone bread (I scattered these at the top) was very sweet and flavourful (can really taste the rum flavoured fruits).

MP was hoping that I'd make this again real soon. Told him we will have to wait until next Xmas as that is when panettone are usually in season when panettone and sold in stores.

Steamed Gingerbread Pudding

Manggy could probably be dubbed the 'king' of ginger cakes this (er, that would be last year's now) Xmas season, churning more than a handful of gingery bakes at his blogsite.

It was the lovely dark colours that drew me to this cake from the picture viewed at tastespotting.

Always on a look-out for quick easy bakes, knew this would be featured in my oven all too soon!! Being an earlier riser (I know I should stick to my morning walks especially with additional holiday feasts we've been having but couldn't resist staying in - well ok, actually I managed to do both - told you it was an easy quick bake!) :)

Made them muffin size instead of one large cake which on hindsight proved to be a wise decision, cutting down on a lot of baking time!!

Ingredients (makes 8 muffin sized cakes)

105g all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
100g hot water
65g dark brown sugar
72g vegetable oil (but not olive oil)
80g organic blackstrap molasses
pinch salt
1 large egg, room temperature
crystallized ginger, chopped (optional)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 160 degrees.
2. Grease muffin tin.
3. Shift dry ingredients together and set aside.
4. Mix hot water and sugar and whisk in oil, molasses and salt until combined.
5. Whisk in dry ingredients until well combined. Add the egg and beat until incorporated. The batter will be tin.
6. Do not be deceived, the cake will rise so please resist the urge to fill them full. 3/4 should be fine.
7. Bake in muffin tins for about 20 min or 70 min if you bake them in a larger cake tin or until toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean.
8. Cool in cake tin before removing them.

Bench notes - This pudding was very dark, moist, soft and rich. If you prefer a sharper ginger taste, you may opt for grated fresh ginger instead or even add chop bits of crystalized ginger.