White Chocolate Bread Pudding

Long ago bread pudding was common in most kitchens.   It would only take a few ingredients that wereon hand to make a scrumptious dessert.  Most households would have stale bread, eggs and cream.  Meat could be added for a full on meal.  Bread pudding is one of the easiest desserts to fix.  I have found that it freezes well too, so you can always have a gourmet dessert on hand.  This recipe originates from the Palace Cafe in New Orleans.  


I usually make this every Christmas and Thanksgiving. It's not that we need it as we most always have 20 other desserts, but someone inevitably  would say "hey, why didn't you make the white chocolate bread pudding?"

BREAD PUDDING

1. One 24-inch baguette, ends trimmed, bread cut into 1-inch slices
2. 4 1/2 cups heavy cream
3. 1 1/2 cups milk
4. 3/4 cup sugar
5. 15 ounces white chocolate, broken into small pieces
6. 3 large eggs
7. 12 large egg yolks

WHITE CHOCOLATE SAUCE

1. 1/2 cup heavy cream
2. 8 ounces white chocolate, broken into small pieces
3. Bittersweet or semisweet chocolate shavings, for garnish
4. 1. Preheat the oven to 275°. Stand the bread slices on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes, or until dry but not browned. Transfer the bread to a 13-by-9-by-2-inch baking dish in an even layer. Increase the oven temperature to 350°.
   2. In a large saucepan, heat the cream with the milk and sugar until hot but not steaming. Remove from the heat, add the white chocolate and stir until melted.
   3. In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the egg yolks. In a slow, thin stream, whisk the hot cream into the eggs until smooth. Pour the custard over the bread and let stand until soggy, about 20 minutes. Press the bread into the custard occasionally.
   4. Cover the pudding with foil and bake for 1 hour. Remove the foil; bake for 20 minutes longer, or until golden and puffed. Let cool for at least 20 minutes.
   5. Bring the cream to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from the heat, add the white chocolate and stir until completely smooth.
   6. Cut the bread pudding into squares and decorate with the chocolate shavings. Serve warm, with the white chocolate sauce.

White Chocolate Cake with Lemon Filling

I usually cut this cake into four layers. You can also use Raspberry filling which is wonderful. This cake is a classic year-round

Cake

Solid vegetable shortening for greasing the pans

Flour for dusting the pans

6 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped

1 package plain white cake mix (18.25 ounces)

2/3 cup water

1/3 cup vegetable oil

3 large eggs

2 large egg whites

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

I decorated this cake with rosettes and drizzled with
warmed lemon curd and white chocolate shavings. 

Lemony White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting (see below)

1/2 cup store-bought lemon curd (half of a 10-ounce jar) or SEE HOMEMADE RECIPE BELOW

Lemony White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

6 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped

1 package cream cheese (8 ounces) at room temperature

4 tablespoons butter (1/2 stick) at room temperature

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Lemony White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting (see below)

1/2 cup store-bought lemon curd (half of a 10-ounce jar) or SEE HOMEMADE RECIPE BELOW

Lemony White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

6 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped

1 package cream cheese (8 ounces) at room temperature

4 tablespoons butter (1/2 stick) at room temperature

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

3 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease two 9-inch round cake pans with solid vegetable shortening, then dust with flour. Shake out the excess flour. Set the pans aside.

Melt the white chocolate in a small glass bowl in the microwave oven on high power for 1 minute. Remove the bowl from the oven and stir with a small rubber spatula until it is smooth.

Place the cake mix, water, oil, whole eggs, egg whites, lemon juice, and lemon zest in a large mixing bowl. Pour in the slightly cooled white chocolate. Blend with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 minutes more, scraping down the sides again if needed. The batter should look well combined. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans, smoothing it out with the rubber spatula. Place the pans in the oven side by side.

Bake the cakes until they are golden brown and spring back when lightly pressed with your finger, 28 to 32 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and place them on wire racks to cool for 10 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edge of each layer and invert each onto a rack, then invert again onto another rack so that the cakes are right side up. Allow to cool completely, 30 minutes more.

Meanwhile, prepare the Lemony White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows).

Place one cake layer, right side up, on a serving platter. Spread the top with the lemon curd. Place the second layer, right side up, on top of the first layer and frost the top and sides of the cake with frosting.

Place this cake, uncovered or in a cake saver, in the refrigerator until the frosting sets, 20 minutes. Then store it, in a cake saver or under a glass dome, at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Or freeze it, wrapped in aluminum foil or in a cake saver, for up to 6 months. Thaw the cake overnight in the refrigerator before serving.

2. Lemony White Chocolate Cream Cheese Frosting

Place the white chocolate in a small glass bowl in the microwave oven on high power for 1 minute. Remove the bowl from the oven and stir with a wooden spoon or a rubber spatula until it is smooth. Set the chocolate aside to cool.

Place the cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until well combined, 30 seconds. Stop the machine. Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, and melted white chocolate, and blend on low speed until just combined, 30 seconds. Add the confectioners' sugar and blend on low speed until the sugar is incorporated, 30 seconds. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until the frosting is fluffy, 1 minute or more.

Use to frost the top and sides of the cake of your choice

Lemon Filling

1 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1 cup water

2 teaspoons lemon rind

1/2 cup lemon juice

2 tablespoons margarine

4 large egg yolks

Mix sugar, cornstarch, salt, water, rind, juice, butter in a pan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil 1 minute and stir. Remove from heat, and stir in egg yolks by tempering. ( add a little of the hot liquid into the egg yolks while stirring, do this several times before adding all the eggs to the hot liquid. If you don't temper the eggs you will end up with scrambled eggs) Cook one minute longer, stirring constantly. Chill before spreading between layers of a coconut/lemon cake.