Vietnamese Coffee Bread Puddings

I baked this because…

1.     The first time I had bread pudding with at a restaurant in Bath, England. My mind was BLOWN (!!!) by how an everyday staple could be transformed into a rich, custardy pudding that was soft and gooey.

2.    Nutella sauce on anything makes things right, even for a few seconds. And right now, with all the upheaval and parental complaints at work – I TAKE WHAT I CAN (EAT).

3.   Bananas, bread, coffee, condensed milk = everyday pantry staples for a quick, gratifying dessert.

4.   People stress eat. I stress bake. Then stress eat. Not so different from everybody else after all, hahaha.

Vietnamese coffee powder is a favourite in my household because the flavor is strong AND fragrant. Vietnamese coffee is ‘gao’, hence the addition of condensed milk and eggs. The coconut extract, cinnamon and banana make this pudding ‘tropically’ and balance well with the coffee! Usually bread pudding recipes call for stale sweeter breads like challah and brioche, but I like to clear my pantry and used a cinnamon raisin variety instead. 

Bread puddings are usually topped with ice cream or whipped cream, but my love for Nutella prevails with this easy chocolatey drizzle. There’s no recipe, just mix your desired amount of Nutella with some milk, and you can even add some coffee powder for an additional flavour boost!

Vietnamese Coffee Banana Bread Pudding

Makes 6 muffins

·       5 ounces raisin bread, torn into pieces

·       1 cups milk

·       2 tablespoons Vietnamese coffee powder

·       2 large egg yolks

·       1 egg

·       2 tablespoons cup light brown sugar

·       1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

·       ¼  teaspoons ground nutmeg

·       5 ounces sweetened condensed milk

·       1 teaspoons vanilla extract

·       1/2 teaspoons coconut extract

·       1 ripened banana, mashed

Directions

Grease muffin tins with cooking spray or butter. Preheat oven to 160C.Meanwhile, place 1/2 cup milk in small microwave-safe bowl or glass liquid measuring cup and microwave 1 minute. Add espresso powder and stir until dissolved.

In large bowl, whisk egg yolks, egg, light brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and until smooth. Whisk in condensed milk, espresso-milk mixture, remaining 1/2 cups milk, vanilla extract, and coconut extract; whisk until thoroughly combined.

Gently stir bread and bananas together in a separate bowl. Add mixture to bread mixture, gently fold until everything has been soaked. Transfer to muffin pans and let the bread soak for a minimum of 20 minutes, or overnight.

Place dish on rimmed baking sheet and bake on middle rack until custard has set and releases no liquid when pressed, about 15 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes before turning them out. Drizzle with Nutella sauce or garnish with freshly whipped cream.

Baker’s Notes

1.     Internet sites vary on their advice on how long to soak the bread, but I settle for a medium of 4 hours. 20 minutes makes my pudding too dry and overnight – too soggy!

2.    Bread pudding is done when the tops are puffed and golden brown, no ‘juice’ should seep out when you press the pudding.

Chocolate Pound Cakes with Cream Cheese Swirl

Muffins are not a new thing. But there’s such a mind boggling amount of recipes, methods and cookbooks out there to tempt one and try all the different combinations. So I did, with ASTOUNDING SUCCESS! If you’re the sort who likes doughey, bready bricks. Meh.

Last week I tried making cream cheese swirl chocolate muffins, using an oil based fat. Even though the muffins puffed like beautiful chocolate mushrooms (Heehee Kinoko No Yama anyone?), the texture was too dense, too gummy.

The failure HOUNDED me throughout the whole of this week, so I devoured my recipe books and finally adapted a pound cake swirl number from Flo Braker. This batter encorporates sour cream, butter and coffee, so expect fluffiness and a deep cocoa flavor. Homemade muffins also mean one has a free reign (HALLELUJAH!) on mix ins, so I tossed in Bailey’s soaked raisins and extra wallop of Bailey’s for that creamy, Irish kick. Voila! If I do say so myself tender, cake like muffins with a tangy cheesecake middle. 

Cheesecake Swirl

·      110g cream cheese, softened

·      1/8 cup (25g) GRANULATED SUGAR

·      1 small egg

·      1/2 TEASPOON PURE VANILLA EXTRACT

CHOCOLATE-SOUR CREAM POUND CAKE (Makes 9 regular muffins)

·      3/8 CUP (32g) UNSWEETENED NATURAL COCOA POWDER

·      3/8 CUP (90G) WARM COFFEE

·      1 cup + 1 tablespoon CAKE FLOUR

·      1/4TEASPOONS BAKING SODA

·      3/4TEASPOON BAKING POWDER

·      ¹/₂ TEASPOON SALT

·      85g ROOM TEMP BUTTER

·      3/4 + 1 TABLESPOON WHITE SUGAR

·      2 EGGS

·      1 TEASPOONS PURE VANILLA EXTRACT

·      6 TABLESPOONS OF SOUR CREAM

·      100g OF SOAKED RAISINS (IN BAILEY’S)

·      1/3 CUP BAILEY’S IRISH LIQUOR

Before baking: Soak raisins for in Bailey’s liquor for at least 1 hour. Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees f (or 325 degrees f if the pan has a dark finish). For the cake batter, in a medium bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder and warm coffee until blended; set aside to cool.

To make the Cheesecake Swirl: In a medium bowl, beat the cheese with a rubber spatula just until the cheese is smooth and creamy. Or, use a handheld electric mixer on low, being careful not to whip in too much air. Beat in the sugar until well blended. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until combined and creamy.

To make the Chocolate-Sour Cream Pound Cake: Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt onto a sheet of waxed paper; set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy and smooth, 30 to 45 seconds. Add the sugar in a steady stream. Continue to beat until light in color and texture, 3 to 4 minutes, stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition until incorporated and stopping the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the vanilla, sour cream and Bailey’s to the cooled coffee and stir to combine. With the mixer on the lowest speed, add the flour mixture in three additions alternately with the Bailey’s mixture in two additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture and mixing after each addition until incorporated. Again, stop the mixer occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Finally, gently stir in the soaked raisins.  

Spoon half of the batter into each muffin mould and spread it with the rubber spatula, working from the center outward to create a slightly raised ridge around the rim. Carefully spoon 2 tablespoons of cream cheese filling on top. Spoon the remaining batter over the filling and smooth the top.

Bake the cake until the center springs back when lightly touched and a round wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out free of cake, about 20 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 10 to 15 minutes.

Baker's Notes

1.You can't really taste the Bailey's but the addition makes has that unique sweet Irish caramel fragrance. 

2. Feel free to substitute raisins with chocolate chips or nuts, that's the fun of homemade muffins after all!

Back in the Day Bakery - Donut Muffins

I confess, I'm not a breakfast person. Even with the rabid brunch / breakfast trends going on now, I find it impossible to get myself up before noon to consume those hefty plates that have been trending on Instagram.  Since primary school, I would happily forsake minutes of brekkie for extra sleep, and slake my hunger with full meals at the school tuckshop - Fish Ball Soup, Fried Rice, Lor Mai Kai. The savoury options were forever my go tos (back in the day). As I grew older though, and my lifestyle grew more hectic, the need for portable meals became necessary. So begin my love / hate affair for breads, cupcakes and muffins - delicious, cakey and the perfect vehicle to stuff frosting in my face ^^

Cheryl and Griffith Day weave a beautiful book full of traditional Southern treats, handed down from Cheryl's grandmother to Griffith's personal brainstorms. There were a few that stood out - Donut Muffins, Bourbon Bread Pudding and 'Nana Puddin. 

These are my spin of their donut muffins -  Plain Muffins stuffed with a Nutella peanut mix, and then rolled in cinnamon sugar. Mmm Mmm MMM - Cakey, with a lovely crunchy exterior and interior thanks to the tumble with cinnamon sugar and peanuts. Paired with a steaming cup of coffee, the perfect accompaniment whilst marking my scripts. 

Back in the Day Bakery’s Cinnamon Sugar Doughnut Muffins (Makes 12)

3 cups of unbleached all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon baking soda

2 ½ teaspoons baking powder, preferably aluminum-free

¾ teaspoon fine sea salt

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg    

¼ teaspoon ground cardamom  

¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons whole milk

2 tablespoons buttermilk

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

¾ cup sugar

2 large eggs

12 teaspoons Nutella 

1/4 cup chopped peanuts 

For the coating:

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1 cup sugar mixed with 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1.  Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 175◦C. Lightly spray 12 large muffin cups with vegetable oil spray.

2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cardamom. In a medium bowl, combine the milk and buttermilk.

3. In a large mixing bowl, using a handheld mixer on medium speed, cream the butter for 2 to 3 minutes.  Turn the speed to low and gradually add the sugar. Continue to mix until the mixture lightens in color. Add the eggs one at a time, beating just until combined. Add the dry ingredients in thirds, alternating with the milk mixture, mixing just until smooth; do not overmix- or they will be dense.

4. With a large ice cream scoop or spoon, scoop the batter into the prepared muffin cups, 1/3 way through. Top the batter with a teaspoon of Nutella and a sprinkle of peanuts. Top with more batter till about 2/3s full.  Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the tops are firm to the touch and lightly golden.

5. While the muffins bake, set up two bowls to dunk them in. In one bowl you will have the melted butter, and in the other bowl you will have the cinnamon sugar.

6. Let the doughnuts cool completely on a wire rack. Dunk them in the melted butter, then coat them with the cinnamon sugar. The muffins can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Baker Notes

1. These muffins are surprisingly not very sweet, the addition of Nutella and outer coating of cinnamon sugar made it just nice.