Drunken Caramel Apple Bread Pudding

This recipe was adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Apple Apple Bread Pudding. It is rare that I change her recipes in any manner. But it's in my very humble, very unprofessional opinion that bread pudding really needs a sauce. I guess that's because that's the only way I've ever had it and it really enhanced the flavor.

FOR THE CARAMELIZED APPLES

3 medium apples, peeled and cored (Fuji/Galas)

3 Tbsp unsalted butter

3 Tbsp sugar

12 oz egg bread, such as challah or brioche, or good quality white bread, preferably stale, sliced 1/2 inch thick

About 1 cup store-bought spiced apple butter

3 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy cream

3 large eggs

5 large egg yolks

3/4 cup sugar

1 tsp pure vanilla extract (I used vanilla bean paste)

FOR THE SAUCE

1/2 cup Apple Brandy

3/4 cup butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 tsp vanilla bean paste (optional)

GETTING READY: Butter a 9x13 inch baking pan (a Pyrex pan is perfect here), dust the inside with sugar and tap out the excess. Line a larger roasting pan with a double thickness of paper towels.

TO CARAMELIZE THE APPLES: Cut each apple in half from top to bottom, cut each half lengthwise into 6-8 slices and then cut each slice in half crosswise.

Put a large skillet (preferably one that's nonstick) over medium-high heat, add the butter and, when it melts, sprinkle over the sugar. Cook the butter and sugar for a minute or so - you want the sugar to caramelize but not burn, so adjust the heat accordingly. Toss in the apple slices - don't worry if the caramel seizes and lumps, it will melt and smooth out as you work - and cook, carefully turning the the apples once or twice, until they are tender but not soft, 3 to 5 minutes. They should be golden, and some might even be caramelized. Transfer the apples and the buttery liquid to a plate.

If your bread is not stale, spread it out on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat and bake at 350 degrees F to "stale" it for 10 minutes.

Spread one side of each slice of bread with the apple butter, then cut each slice on the diagonal to get 4 triangles. Cover the bottom of the baking pan with half of the bread, arranging the triangles, buttered side up, so that they overlap slightly (don't worry about spaces between the slice). Spoon over the apples and their liquid and finish "the sandwich" with the rest of the bread.

Bring the milk and cream to a boil.

Fill a teakettle with water and put it on to boil; when the water boils, turn off the heat. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, yolks and the 3/4 cup sugar. Still whisking, slowly drizzle in about one quarter of the hot milk mixture - this will temper, or warm, the eggs so they won't curdle. Whisking all the while, slowly pour in the remaining milk. Add the vanilla and whisk to blend. Rap the bowl against the counter to pop any bubbles that might have formed, then spoon off any foam that has risen to the top. Pour the custard over the bread and press the bread gently with the back of a spoon to help it absorb the liquid. Leave the pan on the counter, giving the bread the back-of-the-spoon treatment now and then, for about 30 minutes.

GETTING READY TO BAKE: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Put the baking pan in the roasting pan, slide the setup into the oven and very carefully pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the pudding pan. Bake the pudding for about 1 hour and 25 minutes, or until a thin knife inserted deep into the center comes out clean. Transfer the baking pan to a rack and cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.

TO MAKE THE SAUCE: Mix sugar, butter and vanilla paste in a medium saucepan over low heat. Remove from heat when thoroughly blended, and whisk in the brandy. Serve warm over bread pudding.               

Dorie's version/Non-sauce version: The pudding can be served as is or dusted with confectioner's sugar just before serving.

PLAYING AROUND:  I think raisins would be fantastic in this recipe. I would simmer them in the apple brandy until they plump and the apple brandy reduces.

Salted Caramel Golden Bars

adapted from delish.com

Serves 15 / Yields 15 bars
Total Time: 1hr 10 min
Prep Time: 10 min

INGREDIENTS:

• Vegetable oil, for greasing dishes
• 9+ cups Rice Krispies
• 3/4 cup corn syrup
• 2/3 up sweetened condensed milk
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 4 Tbs unsalted butter
• 1 tsp sea salt, plus more for topping
• 2 tsp vanilla extract / vanilla bean paste
• 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips, melted

DIRECTIONS

1. Liberally oil a large mixing bowl and a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Place cereal in a bowl and set it and dish aside.
2. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine corn syrup, condensed milk, light brown sugar, sugar, butter and sea salt. Allow mixture to come to a boil, while stirring continuously, until a light golden brown, 5-6 minutes.
3. Remove mixture from heat, stir in vanilla, and immediately pour over cereal. Stir to completely mix, and then evenly spread in prepared baking pan. Sprinkle additional sea salt on top.
4. Set aside to cool. about 45 minutes. Invert and release from pan. Drizzle with melted chocolate and refrigerate until set, about 15 minutes. Cut into 15 bars.

Sweet & Salty Cake - the good, the bad, and the ugly

Well, this cake definitely had it's good, bad and ugly. By the time I was finished, I had an hour and a half to get a bit of sleep before the new day began. I really wanted a reason to try out this recipe that I found in "Baked: New Frontiers in Baking". The recipe sounded so interesting and with a lot of depth. I love caramel and with homemade salted caramel....how could it go wrong!? By the time I was finished I made 4 batches of homemade caramel and purchased a new medium sized covered pot! (I've been looking for an excuse to replace my pots I've, so I wasn't too heart broken!)

THE GOOD:

Wow, the accolades I received on this little bugger! This cake would make fantastic cupcakes by the way! I've never had such a response. This made all of the "downs" of this cake in making it for the first time worth it! Not so sure about the lack of sleep....but I think so!

This was the most level baking cake I've ever seen! I'm not sure if it's because of the new cake pans or if it was the recipe. I'll have to make cupcakes to test this. I was shocked when I checked on them and realized I didn't need to use my cake leveler. This perfection also lead to a "down" side of the cake...if that's really what you want to consider it. The down-side of this can be remedied though. I'll cover that in a bit.

Another point for the good is that it was easy to make outside of my learning curve and hopefully I can give enough tips that you will avoid some mishaps. If you expect out of the box easy...this cake is not for you. It does require you to make the cake, the filling and the frosting, but there are not any crazy tedious steps to the cake. I'll try my best to remember to give all of the hints in the instructions.

THE BAD:

Recipe called for dark amber
...looks dark to me...but it was burnt!

First...trying to find fleur de sel in Greenland, NH is next to impossible! Maybe in a typical city you can find it. I settled for another French sea salt that our local kitchen store sold and it worked out just fine...apparently everyone was happy with the resulting tastes! You can't use your typical Morton's sea salt so be prepared to find gourmet! If you live in an area like mine and can't find Fleur de Sel, either find another French subsititute or order online!

If you are experienced with your stovetop and making caramel, this will not be a downside for you. It was my first attempt so it took 3 times to get it right. But not only do you have to make it for the layers, you need to make caramel for the chocolate ganache frosting as well. Three times to learn was a charm for me. Good side...no expensive ingredients were lost and I learned that my caramel will continue to cook a tad after it's removed from the heat.....oh, and a new pot came of this too! Ha!

The bad side to the level cakes...I didn't use a leveler and therefore the layers still had the crust/shiny layer on the cake did not peel off much at all. I thought it was a good thing...help keep the moisture in. Well, the caramel was supposed to soak into the cake and with the first layer it didn't. I added a dam around the circumference to prevent leakage of caramel but that didnt' stop it from leaking out. I added more than the 1/4 cup to soak, which lent to the leaking as well. To prevent this leakage...1st remove the shiny top coating of the cake or a good portion of it. Second...use only 1/4 of a cup of caramel. Plan ahead and make room in your freezer for a quick setting of the cake and frosting for layering as well.

THE UGLY:

Well, my top photo speaks for itself! I think that if it's humid, this cake is best made into cupcakes or some other form of decorating. I was going for the smooth look and it just didn't work out. I couldn't use various techniques to smooth as I have had problems with the book's frostings not thickening enough. So here are 2 tips: 

1. BEAT BEAT BEAT AND BEAT SOME MORE: When you think you've done enough and stop to see just how sloppy it is....beat it some more. This is where the stand mixer earns it's keep in my kitchen. It took beating for 15 minutes or more.
2. THE FREEZER IS YOUR FRIEND: By placing the cake in the freezer for 5-10 minutes, it will add a nice cold surface for your crumb coat. The crumb coat is a great way to work out the smoothness of your cake. Just add thin first coat to your cake and get as smooth as possible. Stick in the freezer for 5-10 minutes, add your final coat to your cake and the frosting will just grab and stick as the cold crumb coat make the butter harden a bit. To further smooth out if it gets too hard to fast...Run your frosting knife under warm/hot water and throughly dry then run it over the frosting. It will smooth right out. I didn't do this step as it was 4:30 in the morning at this point and I just wanted to finish!

The ugly...well, I didn't take any photos of my trash can after pouring out the burnt sugar. I believe we have finially removed the rest of the escaped caramel at the bottom. It burnt it's way through the plastic garbage bag...of course....I knew it would...but at the time, just didn't care...and down the sides of the trash can...which acted like glue and glued the bag to the trash can, which made double bagging a must. Not very green of me huh? :)

Ok, enough babbling, ranting and raving, and on with the recipe!

INGREDIENTS:

For the Classic Chocolate Cake Layers

3/4 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/4 cups hot water

2/3 cup sour cream

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1 Tbs pure vanilla extract

For the Salted Caramel

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tsp fleur de sel

1 cup sugar

2 Tbs light corn syrup

1/4 cup sour cream

For the Whipped Caramel Ganache Frosting

1 lb dark chocolate (60-70% cacao), chopped

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 cup sugar

2 Tbs light corn syrup

2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, soft but cool, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

To assemble the Cake

2 tsp fleur de sel, plus more for garnish

TO MAKE THE CLASSIC CHOCOLATE CAKE LAYERS

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter three 8-inch round cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment paper, and butter the parchment. Dust with flour, and knock out the excess flour.

In a medium bowl, combine the cocoa powder, hot water, and sour cream and set aside.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside.

In the bowlof an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and shortening on medium speed until ribbonlike, about 5 minutes. Add the sugars and beat until light & fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, then add the vanilla and beat until incoroporated. Scrape down the bowl and mix again for 30 seconds.

Add the flour mixture, alternating with the cocoa mixture, in 3 additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.

Divide the batter among the prepared pans and smooth the tops. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer the cakes to a wire rack and let cool for 20 minutes. Invert the cakes onto the rack, remove the pans, and let cool completely. Remove the parchment.

MAKE THE SALTED CARAMEL

In a small saucepan, combine the cream and fleur de sel. Bring to a simmer over very low heat until the salt is dissolved.

Meanwhile, keeping a close eye on the cream mixture so it doesn't burn, in a medium saucepan combine 1/4 cup water, the sugar, and the corn syrup, stirring the together carefully so you don't splash the sides of the pan. Cook over high heat until an instant-read thermometer reads 350 degrees F, or until the mixture is a dark amber in color, 6-8 minutes. This is where I burnt mine twice. It burnt right after it read 350 degrees and was the right color. It seemed to continue to cook after being removed. I learned to remove this right before the 350 mark and just before it was the perfect color.  Remove from heat and let cool for 1 minute.

Add the cream mixture to the sugar mixture (NOTE: this is reactive! Drizzle the cream down the side of the pan slowly). Whisk in the sour cream. Let the caramel cool to room temperature, then transfer to an airtight container & refrigerate until you are ready to assemble the cake.

MAKE THE WHIPPED CARAMEL GANACHE FROSTING

Put the chocolate in a large heatproof bowl & set aside.

In a small saucepan, bring the cream to a simmer over very low heat.

Meanwhile, keeping a close eye on the cream mixture so it doesn't burn, in a medium saucepan combine 1/4 cup water, the sugar, and the corn syrup, stirring the together carefully so you don't splash the sides of the pan. Cook over high heat until an instant-read thermometer reads 350 degrees F, or until the mixture is a dark amber in color, 6-8 minutes. Remove from heat & let caramel cool for one minute.

Add the cream to the caramel and stir to combine (NOTE: this is reactive! Drizzle the cream down the side of the pan slowly). Let the caramel and chocolate sit for 1 minute, then, starting in the center of the bowl, and working your way out to the edges, slowly stir the chocolate and caramel mixture in a circle until the chocolate is completely melted. Let the mixture cool, then transfer it to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment.

Mix on low until the bowl feels cool to the touch. Increase the speed to medium-high and gradually add the butter, beating until thoroughly incorporated. Scrape down the bowl and beat on high speed until the mixgture is fluffy.

ASSEMBLE THE CAKE

Place one cake layer on a serving platter, spread 1/4 cup of the caramel over the top (I wouldn't add more than the 1/4 cup or it may be too much and ooze out AND I would make sure to remove some of the crusty coating so that the caramel will absorb better)....(I piped a dam around the circumference of the cake first to help prevent leaking of caramel out the sides). Let the caramel soak into the cake, then spread 3/4 cup of the ganache frosting over the caramel. Sprinkle 1 tsp of the fleur de sel over the frosting. then top with the second cake layer. Spread with caramel frosting & sprinkle with 1 tsp of the fleur de sel. Then top with the third layer. Spread with caramel. Crumb coat the cake and put theh cake in the refrigerator for 15 minutes (5-10 in freezer) to firm up the frosting. Frost the sides and top with the remaining frosting. Garnish with a sprinkle of fleur de sel.

This cake will keep beautifully in a cake server at room temperature (cool and humidity free) for up to 3 days. If your room is not cool, place the cake in a cake server and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Remove the cake from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for at least 2 hours before serving.