Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding

Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding

Remember that cinnamon roll crown loaf that I made last weekend? It was quite a large loaf and we had a large piece left at the end of brunch so I froze it for later in the week to use in this wonderful version of Spouse's favorite comfort food dessert, bread pudding. The light , sweet loaf turned out to be the perfect texture for a great bread pudding and as the photo beautifully demonstrates, it went very well indeed with a generous drizzle of my luscious, buttery, Homemade Caramel Sauce.

I'd use any leftover coinnamon rolls for this recipe, they should work equally well but if you want, you can find my Cinnamon Roll Couronne (crown loaf) here.

Bread Pudding

• 5 to 6 cups  cinnamon roll cubes

Grease an 8x8 inch baking dish well. Place the cinnamon roll cubes on an even layer into the greased baking dish

Whisk together:

• 1 cup whipping cream
• 1 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• Pinch salt

Pour the mixture evenly over the cinnamon roll cubes, pressing down slightly to make sure all the cubes are soaked. Let stand for a half hour to for the custard to fully absorb. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 45-50 minutes until the custard is set and no longer liquid in the center. Let the bread pudding stand for about 20 minutes before serving. Serve with a generous drizzle of Homemade Caramel Sauce

Cinnamon Roll Bread Pudding

Caramel Apple Buttermilk Pancakes

Caramel Apple Buttermilk Pancakes

Apples are one of the things most commonly added to pancakes at our house, so when I was thinking about recipe ideas to feature for the upcoming annual Pancake Day, these came to mind but how to make these pancakes just a little different? The answer? Forget maple syrup or that artificially flavored store bought stuff, everyone knows that apples love caramel! Our wickedly good Homemade Caramel Sauce has appeared in many of our indulgent desserts here on Rock Recipes and it was just the thing to take these wonderful pancakes to the next level. 

It was so indulgently good that I plan on making this pancake idea for dessert next time with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream. I'll get back to you with the reviews when I do.

You can find our Homemade Caramel Sauce Recipe by clicking here.

Caramel Apple Buttermilk Pancakes

Recipe by Barry C. Parsons

Sweet apple pieces are cooked right into these light and fluffy pancakes and get saved with the best homemade caramel sauce of your dreams. This is so indulgently delicious, I'd even suggest adding a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and serving it on occasion as an amazing dessert!

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 7 minutes
Total time: 17 minutes
Yield: 12 large pancakes
Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 3 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 egg
• 3 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups buttermilk
• 4 tbsp melted butter
• 1/2 cups chocolate chips (approximately)
• 2 medium apples, peeled and diced
• few pinches ground cinnamon

Cooking Directions

1. Sift together the flour, salt, sugar, baking powder and baking soda.
2. Whisk together the egg, vanilla extract, buttermilk and melted butter.
3. Pour the wet mixture over the dry ingredients and whisk together just until combined. Do not over mix. Don't worry about small lumps. The batter will be thick.
4. Using a 1/4 cup measure, pour batter onto a lightly greased griddle on medium heat; it's best to cook these slowly. You may need to spread the batter out a little with the back of a spoon but this is usually not necessary.
5. Sprinkle on some diced apple pieces and sprinkle each pancake with ground cinnamon before flipping. Cook for 3-4 minutes per side or until the center is fully cooked.

Chocolate Caramel Walnut Banana Waffles

Chocolate Caramel Walnut Banana Waffles

Here's an indulgent weekend brunch that's sure to impress. This recipe also makes for a very surprising dessert at a family meal or even a dinner party.

Chocolate Waffles 

• 1 egg
• 1 cup plus 2 tbsp milk
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1  cup plus 2 tbsp flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 4 tbsp sugar
• 2 tsp baking powder

Beat eggs. Add milk, oil and vanilla. Mix well.

Mix all dry ingredients together, add to liquid mixture and mix until smooth. 

Preheat waffle iron and pour about 1/4 cup of batter for each waffle onto the preheated iron. These waffles cook for about 4-5 minutes but times many vary for your waffle iron.
Makes about 6-7 waffles.

Serve with Banana Caramel Walnut Sauce and whipped cream.

Banana Caramel Walnut Sauce

In a small sauté pan, melt

• 3 tbsp butter

Add 

• 2 ripe sliced bananas

Warm the bananas, then add

• 3/4 cup caramel sauce (You can find my homemade Caramel Sauce here.)
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped, lightly toasted walnuts
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Cook only for a minute or two until the sauce is completely heated through and serve over the chocolate waffles. Garnish with whipped cream.

Chocolate Banana Caramel Walnut Coffee Cake

Chocolate Banana Caramel Walnut Coffee Cake

Some leftover caramel sauce and some speckled ripe bananas on the counter top were the inspiration for this moist, delicious and completely decadent coffee cake. I swirled a little of the caramel sauce along with toasted walnuts through the batter for the cake and then used both as a topping/garnish for the finished product. The result was this spectacularly moist and wonderfully balanced coffee cake that really is an equal marriage of all its tasty components.

Caramel Sauce

• 2 cups sugar
• 2/3 cup butter cut in small cubes
• 4 tbsp water
• 1 cup whipping cream

Begin by mixing the sugar and water in a large saucepan. NOTE: I use a large saucepan of about 3-4 quarts or larger because the sugar foams up when you add the butter and cream so make sure you have a large enough pot.

Boil the sugar and water over medium heat until the mixture begins to turn a light amber color. It is very easy to burn this mixture which can happen very quickly once the proper color is achieved, so have your butter and cream at the ready, as timing is crucial for this recipe.

When the color is right, quickly add the butter and stir quickly until the butter is melted. Remove from the heat immediately and pour in the whipping cream, stirring constantly until the sauce is uniformly smooth.



Coffee Cake

• 1 cup white sugar
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3 medium ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 1/2 cup cocoa
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ cup milk
• 3/4 cup lightly toasted walnuts

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Beat sugar and oil in a bowl until foamy. Add eggs and mashed banana. Mix well.

Sift together dry ingredients and fold into banana mixture alternately with milk.

Fold in walnuts. Pour batter into a greased 9 inch spring form pan. 

Drop rounded teaspoonfuls of the caramel sauce over the batter (about 1/2 cup) swirl through the cake with the handle of a wooden spoon. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour until a toothpick inserted in the center which comes out clean; this is the best indicator that the cake is fully baked.

Garnish with more of the caramel sauce and lightly toasted walnut pieces.