CRAN-CHERRY ORANGE BREAD PUDDING with Drunken Cherry Rum Sauce & Orange Whipped Cream

Last week I came upon this box of cranberry orange pound cake slices I'd forgotten about until they were too dry to eat as is, so I decided to recycle those into bread pudding!

Since I had the oven already on for my Baked Salmon Cupcakes (don't go eeeuwww, they're really just yummy Salmon Cakes baked in a muffin tin), it was simply a matter of getting on with the recipe and whipping them into a batter and resetting my oven to 350.

I happened to also have some Wisconsin Dried Cherries from Benjamin Twiggs (sent me to create some martinis & dishes) and I always have rum, so these little Cran-Cherry Orange Bread Puddings were getting a Drunken Cherry Rum Sauce!

I went one step further and topped them off with Orange Whipped Cream. Et voila! Those dreary little dried slices of pound cake turned into a decidedly improved dessert aka:

CRAN-CHERRY ORANGE BREAD PUDDING
with Drunken Cherry Rum Sauce & Orange Whipped Cream

 BREAD PUDDING INGREDIENTS

2 Cups of Old Cranberry Orange Pound Cake
1/2 Cup Dried Cherries, Chopped
1/2 + 2 Tablespoons Cup Dark Rum
Splash of Heavy Cream
1/4 C. Sugar
1/2 Tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 Tsp. Nutmeg
Pinch of Kosher Salt
3 Eggs
1 C. Milk
Drunken Cherry Sauce (Recipe Below)
Orange Whipped Cream (Recipe Below)

TOOLS
1 Large Mixing Bowl
Measuring Cups & Spoons
Spatula for Mixing, Folding
Cooking Oil Spray
Muffin Tin

DIRECTIONS

• Spray your muffin tin with the cooking spray.
• First rehydrate your dried cherries a bit by soaking them in the rum for 15 minutes.** Microwave for 1 minute first to help infuse the cherries, then set aside while you prepare your batter.
• Mix together all the ingredients except the pound cake chunks.
• Fold in the pound cake until it's completely moistened.
• Spoon cherries out of the rum and add to batter. (Save the rum for the sauce*!!).
• Let this rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
• Preheat your oven to 350° F.
• Spoon your batter into the muffin tins up to the top. (Bread pudding does not rise like cupcakes!)
• Bake for 20 - 30  minutes, or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean. (remember the heat carry-over - if you bake until the toothpick comes out completely clean your bread pudding cups will be too dry!)

ORANGE WHIPPED CREAM INGREDIENTS
2 Tbsp. Orange Juice
1 Tbsp. Orange Zest
1/2 C. Heavy Whipping Cream
1 Tbsp. Powdered Sugar

TOOLS
Large Stainless Steel Bowl, Chilled
Hand Mixer, Chilled Blades
Measuring Cups & Spoons

DIRECTIONS

Add cream to your chilled bowl.
Whip with hand mixer until soft peaks form.
Stir in the orange juice, orange zest and powdered sugar.
Whip until firm peaks are formed.
Refrigerate until serving time.

DRUNKEN CHERRY RUM SAUCE INGREDIENTS
1/2 C. of Butter
1 Egg, Beaten
1 Tsp. Orange Zest
1 C. Sugar
1/2 C. Cherry Infused Rum*

(you can add extra rum if you need to get the 1/2 cup)
Teeny Pinch of Sea Salt

TOOLS
Small Sauce Pan
Measuring Cups
Whisk
Medium Bowl
Medium metal strainer

DIRECTIONS

• Melt the butter completely in a small saucepan
• Remove from heat and allow butter to cool in pan but do not allow to solidify.
• Add in the sugar and mix well.
• Slowly mix in the beaten egg.
• Return to stove and warm on medium until the sugar starts to dissolve.
• Slowly add the orange zest and the cherry infused rum, being careful not to spill the booze anywhere near the open flame!
• Stir until the sugar is completely dissolved, about 3 or 4 minutes, remove from burner.
• Stir in a small dash of salt (this will balance out the sweetness).
• (The sauce can be refrigerated for up to two weeks and heated up in the microwave.)

You can now serve the warm sauce immediately over the Cran-Cherry Orange Bread Puddings, top with the Orange Whipped Cream, serve and take your bows!.

The bread pudding and the sauce can both be reheated for later servings.

**If you like you can double up on the Drunken Cherries and put some aside to add to the Drunken Cherry Rum Sauce, use as a cocktail garnish or just to nibble on.

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