Autumn Bundt Cake/#BundtBakers

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Is your weather starting to cool off a little bit where you are? Then it may be time for an Autumn Bundt Cake! We finally are getting some milder, fall~ish type days here in North Carolina, and not a moment to soon for me. I am a true lover of all things fall, the weather being the #1 reason, but also because of all the gorgeous colors, the fall hikes to see the leaves, dining outside on the back porch, and campfires. Backyard campfires are such fun! Of course with campfires, there must be s'mores. And when I learned that the #BundtBakers theme this month was S'mores, well, it's just a natural pairing, autumn and s'mores! I hope you like this Autumn Bundt Cake!

Autumn Bundt Cake

Pumpkin and Cranberry Bread Pudding

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I love Bread Pudding. It's such a comfort food. The first time I discovered the love of my dessert life,  I was 22 years old and I had just moved to Las Vegas. My soon to be husband and I went to eat at the Golden Nugget Buffet. I remember that at the end of a long line of desserts, sat this huge, gorgeous, barrel looking, copper chafing dish. I was so curious as to what in the world could be so incredible that it would warrant this special station at the buffet. So, I went to look.  What I found ruined me forever for all other desserts, and helped me gain 10 pounds! In this beautiful dish sat the most incredibly, delicious, gorgeous bread pudding ever. I couldn't get enough of it. Filled with moist, cream soaked bread; rich, eggs; plump golden raisins and the spicy, sweet aroma of cinnamon I was in heaven! I had to know how to make this. And so began my quest. I tried every bread pudding recipe I could get my hands on. There are a lot of them out there. I have yet to discover one as good as the bread pudding I had so many years ago. But, I keep trying. I heard that the recipe went away when the hotel was sold back in 2000. The rumor was that the old recipe belonged to the owners mother, and it was not sold with the hotel. I have seen some Golden Nugget Bread Pudding recipes floating around blog world, so I am going to have to get to work investigating and verifying their authenticity. It's the least I can do!!
     Meanwhile, I HAD to make this Pumpkin and Cranberry Bread Pudding. It's perfect for this time of year, and it is so good. Try it!

Pumpkin and Cranberry Bread Pudding
4 large eggs
1 cup packed Light Brown Sugar
3 tablespoons Light Brown Sugar
1 cup Milk
1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
15 ounces Solid Pack Pumpkin
2 3/4 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
1 teaspoon Ground Ginger
3/4 teaspoon Ground Allspice
5 1/2 cups Crusty Italian Bread
1 1/2 cups Dried Cranberries
Ice Cream
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Spray a 7" X 11" pan.

Put your 4 eggs in a bowl, and ....

whisk until they are frothy and smooth.

Add the brown sugar and....

 whisk together until the sugar dissolves.

Whisk in the milk, cream, and pumpkin.

Whisk in the cinnamon, ginger, and allspice.
Blend all together.

Start cutting your bread and...

Cut into 1/3" cubes.
I didn't remove the crust, but you could if you would like.

Pour the cubed bread into your pan.

Pour your mix into the pan on top of the bread.
Add the cranberries.
Mix completely.
If the bread wants to pop out of the mix and
float to the top, just push it down with a
spatula. It will stay under the mix as it becomes saturated.
I used gloved hands to make sure the bread
is thoroughly soaked, and everything is mixed well.

Bake for 25 minutes.
Pull from oven for a minute and
sprinkle the 3 tablespoons of light brown sugar on the top.

Pop back into the oven and
cook for an additional 20-25 minutes.
Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes.

Serve plain, or with whipped cream or how about...

topped with ice cream!
It's delicious any way you serve it.



Thanks for joining me today at The Freshman Cook.
and reading my stories!
See you tomorrow!

Old Pumpkin Bread!

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This pumpkin bread isn't really old, but the recipe has been in my family for many years. And with good reason. It's delicious!! Serve this pumpkin bread with a light swipe of whipped cream cheese. In our family, it isn't fall until we have eaten a slice of this bread!

 Old Family Recipe 

Pumpkin Bread

3 1/2 cups Flour

2 teaspoon Baking Soda

1 1/2 teaspoon Salt

1 teaspoon Cinnamon

1 teaspoon Nutmeg

3 cups Sugar

1 cup Corn Oil

4 Eggs

2/3 cup Water

2 cup Pumpkin

Measure the flour into a bowl.

 Add baking soda,

and salt.

Add cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar.

Whisk everything together.

Form a well in the bowl of ingredients.

Add the eggs,

the corn oil, the water, and the pumpkin.

Mix everything together,

until every ingredient is incorporated.

Spray a loaf pan. 

Cook for 1 hour at 350 degrees. The loaf pans that 

I use are rather large. If you used the ones in the picture,

on the left, this recipe would make 3. Because I used my large pan, 

I only had enough for one other pan. Make sure to check

the bread with a toothpick. The top cooks last, so make 

sure it is done before you remove it from the oven.

Cool the bread in the pan for 15 minutes, then take

a knife or spatula around the edge, and let it sit in the 

pan until completely cool. 

It's a piece of heaven!

Enjoy!

Thanks for joining The Freshman Cook today!

Stop by later for more Halloween treats!

This post linked to:

http://www.bigbearswife.com/p/this-weeks-cravings.html