Feb 16, 2015

Mardi Gras 2015 {King Cake Bread Pudding and Children's Mardi Gras}

This year’s King Cake was going to be a jelly roll style cake in purple, green, and gold.

Only I still haven't gotten past my fear of making a jelly roll cake.
So that doesn't really work out too well.

King Cake Bread Pudding | Ms. enPlace

Alternate plan: King Cake Bread Pudding.

King Cake Bread Pudding | Ms. enPlace

Bread pudding has long been a way to use leftover/stale bread.

King Cake Bread Pudding | Ms. enPlace

Only there’s no such thing as leftover King Cake.

King Cake Bread Pudding | Ms. enPlace

If there is, you're doing something wrong.
So that’s not really going to work out too well either.

No King Cake leftovers to turn into bread pudding.
But I wanted my bread pudding to taste like a King Cake.

King Cake Bread Pudding | Ms. enPlace

So...King Cake Vodka.
Making my King Cake Bread Pudding a reality.

King Cake Bread Pudding | Ms. enPlace

I had plenty of stale French bread, hamburger, and hot dog buns.  The custard was infused with King Cake Vodka, cinnamon, and hints of lemon to give that traditional King Cake taste.

A powdered sugar glaze went on top, along with the colored sugars found on a King Cake.

King Cake Bread Pudding | Ms. enPlace

It tasted like a real King Cake, but was much easier and quicker to make.
(Recipe Below)

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I run Cajun Mardi Gras with the Basile Mardi Gras Association.  The Sunday before Mardi Gras, they host a Children's Run for kids up to 16 years old.

Here's my Mardi Gras
Basile, LA Children's Courir de Mardi Gras

Performing  La Chanson de Mardi Gras (the Mardi Gras Song) before starting the run

All the boys ready to head out
Basile, LA Children's Courir de Mardi Gras

Colorful costumes on a foggy day
Basile, LA Children's Courir de Mardi Gras


Begging like a Mardi Gras should
Basile, LA Children's Courir de Mardi Gras

And catching a chicken--every Mardi Gras' wish for the day
Basile, LA Children's Courir de Mardi Gras

While the adults who run Mardi Gras are fueled by liquid courage, these kids are hopped up on doughnuts.



Print It!

King Cake Bread Pudding

For bread pudding:
8-9 cups cubed stale bread
3 cups milk
1/2 cup King Cake Vodka
1/2 cup sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1 heaping tsp lemon zest

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Whisk together milk, vodka, sugar, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, and lemon zest in a large bowl.  Fold in the bread cubes.  Pour into an 8 x 8 oven safe dish.  Bake for about 45 minutes.  The bread pudding is ready when a butter knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Allow pudding to cool before decorating or the colored sugar will melt.

For glaze:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1-2 Tbsp King Cake Vodka

Add the powdered sugar to a bowl and stir in 1 tablespoon of King Cake Vodka.  Add more vodka, a little at a time, until the glaze is a thick but pourable consistency.

For colored sugar:
(can be made ahead)
¾ cup granulated sugar, divided in thirds
purple food coloring, or red and blue
green food coloring
yellow food coloring

Divide the sugar into three plastic bags.  Add 3-4 drops of yellow food coloring to one bag.  Knead the color into the sugar. Repeat with green food coloring. For purple, I like to use purple food paste to get a rich purple color. Red and blue food coloring can also be used.


Once the bread pudding has cooled, drizzle the powdered sugar glaze over the top.  Decorate with the purple, green, and gold sugars.

Linking with:
Yesterfood
The 21st Century Housewife Hearth and Soul Blog Hop Lou Lou Girls
I party and get pinned at Tasty Tuesdays on Anyonita Nibbles Miz Helen’s Country Cottage
My Turn for us
Fluster Buster
Share your recipes on Morsels of Life: Five Friday Finds

8 comments:

  1. I enjoyed your photos. Looks like such fun. Your cake pics are stunning with all that color.

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  2. This cake is so colorful!! I love it :)
    I'm not familiar with this holiday, but I like the carnival and the costums!!

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  3. Love this, love king cake, cake vodka and bread pudding! Pinned for next year, thanks!
    Jenna

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  4. What a fun recipe!!
    I would love if you would share on my Friday Favorites linkup!

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  5. Love this bread pudding,need to visit madigras one time. thanks for sharing with Hearth and soul blog hop , pinning, tweeting and sharing in google plus.

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  6. I never met a bread pudding I didn't like, and this one sounds so very special. Love it! I would love if you would share this at "Celebrate It!" blog party! It's all about how we celebrate the everyday moments of life! I hope you will stop by!
    http://thefreshmancook.blogspot.com/2015/02/celebrate-it-blog-party_19.html

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  7. This looks incredible! I'm licking my lips right now. Pinned and tweeted. Thank you for taking the time to party with us. We hope to see you tonight at 7 pm. It wouldn't be a party without you! Lou Lou Girls

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  8. What a creative way to get King's Cake flavors in a bread pudding! Thanks for stopping by and sharing this on Five Friday Finds! I'm looking forward to what you share this week. :)

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Thanks for stopping by! I appreciate your comments.