Warm Orange Spice Bread Pudding

Here it is, part 2 of falling creatively. Or failing creatively, which ever. The cupcakes did indeed crumble as they were removed from the silicone liners. That’s o.k…bread pudding works for me.

I didn’t used to like bread pudding until I had it one time, eons ago, at a smallish restaurant at North Park Center in Dallas, Texas. The restaurant was called Churchills and why it went out of business is anyone’s guess. It was there I was introduced to quiche and infatuatingly edible bread pudding.

The way this was different from the usual is that it was made with plenty of eggs and cream. Yep, heavy cream, which doesn’t soak into the bread so much as it cuddles around it as it cooks creating an ambiance of creamy custard with french toast suspended throughout. Warm and creamy on the plate, a buttered whiskey sauce was added, puddling around the base of the pudding invitingly.

I have used a heavy custard with this bread pudding, and the clove and orange cupcake crumbles. You can also use leftover croissants in this with excellent results..which reminds me, I need to post my recipe for lemon bread pudding made with croissants.

In any case, try this as a step up from comfort food. I think you will like it. I have added dried cranberries and decided to enter this in:

The tartness of the cranberries, the spiciness of the cake, the creaminess of the custard really make this dish amazing.

Warm Orange Spice Bread Pudding

Batter from cupcakes made in a jelly roll pan and cubed in 1″ cubes. Toast in a greased 13x 9″ pan in a 325 oven while you prepare the custard. Check on them and stir occasionally.

8 eggs

1 pint heavy cream (not ultra pasturized if possible)

1 c milk

1/2 c sugar

1 tbs vanilla

Beat together until foamy.

Pour over cubed cake, stir in 1 c dried cranberries and bake at 350 for 1 hour, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

About 8 servings