Carrot Cake Bread Pudding

Ok in all honesty I meant for this post to be published in time for Easter. But I misjudged how close Easter was when I planned that out and this post was not in fact ready in time. But better late than never, right?

Even though this would have been a good recipe for Easter, it’s still a great spring break recipe nonetheless. I think carrot cake is a good early spring recipe because carrots are really more in season in the winter and fall, and the spices are more cold weather appropriate. But it also has a fresh, bright, springiness about it, so it’s a great transition sort of recipe.

Last year, I took a break from posting in May/June because I was so focused on studying for exams. If I’m able to get everything done that I need to over break, I’m hoping I won’t have to do that again because I’d rather keep up posting like I usually do. I have a schedule that should allow me to get everything done, so we just have to cross our fingers and hope everything goes according to plan. So stay tuned because more spring recipes are headed your way!

What is Bread Pudding?

Bread pudding is a kind of dessert where slightly stale bread cubes are soaked in a simple custard, baked, and served warm. This bread pudding is a little unconventional in that I bake it in a loaf pan and grill it with butter and sugar after its been baked. This creates a dessert where the outside is caramelized and slightly crunchy while the inside is still a little custardy.

Describe This Bread Pudding to Me

Taste: This bread pudding has all the flavors of a carrot cake, sweet carrots, nutty brown butter, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg to compliment, and cozy brown sugar. These flavors work beautifully with the challah bread base and vanilla ice cream served on top.
Texture: This bread pudding has a slightly crunchy exterior when served warm due to the caramelized sugar, but still a soft, pudding-like consistency on the inside. The vanilla ice cream on top adds the perfect amount of sweet creaminess to finish it off.
Ease: This recipe is easier to throw together than you might think. It’s a little more hands on than a classic bread pudding or carrot cake, but so worth it for the final result. We start by making the custard base with brown butter, sugar, spices, eggs, milk, cream, and the shredded carrots. We fold the bread cubes into this, and bake the mixture in a loaf pan. Then the loaf chills for roughly an hour, before we slice it into pieces and grill it with some butter and brown sugar.

The Bread Pudding

This bread pudding has a very simple custard base which starts with a bit of brown butter. We mix that with brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. The spices and brown butter really help to bring out the carrot cake flavor. The we whisk in the eggs, milk, and cream. These are the real substance of the custard and give it all of its structure. Finally we add in the shredded carrots and the bread. We let it sit for about 15 minutes so the bread can really soak up the custard before we bake.

Carrot Cake Bread Pudding

Perfect for spring this elegant twist on a classic carrot cake is sure to be a new favorite. Nutty brown butter, sweet cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger, perfectly compliment the fresh carrots and buttery custard. The caramelized exterior adds the perfect finishing touch, making this delicious served warm with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 3 hours hrs

Servings: 8 slices

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

Bread Pudding

• 1 lb loaf of challah sliced into 1 inch cubes
• ¼ cup salted butter
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 4 large eggs at room temperature
• 1 cup whole milk
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups freshly shredded carrots

For Serving

• brown sugar
• salted butter

Method

 

Make the bread pudding

1. In a small saucepan, melt the butter, stirring frequently. Once melted, it will begin to sizzle and foam before starting to brown. Once brown, remove from the heat and pour into a large mixing bowl. Let the butter cool for 5 minutes.
2. To the slightly cooled brown butter, add the brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt and use a whisk to combine. The mixture won't really mix completely, it will be a thick paste. Whisk in the eggs one at a time until smooth and combined, and then stir in the whole milk and heavy cream. The custard should be a thin, pourable consistency. Whisk in the vanilla extract and carrots. Add in the bread and stir together with a spatula until the bread is evenly coated with the custard. Let the bread sit in the bowl while we preheat the oven.
3. Preheat the oven to 375℉. Grease a 9 inch loaf pan with butter and set aside.
4. Once the oven is hot, pour/scoop the bread pudding into the loaf pan, and press into an even layer. Bake for 30 minutes in the center rack of the oven. After 30 minutes, rotate the pan and bake for another 25 minutes or so. Remove from the oven and let cool for 1 hour in the pan set on a wire cooling rack. Then, cover with foil and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Serve

1. Slice the chilled bread pudding into the desired number of servings. Spread softened salted butter over one side of each slice. Melt 1 Tablespoon of salted butter on a skillet over medium heat and place the bread pudding on the pan non-buttered side down. While it cooks, sprinkle the buttered side of each slice of the bread with 1 Tablespoon of brown sugar, and use your hands to slightly pat it in. (This helps it stick when you flip it). Once the bottom side is golden brown, flip the slice over to cook the side with the sugar. Cook for 2 minutes or so, and the sugar will be melty and caramelized. 
2. Serve hot off the pan with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream.