Orange Cardamom Bread Pudding
A few months ago in book club, we threw a baby shower for one of the ladies. I wanted to make a dessert in her honor and I knew she liked bread pudding. It wanted it to be something special, so I pondered on an interesting flavor that would make it more than your run-of-the-mill cinnamon raisin bread pudding (don’t get me wrong, I love that too!). We had orange marmalade and fresh oranges in the fridge, so I let that guide me. You all know how much I love cardamom, so I chose that to complement the orange. It was a success!
Let’s get to it!
Preheat the oven. Now place the cubes of bread on a large cookie sheet in one layer. Put that in the oven for fifteen minutes. Take it out and toss the cubes about halfway through. Let them cool about 15 minutes. You’re basically drying out the bread, so you can also do this by leaving out the cubes in one layer the night before.
Now it’s time to make the custard.
Whisk together the egg yolks, salt, sugar, vanilla, and cardamom. Make sure you use a large bowl for this because you’re going to end up adding the cubes of bread to the bowl too.
Whisk in the heavy cream, milk, and orange zest.
Pour in the cubes of bread and stir until all the cubes are covered with custard. Now pour the whole mixture into a 9×13 pan and let it sit for 30 minutes. This gives the bread cubes time to soak up all the tasty custard.
Bake for about 50 minutes, or until the custard is almost set. One way to check is lightly press on the top. If it’s time to take it out, minimal liquid should bubble up. While it’s baking mix together the marmalade, brown sugar, and water in a small bowl until it’s smooth. This is going to be a nice glaze for the top.
Take the bread pudding out of the oven and turn it up to 425. Brush the glaze on top and put it back in the oven. Bake it another 5 minutes, or until the top just starts to brown.
Let the bread pudding sit about 15 minutes and then serve. Every time I’ve made this for people, it has been a huge hit! Orange and cardamom are a lovely pairing and don’t get lost in the rich custard.
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Ingredients
- 1 loaf Brioche cut into 1" cubes, about 10 cups
- 9 egg yolks
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 2 cups milk
- 4 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons cardamom
- Zest of 1 orange
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon orange marmalade
- 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°. Put the cubes on a cookie sheet in one layer and bake in the oven for 15 minutes, taking it out at the halfway point to toss the cubes.
- Let the cubes cool for 15 minutes.
- Whisk together egg yolks, salt, 3/4 cup sugar, vanilla and cardamom in a large bowl.
- Whisk in heavy cream, milk, and orange zest.
- Add bread cubes and stir until covered with custard. Pour into a 9x13 pan and let it sit for 30 minutes.
- Bake about 50, or until the custard is almost set.
- Mix together marmalade, brown sugar, and water in a small bowl and set aside.
- Remove bread pudding from oven and turn oven up to 425. Brush on the glaze and return to the oven for another 5 minutes or until just starting to brown on top.
- Let cool slightly and serve. Any leftovers can be stored in a covered container in the fridge for up to 3 days.