Turn Unwanted Christmas Pudding Into Bread And Butter Pudding Instead

While Christmas pudding and fruitloaf have many fans, you will not find any of them in my family. They’re of the mind that any dessert left around for weeks on end is clearly undesirable, and therefore unfit for consumption. It doesn’t stop friends and acquaintances from trolling them with gifts of pudding year on year, however.

Should you find yourself in the same situation, never fear. There’s a quick and easy way to turn all of that unloved Christmas pud into a far superior, Australiana bread and butter pudding.

It’s pretty simple. Grab your preferred pudding baking dish – although a loaf tin actually works quite well for this – and slice up the Christmas pudding so it lines the bottom. If you’ve got leftover pudding, good – hold onto that later. You’ll also want to grab any leftover bread you have. Spread it over the Christmas pud, and put the crusts aside for later.

In a separate bowl, mix together a tablespoon of vanilla extract, 3 eggs, a 500mL tub of thickened cream (I know thinner cream is the default, but I’ve vastly preferred the results achieved with thickened cream), 100gm of caster sugar (brown will work if caster isn’t available). Whisk together and pour the lot over your prepared pud/bread mixture.

Tear up some of the bread crusts you saved earlier, pushing them down slightly into the pud mixture. You want a little bit sticking out so they get nice and crispy – it adds a bit of texture to the finished product.

Bake at 180^oC for 35-40 minutes or until golden. I don’t have a fan forced oven, and I’ve found that baking at 200^o for the first 20 minutes and turning the temperature down for the next 15-20 works a treat. If you’re unsure, however, just stick it on 180^oC; you just might have to wait a little longer to get that golden texture.

And that’s it! You’ve found a great way to reuse that unloved Christmas pudding that traditionally gets forgotten until the next holiday season rolls around. Give it a try and let us know how you go. You can also heat up some jams, berries or even a little bit of rum to pour over the pudding before adding the eggs/cream/sugar mixture, although around this time of year I find whatever requires the least effort is generally the best.