Every morning as I walk into our country store from the parking lot, the tantalizing smell of apple cider donuts grabs my attention as it wafts through the crisp fall air. My walk becomes a trot as I anticipate the taste of a fresh batch of sugary deliciousness inside the bakery. I must admit, I have come to take my morning donut taste testing very seriously these days!
Two of our culinary educators who are also experienced bakers, Sabine and Desri, created this fun recipe for Apple Cider Donut Bread Pudding by cobbling together several of their favorite bread pudding recipes. The result is a dense, flavorful bread pudding that puts all other versions to shame! We ran the finished dish past our expert tasting panel (i.e. Eckert’s store and office staff) and they fell in love with it too.
If you need a very unique dessert, guaranteed to turn heads, give this recipe a try this fall. I just know you’ll love it as much as we do!
Eat well this fall,
Angie
P.S. I will be tucking several packages of cider donuts away in the freezer so I can make this recipe during the holiday season!
Eckert’s Apple Cider Donut Bread Pudding
16 Eckert’s Apple Cider Donuts
½ cup softened unsalted butter (1 stick) plus about 1 Tbs. for baking dish
½ cup granulated sugar
5 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. nutmeg
1 Tbs. pure vanilla extract
2 cups heavy cream
1 to 2 medium unpeeled apples, coarsely chopped (about 1 ½ to 2 cups), optional
½ cup raisins, cranberries or pecans, optional
1 ½ cups confectioners’ (powdered) sugar
3-4 Tbs. Eckert’s Apple Cider or milk
Preheat oven to 350-degrees. Butter bottom and sides of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Set aside.
In a large bowl, using your fingers break donuts into bite sized pieces. Layer donut pieces in prepared baking dish. Set aside.
In a 2-quart bowl, combine butter and sugar with electric mixer at a low speed. Add eggs, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Beat until blended about 30 seconds. Add vanilla and heavy cream; blend. Fold in apples if using. Scatter donut pieces with raisins, cranberries or pecans if using.
Pour cream mixture evenly over the donuts. Push any donuts not covered, into the cream mixture and allow the donuts to soak about 5 to 10 minutes.
Cover baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 35 minutes; remove foil and look to see if the custard still needs more baking time. (The bread pudding isfinished baking when the cream mixture is set, but still slightly soft to the touch.) If more time is needed, replace foil and bake an additional 5 to 10 minutes.
Next, remove foil and bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes to brown the top.
Remove from oven and cool about 15 minutes before serving. If not serving within 1 hour, cover and refrigerate. This recipe can be made up to 2 days before serving.
When ready to serve, remove from refrigerator 2 hours ahead of time. Cut bread pudding into individual pieces and microwave until warm, about 1 to 2 minutes on medium.
Just before serving, in a medium bowl, whisk together confectioners’ sugar and cider or milk until well combined to create a glaze. Drizzle glaze on bread pudding.
Makes about 10 servings.
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