# bread pudding with cake instead of bread?



## squirrelman

Hi, at my old job we used to use up out leftover danishes and croissants by adding it to the bread pudding. and imo they tasted great in the bread pudding. I have some leftover cake layers that I didnt use and would like to use it for bread pudding because the cake is very flavorful. question is should I make any changes to the bread pudding recipe I plan on using? (below) one recipe I read excluded the sugar when using cake instead of bread, but my old job just used the original recipe when we added danishes and croissants to the bread pudding, so should I just leave the recipe as is and use cake (yellow cake by the way) instead of bread? or are their any changes you would recommend? thanks in advance.

recipe from another site(not sure if I'm allowed to post links to other recipe sites):
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* Ingredients*


 6 slices day-old bread
 2 tablespoons butter, melted
 1/2 cup raisins (optional)
 4 eggs, beaten
 2 cups milk
 3/4 cup white sugar
 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

* Directions*


 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
 Break bread into small pieces into an 8 inch square baking pan. Drizzle melted butter or margarine over bread. If desired, sprinkle with raisins.
 In a medium mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Beat until well mixed. Pour over bread, and lightly push down with a fork until bread is covered and soaking up the egg mixture.
 Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until the top springs back when lightly tapped.
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## amazingrace

Bread keeps its form and simply soaks up the liquid. But cake typically goes all to mush when it gets wet, so when you bake it, everything will bake as a kind of strangely textured custard. I'd consider a different use for the cake...trifle, perhaps. Sponge cake _might_ work but that would be a lot of egg in the finished dish...anyone have thoughts on that?


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## dillonsmimi

Agree with AG...stick to bread. They point behind Bread Pudding is to use up day old bread, which is stale and chewy. Leftover cake can be used to make cake balls or truffles. Very yummy and so cheap to do!


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## squirrelman

hmm, I see your point, but I seem to remember our chef making a chocolate bread pudding using our chocolate blackout cake. although I never tried the chocolate bread pudding so don't know how it came out.


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## amazingrace

I simply cannot imagine having _leftover_ chocolate cake :lol: !!


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## squirrelman

heh true. but this was actually just how he made his chocolate bread pudding. I don't even think it was old cake. I don't remember ever using bread for our chocolate bread pudding. although my memory might be off, I haven't worked there for over a year and a half.


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## kcz

Would you believe that Paula Deen uses Krispy Kreme donuts in her bread pudding? :roll:


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## dillonsmimi

Alas no more KK stores in the Houston area...but I digress...PD food reminds me of all the Garden Club parties my mom would drag me to. Still have the official cookbook they sold one year. Every recipe had at least one can of cream of mushroom soup in the ingredient list.


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## ishbel

I've made what we call bread and butter pudding (it may be different from a US bread pudding) using pannetone or brioche - and they always come out fine. I spread the pannetone with home-made marmalade before putting the slices in a dish... Yummmmm:smiles:


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## dillonsmimi

Ok, I'll bite. Post your chocolate cake "bread" pudding recipe along with the sauce recipe. I can't stand there being a form of chocolate out there that I have not yet tasted!


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## chefrobin

The bread has a higher amount of gluten in the flour so it will be stable and hold its form even when it has soaked up the egg mixture for the bread pudding. I used to make bread pudding every day for the club and now make it for the medical center. Remember to cut back on some of the sugar in the egg mix or it can really get super sweet, and have a tendency to get syrupy too. We would add chocolate chips, coconut and even buterscotch chips as well. Commanders Palace in New Orleans has a great bread pudding recipe and the whiskey sauce is oohhh soooo good. Make truffles or trifles with the left over cake and leave the bread pudding to the bread. I made a bread pudding souffle once and it turned out very well and was alot more stable than a standard souffle. It held for almost 30 minutes before service. :thumb::thumb:


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## oldschool1982

Ditto on the cake for Trifle or something.....maybe a parfait too..... other than the "bread" pudding. Pudding such as "Bread" pudding is what it is because of the properties of leavened bread. Using cake would be.......umm, err, uhhhhh...... not very appealing if I think about it. 

Way to go thinking creatively about alternative uses for left-overs and scraps though. :thumb:


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## dc sunshine

Croissants (sp?) would probably work well. perhaps if the cake were to be sliced then under the griller(broiler) for a short time, this would help it dry out and not go to mush in the pudding?

Just a thought...


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## ed buchanan

With cake make an apple brown betty, or fruit crumble, with vanilla bourbon sauce.


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## missyjean

I never made a bread pudding but my husband loves it. I never even tasted one.

Can I use a quick bread for the bread pudding? I just started baking and quick breads are all I have made so far


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## boar_d_laze

Alas, fair lady, no. You need the structure the bread gets from yeast and kneading. Quick breads are more like cakes. Use store bought yeast breads, until you decide to start baking them.

Enjoy,
BDL


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## ed buchanan

I have thrown crousants in and did not like final results . I believe they are a bit to greasy.
You need dry older yeast raised breads.


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## dillonsmimi

No. Quick breads are like cake. Way too tender for all the custard used to make the "pudding". If you want to make it you can pick up a loaf of french bread, cut into chunks and dry out in the oven (don't toast) and proceed from there. I have a freezer container that I throw all my stale bread in and when there is enough, we have bread pudding. Raisin bread makes a particularly yummy one.


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## kcz

Raisin bread is really, really good with a vanilla custard and a whiskey sauce. Yum, making myself hungry here.

One bread that I have not cared for in bread pudding is sourdough...it doesn't go well with the sweeter custard, IMO.


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## lovelove77

Thanks for the info


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## gnnairda

I'm curious to hear how your cake bread pudding turned out.


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## talentbeyhond

I am about to try making a bread pudding with spice cake. How did your attempt turn out? I am going to try a few ways.

1) Let the cake dry out for a day or so then use the sauce mixture and pour over the sheet cake as a whole then bake.

2) Same as above but slice, tare etc. the cake. 

3) Under bake the cake then add liquid and finish baking.

The last one more than likely will not work.


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## jessiquina

i have made a bread pudding with yellow cake before. i suggest you toast it first ,so it will soak up more custard.


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## talentbeyond

Yeah I was thinking of toasting it at the end to make it a lil ... crisp!?! Then top it with a bourbon sauce..


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## gypsybaker

We used to throw in chunks of day-old croissant, cake (1- to 2-inch cubes) and even danishes into our much-loved bread pudding. Just make sure you have two-thirds of the bread mixture (stale) french bread (also 1- to 2-inch cubes) and you'll be fine. Also, we usually used the tops of cakes we cut off, to level off the layers, so there was more of a baked surface to the cake, vs. the inside fluffier part. Still, we threw that in too - just let the cake chunks sit out a day, or put them in a warm oven for a few hours to crisp/prep. Cake makes everything better - I recommend using a chocolate cake then used dried cherries instead of raisons. I'm going to blog about that recipe in the next day or two, so I'll provide a recipe with pics, if anyone wants to try...


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## oraravalleycake

I make it all the time, just break the cake into relatively large chunks.  I also throw in a couple of chocolate chips if I'm feeling generous.  My family LOVES it!


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## linny29

Sounds really sweet, maybe too sweet ... I would like to taste test this recipe just to be sure though! /img/vbsmilies/smilies/tongue.gif


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## phil brain

give it a go. Try a small batch, see the result and then modify the recipe if need be. Some are saying it won't work others are saying they have done it. While I've never considered the idea of doing a bread and butter pudding with cake, I think the idea has some merrit. At the end of the day it's better to die knowing than to die wondering. Maybe a bit dramatic but what do you have to lose?


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## boar_d_laze

It got a lot of buzz for awhile from the "reality" cooking contest shows.  Seemed like a good idea, so I tried it twice with toasted cubes of first sponge then pound cakes.  Both times the cake dissolved in the custard. Seemed like a good idea until trying it and thinking it out.  Then, not so much. 

Brioche, donuts (not "cake" donuts), croissants, challah, anything with better developed glutens and a less tender, less crumbly, and more open structure all work much better.  There's not much benefit from working with cake, since the bread certainly gets soft enough if you use sufficient custard and soaking time; and starting sweet isn't a particular benefit since you sweeten the custard and serve the pudding with sauce, syrup or sweetened, whipped cream. 

How much sweet mushiness do you need? If no amount is too much, try doing a "tres leches" cake instead.  It's a can't go wrong.

If other cooks make cake pudding work, good on them.

BDL


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## bolt5520

Just saw this thread regarding Cake in Bread Pudding. There are traditionalists out there that refuse to add cake to this recipe. I however Do this on a regular basis. It does change the texture a bit, but the results are Great (IMO). I happen to do a RED VELVET bread pudding which is a hit as well as a CHOCOLATE. Serve these hot or cold with some cream cheese icing...Its awesome! I also use old cake is various other things like cake mixes, mousses, triffle and even pancakes. Nothing goes to waste. As far as the recipe goes. I use heavy cream vs. milk. fat contenet keeps this product moister longer. Hope this helps. Dont let anyone tell you not to try something based on their personal opinion.


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## petalsandcoco

I have made it combining bread and cake : added almonds slivers and raisins, finished it off with maple syrup hot out of the oven & added cinnamon. It is served with cream and berries here.


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## chefedb

Sometime when it is done like that here with cake or cake crumbs it is called a Brown Betty usually done with apples or peaches.  I love it wih soft serve ice cream on top  or vanilla bean sauce  Send me some.


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## paninibarbie

Thanks for this recipe.  Made an absolutely delicious, dense lemon cake with fresh lemon yesterday and would like to change it up tonight.  This looks like a perfect solution -- will let you know.


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## betty1945

I have never made a bread pudding using cake. However I have made it using pumpkin bread. I take the bread and slice it and toast it in a slow oven. Then make as usual for bread pudding. Then make a caramel sauce to pour over it. It turns out very good.

If I was going to try it with a cake, I would toast the cake first.


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## chez woody

Squirrelman said:


> Hi, at my old job we used to use up out leftover danishes and croissants by adding it to the bread pudding. and imo they tasted great in the bread pudding. I have some leftover cake layers that I didnt use and would like to use it for bread pudding because the cake is very flavorful. question is should I make any changes to the bread pudding recipe I plan on using? (below) one recipe I read excluded the sugar when using cake instead of bread, but my old job just used the original recipe when we added danishes and croissants to the bread pudding, so should I just leave the recipe as is and use cake (yellow cake by the way) instead of bread? or are their any changes you would recommend? thanks in advance.
> 
> recipe from another site(not sure if I'm allowed to post links to other recipe sites):
> ---------------
> *Ingredients*
> 
> 
> 6 slices day-old bread
> 2 tablespoons butter, melted
> 1/2 cup raisins (optional)
> 4 eggs, beaten
> 2 cups milk
> 3/4 cup white sugar
> 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
> 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
> 
> *Directions*
> 
> 
> Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
> Break bread into small pieces into an 8 inch square baking pan. Drizzle melted butter or margarine over bread. If desired, sprinkle with raisins.
> In a medium mixing bowl, combine eggs, milk, sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla. Beat until well mixed. Pour over bread, and lightly push down with a fork until bread is covered and soaking up the egg mixture.
> Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until the top springs back when lightly tapped.
> ---------------


Same here!!!!!!!! LOL! If we had a golf outting requiring doughnuts, pasteries, muffins etc. they would all go into our bread pudding recipe for the dinner service dessert. Boy! Was it sensational!


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## elenajo1959

My mom has been making cake/bread pudding ummm she's going to be married 64yrs to my poppy, so she's making it about 55-60 yrs and all that has tasted it says it's amazing....my mom uses all left over cakes....and any kind I always ask her not to use raisins (I hate raisins) but she uses all kind of pound cakes, and day old entemanns cakes that got to hard or got dried out....OMG it's the BOMB!!!!! In fact I'm attempting to make it as we speak....mom has the beginning of dementia and she can't remember where she put the receipe.....that's shy I'm on here to figure out how many eggs, and measurement for sugar, vanilla, nutmeg & cinnamon...and milk...hopefully she will remember the ingredients or find the actual receipe soon!!!!


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