Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bread Pudding (Printable)

Decadent baked custard with brioche, apples, and caramel cream cheese swirls

# Ingredient List:

→ Bread and Fruit

01 - 8 cups brioche or challah bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 1 standard loaf, day-old preferred)
02 - 2 large apples (Granny Smith or Honeycrisp), peeled, cored, and diced

→ Cream Cheese Mixture

03 - 8 oz cream cheese, softened
04 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar
05 - 1/2 cup caramel sauce, plus more for drizzling
06 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

→ Custard

07 - 4 large eggs
08 - 2 cups whole milk
09 - 1 cup heavy cream
10 - 1/2 cup brown sugar
11 - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
12 - 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
13 - 1/4 teaspoon salt

→ Topping

14 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
15 - 2 tablespoons brown sugar

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with butter or nonstick spray.
02 - Arrange the bread cubes and diced apples evenly in the prepared baking dish.
03 - In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese with granulated sugar until smooth. Add caramel sauce and vanilla extract, mixing until fully combined.
04 - Drop dollops of the caramel cream cheese mixture evenly over the bread and apples.
05 - In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, heavy cream, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until well blended.
06 - Pour the custard evenly over the bread, apples, and cream cheese mixture. Gently press down to soak the bread.
07 - In a small bowl, combine melted butter and brown sugar. Drizzle over the top of the pudding.
08 - Cover loosely with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
09 - Remove foil and bake an additional 20 minutes, or until golden brown, puffed, and set in the center.
10 - Let cool for 10 minutes before serving. Drizzle with extra caramel sauce if desired.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen when really you've got most of it in the oven doing the work for you.
  • That perfect balance of creamy, custardy, and caramel-sweet hits different on a cool evening when you want dessert but also want something that feels substantial.
  • Day-old bread transforms into something luxurious instead of going to waste, which always feels like winning at home cooking.
02 -
  • If your custard looks watery or your pudding is jiggly in the center after baking, it's not done. Add another 5 minutes and check again—a slightly underbaked pudding is better than one that's dried out.
  • The bread really does need to be day-old or stale. Fresh bread will turn to mush no matter what you do, and that's not the vibe.
03 -
  • If your oven runs hot, start checking doneness at the 45-minute mark instead of 50 to avoid a overdone top.
  • Letting the bread cube sit in the baking dish for a few minutes before pouring the custard helps them settle and prevents floating.
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