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Do you ever wonder what to do with those dreaded fruitcakes that we have all gotten as a gift around the holidays? Here is a creative way to put what was once considered an unwanted holiday treat into a delicious dessert. They will never guess that you used a fruitcake in this bread pudding recipe.

Ingredients

  • 1  loaf of panettone bread (one pound), crusts trimmed, bread cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 8 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups of whipping cream
  • 2 1/2 cups of whole milk
  • Cinnamon syrup (see recipe below)

Directions

  1. Lightly butter a 13″ x 9″ x 2″ baking dish. Arrange the bread cubes in the baking dish.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, cream, milk, and sugar to blend. Pour the custard over the bread cubes, and press the bread cubes gently to submerge. Let stand for 30 minutes, occasionally pressing the bread cubes into the custard mixture. (Can be prepared 2 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
  3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  4. Bake until the pudding puffs and is set in the center (about 45 minutes). Let cool slightly.
  5. Spoon the bread pudding into bowls, drizzle with the warm cinnamon syrup, and serve.

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Cinnamon Syrup

Ingredients

  • 1 cup of water
  • 1 cup (packed) of dark brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons of whipping cream
  • 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

Directions

  1. Combine water and brown sugar in a heavy medium saucepan.
  2. Bring mixture to a boil over high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Continue to boil until the syrup reduces to 1 cup (approximately 10 minutes).
  3. Remove from the heat and whisk in the cream and cinnamon.
  4. Keep the syrup warm until serving time.

The syrup can be made a day ahead. After making the syrup, let it cool, then cover and refrigerate. (Re-warm syrup before serving.)

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