Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bread Pudding (Printable Version)

Decadent autumn dessert featuring creamy caramel cheesecake bread baked with rich custard, tender apples, and luscious caramel drizzle.

# What You'll Need:

→ 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 bread cubes and diced apples evenly in the prepared baking dish.
03 - In a medium bowl, beat softened 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 custard evenly over bread, apples, and cream cheese mixture. Gently press down to soak the bread thoroughly.
07 - In a small bowl, combine melted butter and brown sugar. Drizzle mixture 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.

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • It rescues stale bread and turns it into something people will actually ask you to make again.
  • The caramel cream cheese pockets melt into surprise bursts of richness you don't expect in bread pudding.
  • It smells like a bakery opened in your kitchen, and your neighbors will notice.
  • You can assemble it in the morning and bake it after dinner without any fancy technique.
02 -
  • If your bread is fresh and soft, leave it out on the counter for a few hours or toast the cubes lightly in the oven first, otherwise it'll dissolve into mush.
  • Don't skip pressing the bread down into the custard, I learned this the hard way when the top layer baked dry and crunchy while the bottom stayed soggy.
  • Let the cream cheese soften at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, cold cream cheese will never blend smooth no matter how long you beat it.
03 -
  • Use a mix of Granny Smith and Honeycrisp apples for the best balance of tart and sweet, it keeps the dessert from being one-note.
  • If you want to make this ahead, assemble everything up to the point of baking, cover it tightly, and refrigerate overnight, then bake it straight from the fridge adding 5 to 10 extra minutes to the covered baking time.
  • For deeper caramel flavor, brush the bread cubes with melted butter and toast them in the oven for 10 minutes before assembling, it adds another layer of richness.
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