Panettone & Custard Pudding
the finest post-festive comfort food
I’ve been ill this Christmas, so ill I’ve barely cooked anything for 2 weeks. I did, however, manage to make this, which hopefully coveys to you how simple it is to do. If I can do it, dizzy, sniffing and shuffling around the kitchen - so can you! And more importantly, you should.
Now we’re staring down the barrel of 2025 this pudding is the perfect way to use up any vestiges of panettone before The January Heath Kick properly starts. I don’t know if it’s decades of pervasive diet culture or just my terrible all-or-nothing attitude, but if I have Christmas treats lingering around I have no motivation to contemplate snacking on an apple.
This recipe is a riff on bread and butter pudding but this version is totally plant based (providing you use a vegan panettone) and super easy to fling together, with ingredients you probably already have in the cupboard. You can halve the recipe to make a smaller portion if you wish, and it also cooks well in the airfryer if you want to make a pud for one and don’t want to wait for the oven to heat up.
The panettone does a lot of the heavy lifting in terms of flavour, it adds sweetness and dried fruit and peel built in for good measure. I added some rum to the custard but this is totally optional. You could swap for brandy or some vanilla extract if you fancy.
If you don’t have any panettone you could use any fruited bread, or teacakes, or even regular white bread and throw in a handful of raisins and an extra tbsp of sugar in the mix. We’re using custard powder instead of eggs to thicken and it creates a sort of self- saucing pudding that gives you a lovely gooey middle with custard built in.
And, before you ask, yes I do still recommend you butter the slices of panettone. I know it’s technically already an enriched dough but in for a penny, in for a pound and I think it’s worth it.
I tried making this without cooking the custard first and it didn’t work as well so definitely don’t skip that step!
Panettone & Custard Pudding
Ingredients:
2 tbsp Custard Powder
2 tbsp Caster Sugar (use 1.5 tbsp if you use a sweetened milk)
350ml Milk, I used unsweetened soy
1 tbsp Rum/Brandy or 1 tsp vanilla extract (optional)
300g Panettone
50g Butter, I used spreadable vegan butter
2 tbsp Demerara Sugar
Method:
Pre-heat your oven to 200°C.
Add the custard powder and caster sugar to a small saucepan and add in 2-3 tbsp of milk. Mix to a smooth paste and then stir in the rest of the milk to combine.
Place the saucepan over a medium-high heat and cook, stirring frequently, until the custard just starts to thicken, about 5 minutes. It should still be fairly thin, just thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Once ready take off the heat, stir through your rum and leave to cool slightly.
Butter a shallow over-proof dish and put to one side.
Thickly slice the panettone and spread with butter. Tear into chunky pieces and arrange in the buttered dish, butter side up, nudging each piece in to make an even layer or two.
Pour the custard over the dish, making sure to evenly distribute it as best you can. It doesn’t matter if the panettone isn’t totally submerged, it will soak up from the bottom. You can gently prod down the panettone into the custard if it looks like it’s not covered enough. Sprinkle over the demerara sugar.
Bake in the oven for around 25 minutes. The pudding is ready when the custard is bubbling and the top is a deep golden brown with a sugary crust.
Best eaten straight away, any leftovers can be reheated or eaten for breakfast the next day (recommended).
If you enjoy a hot-cold contrast you can add a spoon of cream/ice-cream/yogurt to the side. Bonus points if you use up the last of the brandy cream.
I’ll be posting more recipes and writing in the coming weeks and am excited to be popping into your inboxes more in 2025.
If you’ve enjoyed this post please do give it a like and let me know in the comments if you’d like more quick and easy recipes like this!