Dark Chocolate & Orange Cake Bread & Butter Pudding Recipe

Prepare the bread

Butter one side of each brioche or challah slice lightly with the softened butter. Cut slices into triangles or large cubes if desired. Arrange slices in a 9x9-inch (or similar) shallow ovenproof dish, buttered side up, slightly overlapping to fill the dish. Sprinkle the optional chocolate chunks or chips evenly among the layers so pockets of melted chocolate form when baked.

Make the custard

Preheat oven to 160°C (325°F). In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, heavy cream and orange zest. Warm over medium heat until just below simmering (bubbles forming at the edge), then remove from heat. In a bowl, whisk the eggs, granulated sugar and vanilla until combined. Slowly temper the eggs by whisking in about 100 ml of the warm milk mixture, then pour the tempered egg mixture back into the saucepan with the remaining milk, whisking to combine. Stir in the finely chopped dark chocolate (120 g) until mostly melted and integrated — small streaks of chocolate are fine and will create marbling.

Assemble and soak

Pour the warm chocolate-orange custard evenly over the arranged bread, pressing down gently on slices so they absorb the custard. Let the dish sit at room temperature for 15–20 minutes to ensure the bread soaks through. The top should be saturated but not soupy. If some bread remains dry, spoon a little extra warmed milk over it.

Bake

Place the dish in a larger roasting pan and pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the bread dish (bain-marie). Cover loosely with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 15–20 minutes until the custard is set at the edges and slightly wobbly in the center; the top should be lightly browned and the chocolate pockets melted. A knife inserted near the center should come out mostly clean with a little moist custard. Remove from oven and let cool 10 minutes before serving.

While the pudding bakes, make the chocolate sauce. Place the chopped chocolate (100 g) in a heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream until it just begins to simmer. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let sit 1 minute, then whisk until smooth and glossy. Whisk in the butter until melted and incorporated, then stir in the orange liqueur (if using) and a pinch of fine sea salt. Keep warm at very low heat or set aside at room temperature — the sauce will thicken as it cools; rewarm gently before serving if necessary.

Chill a mixing bowl and whisk (or beaters) in the freezer for 10 minutes. Pour the very cold heavy cream into the chilled bowl. Add the icing sugar, orange zest, vanilla extract and the teaspoon of orange juice. Whip on medium-high speed to soft-to-medium peaks (the cream should hold shape but remain billowy). Taste and adjust sweetness or orange intensity, adding more zest or a little more icing sugar if desired. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve; give a quick whisk before plating if it has softened.

Slice warm bread & butter pudding into portions. Spoon warm chocolate sauce over each portion, then add a generous dollop of orange Chantilly cream alongside or on top. Finish with a light dusting of extra grated dark chocolate, a pinch of flaky sea salt to amplify the chocolate flavors, and a candied orange slice or fresh orange segment for brightness. Serve immediately so the pudding is warm and the cream is cool.