Bread Pudding (Cuban Style)

So I've given up dessert and wine for Lent, but that doesn't mean everyone else in my house has as well. I decided I would make dessert last night, and after sorting out what I had in the pantry, I made bread pudding. This isn't your usual bread pudding, I deem it Cuban Style Bread pudding. It's extra sweet and delicious with the final caramel coating.

Here's the recipe and instructions if you would like to make it:

Prep time:  20 minutes
Cook time: 60 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Yield: 12 servings

INGREDIENTS:

1 loaf Cuban bread, (challah bread works great too or any good quality bakery loaf) cut into one-inch squares 

2 cups whole milk

1 12 oz can evaporated milk

1 can condensed milk

3 cups sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup dark rum (optional)

4 eggs, well beaten
3/4 cup raisins (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a bundt pan.

To make bread mix:

In a medium bowl, mix the bread, whole milk, evaporated milk and condensed milk. Add 1 cup sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, dark rum and eggs. Mix with a spoon (do not use electric mixers.) Add raisins. Set aside.

To make caramel coating:

Add two cups of sugar to pan over high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until sugar is fully melted. Quickly pour into bundt pan.

It should look like this. Quickly and I mean quickly, pour into bundt pan. Coat pan evenly.

Once caramel in bundt pan has cooled, pour bread mix into bundt pan. This needs to be put in the oven in a water bath. Make sure the water has covered at least 1 ½ inches of the bottom of the bundt pan. Transfer to oven and cook for one hour. 

Bread pudding is done once knife inserted comes out clean.

 Once taken out of the oven, set aside for at least half an hour to cool. Run a knife around the edges of the pan to loosed and then flip over onto a serving dish. Enjoy!!!

Do you like bread pudding?