• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Emma Duckworth Bakes
menu icon
go to homepage
  • French Recipes
  • About
  • Recipes
  • Cookbook
  • Subscribe
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • French Recipes
    • About
    • Recipes
    • Cookbook
    • Subscribe
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    • Pecan tart cut into slices on white plate sat on pink napkin.
      Unbelievable Pecan Tart
    • Plateful of amaretti cookies.
      Italian Soft Amaretti Cookies
    • Clice cut from Apple Tart on white plate.
      Tarte Tatin Pommes (Apple Tart Tatin)
    • Piped thickened chocolate pastry cream in a small glass jar.
      Chocolate Pastry Cream (Creme Patissiere)
    • Numerous chocolate cream puffs on paper covered board.
      Chocolate Cream Puffs
    • Vanilla custard in a glass pot.
      How to Make Crème Pâtissière (Vanilla Pastry Cream)
    • Strawberry tart on decorative pate with slices removed.
      Tarte aux Fraises (French Strawberry Tart)
    • Toffee sauce poured from a white saucepan into a glass jar.
      Easy Toffee Sauce
    • Spoonful taken from creme brulee pot.
      Classic French Crème Brûlée
    • Cut up Millionaire Bars
      Espresso Millionaire Shortbread Bars
    • Sliced squares of peanut butter chocolate chip bars on parchment paper.
      Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars
    • Brookies squares on wooden chopping board.
      Brookies (Brownie Cookie Bars)
    Home » Recipes » Delicious Breakfast Recipes

    Hot Cross Bun Bread and Butter Pudding

    Published: Mar 24, 2023 · Last Modified: Apr 13, 2022 by Emma · 4 Comments · This post may contain affiliate links ·

    Jump to Recipe

    This easy to make Hot Cross Bun Bread and Butter Pudding is the ultimate way to use leftover hot cross buns. Baked in delicious vanilla custard, the lightly spiced hot cross buns are filled with sweet orange marmalade and oozing puddles of melted dark chocolate for brunch or dessert this Easter.

    Hot cross buns filled with chocolate and marmalade, soaked in custard to make bread pudding.

    For me, Easter is all about having fun in the kitchen and enjoying traditional treats like Hot Cross Buns, citrus cookies and Easter eggs along with all the chocolate! Easy Easter desserts and treats like my Mini Egg Cookies, No-Bake Mini Egg Cheesecake and Lemon Biscotti are family favourites!

    Today I'm sharing with you my twist on bread and butter pudding, a real classic British pudding. It's such a comforting dish that'll become your next family favourite breakfast, brunch or dessert recipe.

    Hot Cross Bun Bread and Butter Pudding is super quick to put together but hearty, flavourful and welcoming. Oh yeah, and it makes your house smell incredible too!

    Close up of a serving dish of hot cross bun bread pudding.
    Jump to:
    • ❓What is Bread and Butter Pudding?
    • 🌟 Why You'll Love This Recipe
    • 🧾 Ingredients Needed
    • 📖 Variations
    • 👩🏻‍🍳 How to Make Hot Cross Bun Bread and Butter Pudding
    • 💭 Recipe Pro Tips
    • 📋 Recipe FAQs
    • 🍞 More Bread Recipes
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    ❓What is Bread and Butter Pudding?

    It's a very traditional dessert made to use up stale, leftover pieces of bread. The slices of buttered bread are layered in an oven dish, seasoned with spices such as nutmeg and cinnamon and then covered and soaked in an egg custard.

    The bread pudding is then baked and served warm with cream or ice cream. It's a cheap, comforting dish that we Brits love!

    My recipe takes the basis of bread pudding but uses humble Hot Cross Buns studded with dried fruit as the backbone as it's so quintessentially part of Easter.

    I wanted to highlight citrus, so the buns are cut in half and both sides smothered in delicious Marmalade to bring out a sweet orange flavour.

    Easter isn't Easter without chocolate so I added chopped dark chocolate into each of the buns, and when baked it melts into big puddles throughout the pudding that tastes AMAZING alongside the hot cross buns spices and citrus flavours.

    This post for Easter Bread and Butter Pudding is sponsored by Waitrose. All views and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Emma Duckworth Bakes possible.

    🌟 Why You'll Love This Recipe

    • Uses simple ingredients. The recipe list is short and basic - a bonus in my book!
    • Quick to pull together. I almost feel guilty 'creating' a recipe for this as it's so unbelievably easy to put together. But the outcome is sensational so I definitely wanted to share it with you.
    • Feeds a crowd. If you have family coming over to celebrate Easter with you, this is the perfect brunch to serve in a communal family-style.

    🧾 Ingredients Needed

    When there are so few ingredients in a recipe, it's in your best interest to use the BEST quality ingredients that you can find as it really makes a difference to the taste and flavour.

    Individual ingredients to make bread pudding with hot cross buns.

    I understand that some of my audience can't access Waitrose ingredients, but don't worry - this recipe will work perfectly well with ingredients that you can source from your local store. Here are a couple of pointers on some of the ingredients.

    • Hot cross buns - I used Waitrose St Clements Hot Cross Buns as I loved the chocolate and marmalade flavour. You can use traditional hot cross buns or even chocolate ones. I used 8 buns and they are best when a day or two old. The stale bread soaks up the custard better when a bit drier.
    • Marmalade - Waitrose Essential No Peel Seville Orange Marmalade, was my choice was this recipe. If you prefer peel in your marmalade then choose one that has a thin or thick-cut peel in it.
    • Chocolate - I've always preferred to use chopped chocolate bars instead of chocolate chips as it melts once baked. Waitrose Belgian Dark Chocolate 54% combines the perfect balance of cocoa and sweetness. If you prefer to use milk chocolate or a higher percentage of dark chocolate then feel free. Or you could use up any leftover Easter eggs (if there are any leftovers that is!!).
    • Eggs - 3 large eggs are used. Make sure they are at room temperature. If you forget to take them out of the fridge ahead of time then place them in a bowl of warm water for ten minutes.

    📖 Variations

    Bread and butter pudding is a super versatile dish to make. You can change up lots of the ingredients to create different flavour combinations that would suit you. Here are some of my ideas:

    Types of bread to use: Once hot cross buns are out of season, use other types of bread. Sliced fruit bread, brioche bread, croissants, panettone or even spiced tea cakes. Just note that they are best when a little stale.

    Switch up the marmalade to jam: Rather than going down the chocolate orange route, you can add in any type of jam that you prefer instead, such as raspberry, strawberry, and blackberry jam. In my cookbook 'Simply Sweet Nostalgic Bakes' I created a bread and butter pudding with fig jam and fresh figs. Totally delicious with a summery vibe.

    Add in fruit: With whatever jam you choose to slather on your chosen bread, once the bread is soaked in the custard, then add some fresh fruit over the pudding to bake in the oven. Raspberries, strawberries, peaches, blueberries or apricots would be incredible added to this pudding.

    Flavour the custard: In my recipe, I haven't included any extra spices as the hot cross buns already have them in the dough. However, if you use a type of bread that isn't spiced, or if you want a bigger boost of spice, then add extra cinnamon, nutmeg and all-spice to the custard. You could even turn the custard into a chocolate custard by whisking in 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder into it.

    👩🏻‍🍳 How to Make Hot Cross Bun Bread and Butter Pudding

    You're going to love how simple this nostalgic pudding is to make! There's basically two parts to making it, firstly preparing the hot cross buns, and secondly, making the custard. That's it!

    *Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full ingredients list & instructions!*

    Prepare the Hot Cross Buns

    Casserole dish prepared with butter.

    STEP 1. Prepare the baking dish. Grease with butter a baking dish to prevent the buns from sticking (Image 1). Preheat the oven to 170C/340F.

    STEP 2. Cut buns in half and slather them in marmalade. With a serrated knife, cut the hot cross buns in half. Then cover each cut side in marmalade (Image 2).

    Chocolate added into the middle of sliced hot cross buns.

    STEP 3. Sandwich buns with chocolate. Sprinkle the chopped chocolate onto the marmalade on the bottom half of the hot cross bun. Then place the top onto it, essentially sandwiching the chocolate (Image 3).

    STEP 4. Add buns to the baking dish. Place buns into the baking dish and brush any remaining marmalade onto the buns, or dollop it around if you prefer. Sprinkle any leftover chocolate around the buns (Image 4).

    TIP: To fit the 8 buns into my baking dish, I had to stand them on their edges and lean them against each other. If you have a longer baking dish you may be able to sit them flat. Both ways come out with the same result ... a delicious Easter pudding!

    Make the Custard, Soak the Buns and Bake.

    Custard in glass bowl with whisk.

    STEP 5. Make the custard. Making this custard couldn’t be any easier. Add all the custard ingredients, eggs, sugar, milk, cream and vanilla extract into a bowl and whisk until well combined. There’s absolutely no need for getting out an electric hand-held whisk for this. We’re keeping it simple! (Image 5 & 6)

    Custard poured onto hot cross buns in casserole dish.

    STEP 6. Soak chocolate orange hot cross buns and soak. Now the hot cross buns get a lovely custard bath! Pour the custard mixture all over the buns and gently press them down into the custard.

    Leave the buns to sit in the custard for 10 to 15 minutes to soak up some of that lovely custard. Not all of it will soak into the bread- this is absolutely fine (Image 7 & 8). Dot the remaining butter on top of the buns.

    Bake. Place the baking dish into the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, until the buns are golden brown and the custard is just set. Once baked, take it out of the oven and set it aside for ten minutes. Serve and enjoy whilst warm and the chocolate is gooey!

    Serving baked hot cross bun pudding with a drizzle of cream.

    💭 Recipe Pro Tips

    1. Use stale bread. For any dish that needs the bread to be soaked in a liquid (like French Toast), the bread is best when a day or two old and it has dried out slightly. If fresh it has a tendency to soak up too much liquid, go soggy and fall apart.
    2. Soak for 10 minutes. Don't scrimp on the soak time. You want the Hot Cross Buns to soak up some of the custard which helps moisten and flavour the bread. Make sure to push the bread down into the custard.
    3. Add foil over the baking dish if necessary. You'll know that the pudding is ready when the buns are golden and the custard has just set. As there is marmalade brushed over the top of these, the sugar content in the marmalade can brown them quickly. Simply tent the dish in foil if you see this happening.

    📋 Recipe FAQs

    What's the difference between bread and butter pudding and bread pudding?

    Essentially they are one and the same thing. Bread and butter pudding is where the layers of sliced bread are spread with softened butter over each slice before layering into the baking dish and soaking into the custard.
    Bread pudding doesn't have the addition of custard. Because of this, the bread is often cut into cubes and then soaked and baked.

    Why is my Bread and Butter Pudding soggy?

    This is most likely because the bread wasn't dry enough and was too fresh when making this dish. The fresh bread soaks up the custard too quickly and doesn't bake so well all the way through leaving the interior of the pudding soggy.

    How do you store Hot Cross Bread and Butter Pudding?

    You can either leave the pudding in the baking dish and cover it well with plastic wrap, or scoop the ingredients into a plastic container. Refrigerate the pudding for up to 3 days. Re-heat the pudding a serving at a time in the microwave for 10-20 seconds.

    Can you freeze Hot Cross Pudding?

    Absolutely. Place bread pudding into a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat the pudding a serving at a time in the microwave for 10-20 seconds.

    🍞 More Bread Recipes

    • Loaf sliced on serving board.
      Brioche Bread (enriched dough)
    • Sugar coated brioche rolls on wooden board.
      Strawberry Donut Rolls Recipe
    • Brioche babka wreath filled with caramel on wooden board.
      Caramel Brioche Babka Wreath
    • Strawberry cinnamon rolls in baking tray.
      Strawberry Cinnamon Rolls

    If you tried this delicious Hot Cross Bun Bread and Butter Pudding recipe or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!

    📖 Recipe

    Using leftover hot cross buns to make bread and butter pudding.
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    5 from 2 votes

    Hot Cross Bun Bread and Butter Pudding Recipe

    Use up any leftover buns to create this Hot Cross Bun Bread and Butter Pudding than makes a perfect Easter brunch or dessert. The buns are filled with marmalade and chocolate and soaked in a vanilla custard before being baked to absolute comforting perfection.
    Prep Time10 minutes mins
    Cook Time30 minutes mins
    Total Time40 minutes mins
    Category: Breakfast
    Cuisine: British
    Servings: 8 servings
    Calories: 309kcal
    Author: Emma Duckworth

    Equipment

    • baking dish 20x25cm (8x10-inches)
    • Medium mixing bowl

    Ingredients

    Metric - US Customary
    • 30 g unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing.
    • 8 hot cross buns
    • 110 g orange marmalade
    • 180g dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
    • 3 large eggs
    • 50 g granulated sugar
    • 300 ml whole milk
    • 120 ml double cream (heavy cream)
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

    Instructions

    • Prepare the baking dish. Preheat the oven to 170C/340F. Grease the sides and base of a high sided baking pan with butter.
    • Cut buns in half and slather them in marmalade. Using a serrated knife, slice each of the hot cross buns in half. Using a butter knife, spread marmalade across both sides of the cut halves of each hot cross bun.
    • Sandwich buns with chocolate. Over the marmalade on the bottom half of the hot cross bun, sprinkle lots of chopped chocolate. Place the top half sandwiching the chocolate in the two halves. Repeat until all the buns have chocolate inside them.
    • Add buns to baking dish. Place the filled buns into the prepared baking dish, flat down if they fit or standing, leaning on each other. With any remaining marmalade, brush the tops of the buns with it. Then sprinkle the remaining chopped chocolate around the dish.
    • Make the custard. Add all the custard ingredients (eggs, sugar, milk, cream and vanilla extract) to a mixing bowl and whisk until well combined.
    • Soak chocolate orange hot cross buns and bake. Pour the custard all over the hotcross buns into the baking dish. Push down each of the buns gently. Leave for ten minutes for the buns to soak up some of the custard. Add any remaining butter in small lumps over the pudding.
      Bake. Place the baking dish in the oven and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the buns are browned and the custard has just set. If the buns brown too quickly, then halfway through the bake time, cover the baking dish in a foil tent.
      Remove the dish from the oven and set aside for ten minutes, then serve the pudding warm, with a drizzle of double cream.

    All recipes are developed and tested in Metric grams. I strongly recommend that you bake using digital scales for a more accurate result. I have provided a conversion to US customary in the recipe but please note that I haven’t tested using this method.

    Notes

    Step-by-Step Photos: My blog post includes helpful step-by-step photos to help guide you through making this recipe.
    To store: You can either leave the pudding in the baking dish and cover it well with plastic wrap, or scoop the ingredients into a plastic container. Refrigerate the pudding for up to 3 days. R
    To Freeze: Place bread pudding into a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and re-heat the pudding a serving at a time in the microwave for 10-20 seconds.
    To Re-heat: Re-heat the pudding a serving at a time in the microwave for 10-20 seconds.
    TIP 1: Use stale bread. For any dish that needs the bread to be soaked in a liquid (like French Toast), the bread is best when a day or too old and it has dried out slightly. If fresh it has a tendency to soak up too much liquid, go soggy and fall apart.
    TIP 2: Soak for 10 minutes. Don't scrimp on the soak time. You want the Hot Cross Buns to soak up some of the custard which helps moisten and flavour the bread. Make sure to push the bread down into the custard.
    TIP 3: Add foil over the baking dish if necessary. You'll know that the pudding is ready when the buns are golden and the custard has just set. As there is marmalade brushed over the top of these, the sugar content in the marmalade can brown them quickly. Simply tent the dish in foil if you see this happening.
    This post was sponsored by Waitrose. Products I highly recommend using for this recipe are:
    • Waitrose St Clements Hot Cross Buns
    • Waitrose Essential No Peel Seville Orange Marmalade
    • Waitrose Belgian Dark Chocolate 54%
     

    Nutrition

    Calories: 309kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 84mg | Sodium: 260mg | Potassium: 332mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 388IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 130mg | Iron: 5mg
    Have you tried this recipe yet?Mention @emmaduckworthbakes or tag #emmaduckworthbakes! I’d love to see what you are getting up to in the kitchen!

    More Delicious Breakfast Recipes

    • Loaf cake decorated in white chocolate sliced on serving board.
      Raspberry and White Chocolate Loaf Cake
    • Fruit Scone cut open on a plate with jam covering one half.
      Easy Sultana Scones
    • Chocolate Chip Scone wedges on white serving plate.
      Easy Chocolate Chip Scones
    • Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins on a tray.
      Banana Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      5 from 2 votes (1 rating without comment)

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




    1. Olive

      May 03, 2022 at 6:25 am

      5 stars
      I made this Hot Cross Bun Bread Pudding over the weekend with some left over hot cross bus from the freezer and it was a delight! I would never have thought to use them up in this way. I have a large family and it was a brilliant way to feed everyone. I slathered butter and marmalade in each bun and sprinkled the chocolate all over. Super delicious! Will definitely make again, maybe with brioche buns and add some spices into the custard.

      Reply
      • Emma

        May 04, 2022 at 10:19 am

        Gotta love clearing space in the freezer. Thanks so much for making this recipe- so glad you and your family loved it!x

        Reply
    2. audrey

      April 04, 2023 at 9:40 am

      Excellent recipe!

      Reply
      • Emma

        April 04, 2023 at 2:36 pm

        Hi Audrey - thank you so much - for the great response. x

        Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Smiling lady standing in front of bookshelves

    Welcome to Emma Duckworth Bakes, a destination for approachable, delicious seasonal homemade treats shaped by European influences that you can re-create at home.

    Learn more about me →

    Cookbook Cover
    Packed full of delicious bakes

    Brownies & Bars

    You must use the category name, not a URL, in the category field.
    Dear Coco: Artisanal Coffee by The River Thames, London

    Featured On

    Featured In Image

    My Personal Favourites

    • How To Make Salted Caramel Sauce
    • yogurt loaf cake sliced on board.
      Traditional French Yogurt Cake (Gâteau Au Yaourt)
    • Serving plate filled with brown butter madeleine that have been dipped in espresso glaze.
      Brown Butter Madeleines dipped in Espresso Glaze
    • chocolate cheesecake decorated in red fruit.
      Easy No-Bake Chocolate Cheesecake
    • Spooning hot fudge sauce from jar.
      Easy Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce
    • The Best Cherry Scones

    Footer

    About

    About Me

    Food Photography

    Dear Coco Street Coffee

    ↑ back to top

    SUBSCRIBE

    Information

    Contact

    Work With Me

    Privacy Policy

    As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2024 Emma Duckworth Bakes

    Hot cross buns filled with chocolate and marmalade, soaked in custard to make bread pudding.

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.