Looking for an easy bread pudding recipe? This fruit cake bread pudding can be put together in minutes and is a great way to jazz up leftover fruit cake! Dotted with white chocolate and sprinkled with pomegranate arils, it’s one delicious bite.

Close-up of fruit cake bread pudding in a skillet.

Fruit cake gets a bad rap. You say “fruit cake” to someone and they usually turn up their nose. I mean, I understand.

When you think of fruit, you don’t usually tend to think of cake or vice versa. However, it’s so popular this time of year, especially here in Newfoundland.

If you don’t enjoy fruit cake in it’s natural form, then this fruit cake bread pudding will surely change your mind.

Easy Bread Pudding Recipe Using Leftover Fruit Cake

Every year my mother-in-law gives us a lovely dark fruit cake. For those who are unfamiliar with this version of fruit cake, it has molasses and lots of clove. It’s warming and delicious with ice cream.

However, the gifted cake is huge, and it’s a lot for hubby and I. This fruit cake bread pudding is an easy, and delicious, way to use up some of that cake and enjoy it in a new and exciting form.

Pouring a milk mixture from a bowl over cubes of fruit cake.

How To Make It

The preparation of this couldn’t be easier. Nobody has time for fussy recipes during the busy holiday season so this one is perfect.

Full details are in the recipe card below, but here are the basics:

Place the cubes of fruit cake in a greased skillet.
Pour over liquid mixture of milk, cream, eggs, vanilla and orange zest.
Press down so the cake soaks up the milk mixture.
Sprinkle with chocolate chunks and bake.
Garnish with pomegranate arils and walnuts.

Spoonful of bread pudding from a skillet.

This fruit cake bread pudding would be one delicious way to start Christmas morning. While it’s in the oven, sit back and sip on that first coffee (always the best one, may I add) or a mug of homemade hot chocolate.

If you make this fruit cake bread pudding recipe, be sure to leave a comment below!

Fruit Cake Bread Pudding

Dawn | Girl Heart Food

Print Recipe Save Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Total Time 40

Course Dessert

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

Baking spray, to grease skillet
5 cups dark fruit cake, loosely packed and cut into cubes (see "Notes" below)
¾ cup milk
⅓ cup heavy cream
2 large eggs
½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon orange zest, from one orange (approximately)
2 ounces white chocolate, roughly chopped
⅓ cup roughly chopped walnuts
3 tablespoons pomegranate arils

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 10-inch cast-iron skillet (or similarly sized baking dish) with baking spray. To skillet, add fruit cake and set aside.
In a bowl, whisk together the milk, heavy cream, eggs, vanilla extract, and orange zest until well combined.
Pour the milk mixture over the fruit cake and press the fruit cake down to soak up some of the milk mixture.
Sprinkle chocolate chunks over top. Bake for 30 minutes or until a wooden toothpick or cake tester inserted in the centre of the bread pudding comes out clean.
Carefully remove from the oven and garnish with walnuts and pomegranate arils. Serve as is or with ice cream or whipped cream!

Notes

I used dark fruit cake in this recipe. It has flavours of molasses and clove. You can certainly use regular light fruit cake here. If you do, I suggest adding a pinch of clove in your milk/cream/egg mixture.

A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.

Keyword bread pudding recipe, dark fruit cake, leftover fruit cake recipe

Tried this recipe?

If you do make this recipe, thank you!! It would mean so much if you could leave a comment below. Love to know how you enjoyed it, and it helps other readers too!