Hot Cross Bun Pudding

Christmas isn’t Christmas without a mince pie, and Easter isn’t Easter without a hot cross bun. This year I was determined to do something different with them, as there’s only so many times you can have a hot cross bun toasted and covered in butter before it gets a little boring… Morrison’s March/April magazine had a recipe for a Hot Cross Bun Pudding so I stocked up on buns (packs of 4 were 75p each or 2 for £1: bargain!) and decided to make it today.

Mine turned out extremely bready as my dish was too small and I squashed all of the buns in which was a bit of a mistake. Next year I’ll try to either use a larger dish or fewer buns so that the pudding isn’t quite so solid! Even so, it worked really well and the orange custard was a welcome and different addition. Definitely worth an experimental afternoon in the kitchen!

Ingredients:

8 Hot Cross Buns

50g unsalted butter, softened

4 eggs

100g caster sugar

1tsp vanilla extract

284ml Elmlea Double Cream

600ml milk

Zest of 1 orange

1 tbsp granulated sugar

Method:

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius / Gas Mark 3.5 and grease an ovenproof glass dish with a knob of butter. Slice each bun horizontally into three and spread the butter over each slice. Reserve the tops of the buns for the last layer of the pudding.

In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar and vanilla extract. Set aside.

Gently heat the Elmlea, milk and orange zest in a saucepan until warm. 

Pour in the egg and sugar mixture, whisking to combine.

Layer the bun slices in the dish, pouring on some of the custard as you go. Finish with the bun tops and pour over the remaining custard. (The pudding can now be cooked whenever you’re ready to eat it: I left mine covered for several hours before needed.) 

Make a tin foil hat for the pudding, cover it, and transfer to the oven for 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven, take off the foil hat and dot the pudding with butter and sprinkle with the granulated sugar. 

Bake for another 10 minutes and then grill for 2-3 until the custard is set and the top is golden brown. If the edges burn slightly then it’ll be even better as the burnt flavour adds a caramel-y edge to the pudding.

Enjoy piping hot with a generous dose of double cream. The perfect Easter weekend bake!