Chocolate hot cross bun bread and butter pudding recipe

This dessert has everything going on for Easter - a classic family pudding, hot cross buns and of course, lashings of chocolate.

This chocolate hot cross bun bread and butter pudding is a great way to use up any leftover hot cross buns you have hanging around. You'll need nine buns to make this and the end pudding serves 8-10 people . You get about one bun per person, but it's quite decadent, so you can squeeze out an extra portion or two if necessary. You soak the buns in a deliciously creamy, homemade custard. We've scattered over dark chocolate chips, but if you wanted to use some smashed up Easter egg, that would work well too.

Ingredients

• 75g butter, softened
• 9 hot cross buns, halved
• 100g dark chocolate, chopped

For the custard:

• 500ml full-fat milk
• 200ml double cream
• 2tsp vanilla extract
• 8 medium organic free-range egg yolks
• 150g caster sugar

Method

1. Heat the oven to 150°C/ 300°F/ Gas mark 2. Lightly butter the cut side of each hot cross bun, then arrange the bottom halves overlapping in a buttered, square ovenproof baking dish, about 25cm wide and 7cm deep. Scatter over half the chocolate pieces, then arrange the top halves of the hot cross buns in a grid pattern on top. Scatter over the remaining chocolate.
2. To make the custard, heat the milk and cream in a large pan until hot, but not boiling. Stir in the vanilla and allow to cool for a couple of minutes. Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar and gradually pour the hot milk onto the eggs, stirring continuously until combined. Return to the pan and heat very gently, stirring all the time for about 5 mins until the custard just starts to thicken and coats the back of a spoon.
3. Carefully pour over the hot cross buns, allowing the custard to soak in as you go. Put the dish into a large roasting tin, so that there is space around the dish.
4. Transfer to the middle shelf of the oven, pour boiling water from the kettle into the tin until it reaches halfway up the side of the baking dish. Carefully slide into the oven and bake for 40-50 mins.
5. Serve with pouring cream.

Top tip for making chocolate hot cross bun bread and butter pudding

For a fruity alternative, you can add a generous helping of fresh berries - see our blueberry bread and butter pudding <a href="/recipes/138271/Blueberry-bread-and-butter-pudding">here</a>.

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