Bread and Butter Pudding with Chocolate, Marmalade and Whisky-Soaked Sultanas

Tips:

Brioche is key: Use a sweet bread that's at least a few days old, such as brioche or raisin, rather than a standard loaf of white. The former will yield a much more luxurious and dense pudding. This recipe also works wonders with leftover panettone.

Skip the booze: For an alcohol-free version, substitute the whisky for an equal amount of orange juice.

DIY nuts: I like this recipe best with a handful of nuts and chocolate scattered throughout, which adds a great balance of flavour and texture. If you don't have pre-roasted nuts on hand you can easily make them yourself by placing raw nuts onto a tray and baking in a preheated oven for about 10 minutes or until just golden brown and fragrant.

Ingredients

• 50g (1/3 cup) raisins
• 45ml (1/8 cup + 1 Tbsp) whisky or orange juice
• Unsalted butter, for greasing the pan
• 115g (1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon) caster sugar, plus a little more for the pan
• 4 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 360ml (1 1/2 cups) thickened cream
• 360ml (1 1/2 cups) full-fat milk
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 350-400g (about 1 loaf) sweet bread (raisin, brioche or panettone), cut into 1 1/2cm pieces slices (don't be tempted to add more as this will absorb the liquid)
• 160g (1/2 cup) marmalade
• 85g (1/2 cup) dark chocolate, chopped
• 30g (1/4 cup) roasted nuts such as pecans, hazelnuts or walnuts, chopped (see Tips if you're roasting your own)
• 1/2 Tbsp raw sugar, for sprinkling
• Double cream or vanilla ice cream, to serve

Method

1. Put the raisins and whisky into a small saucepan. Bring to an even simmer then remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool.

2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a medium-sized baking dish that has a capacity of about 1L with butter, then sprinkle with a little extra caster sugar. Swirl the pan around to evenly distribute the sugar until the dish is coated. Place on a baking sheet to prevent spillage, and set aside until needed.
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Pour in the cream and milk and whisk until combined. Add the nutmeg and salt then stir in the raisin-whisky mixture.

4. Arrange the bread into the prepared pan, layering the slices and spreading the tops of each with a little of the marmalade as you go. Toss in the chocolate and nuts, arranging some of the pieces to hide beneath the bread. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dish. About two-thirds of the bread and all of the sultanas should be submerged in the custard to prevent burning. Sprinkle the top with raw sugar.

5. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until puffed, golden brown and just set in the middle. Keep a watchful eye in the last 10-15 minutes and place a layer of foil over the top if it appears to be browning quickly (this will prevent burning). If you're using foil, be sure to extend the baking time by a few extra minutes. When it's ready, it should still have an ever-so-slight wiggle to it. Remove from the oven and allow to cool until warm before serving with a pouring of cream or a generous scoop of ice cream.