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    Home » Blog posts by Rosanna ETC » Food » Winter Recipes

    Baked Pain Au Chocolat Pudding

    Published: Sep 5, 2022 by Rosanna Stevens · This post may contain affiliate links · 5 Comments

    A warm baked pain au chocolat pudding makes the ideal dessert for Christmas or Thanksgiving.

    We soak the pain au chocolat in an easy vanilla custard spiced with nutmeg, bake it in the oven and then top it with butter and a crunchy caramelised cinnamon sugar. Served warm out of the oven with a scoop of ice cream, this festive Christmas dessert is surprisingly simple but an absolute showstopper.

    This pain au chocolate pudding is one of my favourite dessert recipes to make for Christmas or Thanksgiving. It is suitable for large numbers and requires very little of your time and attention, leaving you free to focus your attention on other dishes or to enjoy time with your guests.

    Baked pain au chocolat pudding in a serving dish.

    The first time I made this dessert I was working as a private chef in France and I served it to 14 guests, and it was so easy, I was thrilled. I'd been challenged to come up with a dessert made from pain au chocolat and this was the result. I then tweaked it to have some delicate winter spices in the vanilla custard and made the topping into a caramelised cinnamon sugar and it's now perfect for the holiday season.

    Without the nutmeg and cinnamon, this pain au chocolate bread and butter pudding works as a dessert at any time of the year. But there is something about the crunchy puff pastry and chocolate and warm baked custard that makes it the ideal dessert for winter. And anything you can make in 15 minutes and then give your attention elsewhere until oven time is a massive win for me.

    Love all things pastry? Try this salmon en croute.

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Wine pairing for pain au chocolate pudding
    • Variations
    • Equipment
    • Storage
    • Top tip
    • Baked Pain Au Chocolat Pudding
    • FAQ

    Ingredients

    The ingredients for a pain au chocolat pudding: pain au chocolat, milk, cream, sugar, butter, eggs, cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg.
    • Pain au chocolate

    This pain au chocolat dessert works best with all butter pain au chocolat that are 1-2 days old. So if you're ever wondering what to do with stale pain au chocolate, this is your answer!

    • Eggs
    • Double cream/heavy cream
    • Full fat/whole milk

    I use whole milk in this pain au chocolat dessert recipe as it adds extra richness to the custard.

    • Golden caster sugar

    You can use ordinary granulated sugar if you don't have golden sugar (brown sugar), I just think it adds something extra to this luxurious dessert.

    • Butter

    Use unsalted butter for this recipe. In fact, I always use unsalted butter as I like to control both the quantity and quality of salt I add to my dishes.

    • Vanilla extract

    If you happen to have a vanilla pod you can use this instead, but they are so expensive these days and the essence works just as well.

    • Ground cinnamon
    • Ground nutmeg

    You can omit the spices in this recipe to make it suitable for all seasons.

    See the recipe card for quantities.

    Instructions

    Slice each pain au chocolate horizontally into three pieces and arrange them cut side facing up in a lightly greased baking dish.

    In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and then add the milk, cream, sugar, vanilla essence and nutmeg.

    Pour the vanilla custard mixture over the pain au chocolat and place it in the fridge to soak for two hours.

    Custard being poured over a dish filled with pain au chocolat.

    Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius/350 degrees Fahrenheit.

    Bake the pain au chocolate bread and butter pudding for 30 minutes, then take it out of the oven.

    Spread butter across the top of the pain au chocolat dessert and mix the remaining sugar and cinnamon together before sprinkling it on top.

    Bake for a further 10 minutes until the top of the pain au chocolat bread pudding is crunchy and the custard mixture is cooked.

    Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a light dusting of cinnamon.

    A serving of pain au chocolat pudding with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top.

    Hint: When you take the pain au chocolat bread pudding out of the oven after 30 minutes, jiggle the dish and check to see how liquid the centre is. When the vanilla custard is ready it should be soft but solid and should souffle up slightly around the pain au chocolat.

    Wine pairing for pain au chocolate pudding

    I serve this pain au chocolate dessert with something sweet but not too heavy. A tawny port would work well, an Australian Muscat, Italian Amarone or a Maury red dessert wine would all pair beautifully with this pain au chocolat pudding.

    Variations

    Here are a few ways you can adapt this recipe to suit you.

    • Pastries - instead of pain au chocolat, try plain or almond croissants.
    • Spices - try this recipe without the nutmeg and cinnamon to make it less festive.
    • Orange - add some orange zest to the custard to add different flavour and zing.

    Looking for something fruity to make as well? Try this fig pavlova with cardamom cream.

    Equipment

    You will need the following to make this easy dessert:

    • Oven safe baking dish
    • Mixing bowl
    • Measuring jug
    • Weighing scales
    • Bread knife
    • Chopping board

    Storage

    Store any leftovers in the fridge and consume within 2-3 days. You can enjoy this pain au chocolat pudding cold or gently reheat it in the oven for 15 minutes or until warmed through.

    This dessert does not freeze well.

    Top tip

    This dessert does not work as well with pain au chocolat that are too bread-like in texture. Try to find flaky, buttery, crisp pain au choclat for the best results.

    Baked pain au chocolat pudding in a serving dish.

    Baked Pain Au Chocolat Pudding

    A warm festive dessert made from pain au chocolat and delicately spiced vanilla custard topped with crunchy caramelised cinnamon sugar.
    5 from 5 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 2 hrs 15 mins
    Cook Time 40 mins
    Total Time 2 hrs 55 mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American, French
    Servings 10 people
    Calories 481 kcal

    Equipment

    • 1 large mixing bowl
    • 1 knife
    • 1 baking dish
    • 1 pestle and mortar
    • 1 measuring jug

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 9 pain au chocolat
    • 300 ml double cream
    • 300 ml full-fat milk
    • 6 eggs
    • 100 grams golden caster sugar
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
    • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

    To finish

    • 2 tablespoon butter
    • 2 tablespoon golden caster sugar
    • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

    Instructions
     

    • Slice each pain au chocolate horizontally into three pieces and arrange them cut side facing up in a lightly greased baking dish. 
    • In a large mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and then add the milk, cream, sugar, vanilla essence and nutmeg.
    • Pour the vanilla custard mixture over the pain au chocolat and place it in the fridge to soak for two hours.
    • Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius/350 degrees Fahrenheit.
    • Bake the pain au chocolate bread and butter pudding for 30 minutes, then take it out of the oven.
    • Spread butter across the top of the pain au chocolat dessert and mix the remaining sugar and cinnamon together before sprinkling it on top. 
    • Bake for a further 10 minutes until the top of the pain au chocolat bread pudding is crunchy and the custard mixture is cooked. 
    • Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a light dusting of cinnamon. 

    Video

    Nutrition

    Calories: 481kcalCarbohydrates: 35gProtein: 10gFat: 29gSaturated Fat: 16gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 175mgSodium: 61mgPotassium: 121mgFiber: 0.1gSugar: 46gVitamin A: 642IUVitamin C: 0.2mgCalcium: 81mgIron: 1mg
    Keyword pain au choclat dessert, pain au chocolat bread and butter pudding
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    FAQ

    What is pain au chocolat?

    Pain au chocolat (or 'bread with chocolate') is a French pastry made from crispy laminated sweet pastry wrapped about sticks of chocolate and baked in the oven.

    What is bread and butter pudding?

    Bread and butter pudding is a traditional British dessert invented to use up stale bread. It was mentioned in culinary literature as early as 1728! Traditionally, it has raisins in it as well as the bread, custard and spices.

    What makes bread and butter pudding perfect for the holiday season?

    Bread and butter pudding is a warm, crunchy and cosy dessert that is ideal for winter. The spices make it perfectly festive and it can be made in advance to give you time to celebrate with family and friends.

    More Winter Recipes

    • Red lentil, coconut and sweet potato dahl.
      Red Lentil & Sweet Potato Dahl With Coconut Milk
    • Cast iron skillet turkey and ham pot pie.
      Cast Iron Skillet Turkey And Ham Pot Pie
    • Eggplant masala
      Spiced Eggplant Masala
    • A close up of food on a plate, with rich Madeira sauce bring poured over it.
      Rich Madeira Sauce

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    Comments

    1. Mandy Applegate says

      September 06, 2022 at 5:17 pm

      5 stars
      I have been craving pain au chocolat since returning from the Loire Valley and these tasted GREAT - thank you!

      Reply
    2. Nicole Johnson says

      September 06, 2022 at 5:30 pm

      5 stars
      Yes please. I'd like to personally request this at every holiday party from here to eternity. KTHXBAI. 😉

      Reply
    3. Kim says

      September 06, 2022 at 5:30 pm

      5 stars
      Omg this was so amazing!! I made it for a party and it was gone so quickly!!

      Reply
    4. Glenda says

      September 06, 2022 at 7:29 pm

      5 stars
      What a simple and lovely dessert! It's definitely company worthy and the pairing of custard with pain au chocolat is heavenly. I'm looking forward to making it again!

      Reply
    5. Shelby says

      September 06, 2022 at 8:21 pm

      5 stars
      I had never made a dessert like this before but you broke it down so easily I had to try it. It came out SO decadent and everyone gobbled it!

      Reply

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    Rosanna Stevens opening a bottle of champagne.

    I'm Rosanna, a trained chef, published writer and food and style fanatic. I believe in using food and drink to make every day an event with fresh and seasonal produce, wine pairings and a perfectly styled plate.

    I write for publications in the UK, USA and Central America on food, travel and the destinations I love and have also created several recipe ebooks and Stop The Scroll, a beginner's guide to food styling and photography. Thanks for being here!

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