Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bread Pudding (Printer-friendly)

A decadent blend of caramel cream cheese, tender apples, and rich custard baked into golden perfection.

# Required Ingredients:

→ Bread & Dairy

01 - 6 cups brioche or challah bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
02 - 8 oz cream cheese, softened
03 - 1/2 cup caramel sauce, plus extra for drizzling
04 - 2 cups whole milk
05 - 1 cup heavy cream
06 - 4 large eggs

→ Fruit

07 - 2 medium apples (Granny Smith or Honeycrisp), peeled, cored, and diced

→ Sweeteners

08 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar
09 - 1/4 cup light brown sugar

→ Spices & Flavorings

10 - 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
11 - 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
12 - 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
13 - Pinch of salt

# How-To Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish with butter or nonstick spray.
02 - In a large bowl, beat cream cheese with caramel sauce until smooth. Add granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and salt; mix until well combined.
03 - Whisk in eggs, then gradually add milk and heavy cream, whisking until custard is smooth and fully incorporated.
04 - Add bread cubes and diced apples to custard mixture. Gently fold until all pieces are well coated. Let soak for 10 minutes.
05 - Pour mixture into prepared baking dish, spreading evenly. Drizzle additional caramel sauce over top if desired.
06 - Bake for 45 to 50 minutes until custard is set and top is golden brown. A knife inserted in center should come out mostly clean.
07 - Cool for 10 minutes before serving. Drizzle with additional caramel sauce if desired.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • The texture is pure magic—custardy and soft with those little pockets of warm apple that surprise you with every spoonful.
  • It looks like you spent hours in the kitchen, but nobody needs to know it actually took you twenty minutes of prep.
  • It tastes like fall even when it's sweltering outside, which is sometimes exactly what your soul needs.
02 -
  • Don't bake it longer just because you're nervous—overbaking dries out the custard and turns it from silky to rubbery, which is the opposite of what you want.
  • The bread soaking time is real—those 10 minutes matter, so don't skip them just to speed things up.
03 -
  • Softening your cream cheese properly makes the whole process smoother—literally—and prevents lumps that never fully disappear.
  • If your apples are particularly large, dice them a bit smaller so they cook through and don't have hard bits in the finished dessert.
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