Confession: even dietitians need a treat sometimes. So when leftover cake scraps were offered to me, I figured I should take them and turn them into something even more delicious than cake: cake pudding! Carpe cake?? In case you are confused as to what cake pudding is, picture bread pudding, but replace the bread with cake :). Sounds decadent, and it is. I adapted a Cooking Light recipe for Bread Pudding with Salted Caramel Sauce, though, so it is at least a little better for you.

Bourbon Caramel Cake Pudding (adapted from Cooking Light – see original recipe below plus my tweaks)

Ingredients:

Cake pudding:

• Bread pudding:
• 5 cups (1/2-inch) cubed French bread (about 8 ounces) 2 1/2 cups each, vanilla and chocolate cake
• 1 cup evaporated fat-free milk
• 3/4 cup 1% low-fat milk
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons bourbon (I used Maker’s Mark Whiskey)
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 large eggs

Carmel Sauce:

• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons bourbon
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 6 tablespoons half-and-half, divided 6 Tbsp evaporated fat free milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• Cooking spray

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.
To prepare bread cake pudding, arrange bread cake in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 8 minutes or until lightly toasted.

Combine evaporated milk and next 7 ingredients (through eggs) in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Add bread cake cubes. Let stand 20 minutes, occasionally pressing on bread cake to soak up milk.

Side note: wouldn’t this be the BEST French toast mixture??

To prepare sauce, combine brown sugar, 3 tablespoons bourbon, and butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Simmer 2 minutes or until sugar dissolves, stirring frequently. Stir in 5 tablespoons half-and-half evaporated fat free milk; simmer 10 minutes or until reduced to about 1 cup. Remove pan from heat. Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon half-and-half evaporated fat free milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla, and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Keep warm.

Spoon half of bread cake mixture into a 9 x 5–inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Drizzle 3 tablespoons sauce over bread cake mixture. Spoon remaining half of bread cake mixture over sauce. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm sauce with bread cake pudding.

Source: Cooking Light January 2012