Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bread Pudding (Printable)

Decadent layers of brioche, spiced apples, and creamy caramel cheesecake baked in a rich custard bath, finished with sweet caramel topping.

# What You'll Need:

→ Bread and Fruit

01 - 8 cups brioche or challah bread, cut into 1-inch cubes, day-old preferred
02 - 2 large Granny Smith or Honeycrisp apples, peeled, cored, and diced

→ Cream Cheese Mixture

03 - 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
04 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar
05 - 1/2 cup caramel sauce, plus additional for drizzling
06 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

→ Custard

07 - 4 large eggs
08 - 2 cups whole milk
09 - 1 cup heavy cream
10 - 1/2 cup brown sugar
11 - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
12 - 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
13 - 1/4 teaspoon salt

→ Topping

14 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
15 - 2 tablespoons brown sugar

# How to Cook:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with butter or nonstick spray. Arrange bread cubes and diced apples evenly in the prepared dish.
02 - In a medium bowl, beat softened cream cheese with granulated sugar until smooth. Add caramel sauce and vanilla extract, mixing until fully combined. Drop dollops of mixture evenly over bread and apples.
03 - In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, heavy cream, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until well blended.
04 - Pour custard evenly over bread, apples, and cream cheese mixture. Gently press down to ensure bread absorbs custard thoroughly.
05 - In a small bowl, combine melted butter and brown sugar. Drizzle mixture evenly over the pudding surface.
06 - Cover baking dish loosely with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
07 - Remove foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes, or until golden brown, puffed, and set in the center.
08 - Cool for 10 minutes before serving. Drizzle with additional caramel sauce if desired.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It tastes like a bakery dessert but comes together faster than you'd think, making you look like a kitchen genius without the stress.
  • The caramel-cream cheese swirls create pockets of richness that catch you off guard with every bite, like little flavor surprises.
  • Brioche soaks up custard like a dream, staying tender instead of turning into soggy disappointment.
02 -
  • Day-old bread is non-negotiable—I learned this the hard way when fresh brioche turned to mush and I had to start over on a Tuesday night.
  • Don't skip gently pressing down the bread; it needs direct contact with the custard to soak properly, but aggressive pressing creates a dense, heavy pudding.
  • The pudding will jiggle slightly when you pull it from the oven, and that's exactly right—carryover cooking sets it completely as it rests.
03 -
  • Don't use fresh bread—the texture will be mushy rather than custardy, and you'll lose the pleasant contrast between tender and slightly structured.
  • Room-temperature cream cheese blends seamlessly; cold cream cheese creates lumps that stubbornly resist mixing.
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