Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bread (Printable Version)

A creamy caramel cheesecake and apple bread baked in custard with a caramel drizzle.

# What You'll Need:

→ Bread and Fruit

01 - 8 cups brioche or challah bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 1 standard loaf, day-old preferred)
02 - 2 large apples (Granny Smith or Honeycrisp), 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 more 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

# Directions:

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

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • It's deceptively elegant for something you can have on the table in under two hours, making you look like you've been cooking all day.
  • The caramel cheesecake swirl means every spoonful tastes different, keeping things interesting from first bite to last.
  • It reheats beautifully, so you can actually enjoy your guests instead of fussing over dessert.
02 -
  • Using day-old or slightly stale bread is absolutely crucial—fresh bread will absorb too much custard and become mushy instead of achieving that perfect tender-but-structured texture.
  • Let it cool for at least 10 minutes after baking before serving, because the custard is still setting and it tastes significantly better when it's not molten hot.
03 -
  • Use an instant-read thermometer to check doneness at 165°F in the center—this takes the guesswork out and prevents either underbaking or overbaking by even a few minutes.
  • If your bread pudding is browning too quickly on top before the center sets, tent it loosely with foil for the second half of baking.
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