Smoked Cane Syrup Bread Pudding

Not your ordinary bread pudding. The addition of pecans and Smoked Cane Syrup really sets this one apart.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Grease a 9 inch square baking dish with butter and dust it with 3 teaspoons of sugar.

Add to a large bowl the eggs, cream, 1/4 cup sugar, brown sugar, Smoked Cane Syrup, and vanilla. Whisk until well incorporated. Add the pecans, orange zest and juice, bourbon, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Mix well.

Add the breadcrumbs and let them soak for at least one hour or up to overnight.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake until the pudding is set in the center and golden brown; about 1 hour.

Remove from the oven and cool for 10-15 minutes. Cut into equal portions and top with the hard sauce (ice cream works as well).

Hard Sauce:

Cream the butter with confectioners' sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla extract or bourbon/rum/brandy and stir to combine.

Ingredients:

1 tbsp unsalted butter

3 tsp plus 1/4 cup sugar

5 large eggs

1/4 c brown sugar

3/4 c Smoked Cane Syrup

2 c heavy cream

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/3 cup orange juice

2 tsp orange zest

2 tsp bourbon, brandy, or rum

1 tsp freshly grated ginger

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1 c pecans

5 c 1/2 inch cubed bread with crust removed. Day old is best. I prefer using french bread with some of the crust for texture.

For the Hard Sauce:

1/2 c unsalted butter

1 1/2 c confectioners' sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract or 2 tbsp bourbon, rum, or brandy