Serves 6 people
Time to Prep: 1 hour 45 minutes total, including 1 hour for soaking the raisins and 30 minutes for the bread to absorb the custard.
Time to Cook: 50–60 minutes.
Special Kitchen Equipment Required
- A 9-inch square baking dish, preferably ceramic or glass.
- A large roasting pan or deep baking pan for the hot-water bath.
- A small saucepan for the salted caramel whiskey sauce.
Technique Tip
Do not skip the 30-minute soaking time after pouring the custard over the bread—this prevents dry patches and gives the finished pudding its soft, creamy centre. Bake the dish in a hot-water bath (bain-marie), filling the outer roasting pan halfway up the sides of the baking dish; this gentle, even heat helps the egg custard set without splitting or becoming grainy. The pudding is ready when the top is golden and the centre has a gentle wobble rather than looking liquid.
Swap Option
Use brioche, challah, or day-old sourdough in place of firm white bread; brioche makes a particularly rich pudding. Swap the raisins for golden raisins, dried cherries, or chopped dates. If you would prefer not to use Irish whiskey, replace it in both the raisins and sauce with apple juice or strong black tea, though the finished dessert will lose its distinctive whiskey warmth. For a dairy-free version, use a plant-based butter and full-fat oat cream; the caramel sauce may take slightly longer to thicken.
Why I Love This Recipe
This is Irish comfort food at its most generous—built around a familiar, humble bread-and-butter pudding but given a celebratory Irish twist with whiskey-soaked raisins and a salted caramel whiskey sauce. My mum would make her own version with leftover bread, turning something simple into a warm, comforting pudding for us all to share. I love how this recipe carries that same sense of thrift and nostalgia, while the Irish whiskey makes it feel a little more grown-up and luxurious. With crisp, buttery edges, a soft custardy middle, and glossy salted caramel sauce, it is the sort of pudding made for a long Sunday lunch or a cosy gathering.
Ingredients:
For the Pudding
- 3½ ounces / 100g raisins
- ½ cup / 120ml Irish whiskey
- 5 large eggs
- 2 cups /475g heavy cream
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons / 225g granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 8–9 slices firm white bread, crusts left on
- 14 ounces / 400g Irish butter, at room temperature, plus a little extra for greasing the dish
For the Salted Caramel Whiskey Sauce
- 8 tablespoons / 115g unsalted Irish butter, cut into pieces
- 1 cup / 200g granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon flaky sea salt
- 2½ cups / 600ml heavy cream
- ¼ cup / 60ml Irish whiskey
Recipe Steps
- Preheat the oven to 400°F / 200°C. Generously butter a 9-inch square baking dish.
- Place the raisins in a medium bowl, pour over the ½ cup Irish whiskey, and leave to soak for 1 hour.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, heavy cream, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla until smooth.
- Spread one side of every slice of bread generously with the softened Irish butter. Cut each slice diagonally in half to make triangles.
- Arrange half of the buttered bread triangles in the prepared baking dish, slightly overlapping them. Drain the raisins, reserving any remaining whiskey if you like, and scatter half over the bread.
- Repeat with the remaining bread triangles and raisins. Pour the custard evenly over the bread, pressing the slices down gently to help them absorb it. Leave to soak for 30 minutes.
- Set the baking dish inside a large roasting pan. Carefully pour hot water into the outer pan until it comes halfway up the sides of the baking dish.
- Bake for 50–60 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the custard is set with a slight wobble in the centre. Carefully remove the dish from the water bath and allow it to stand on a wire rack while you make the sauce.
- For the sauce, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the sugar, sea salt, heavy cream, and Irish whiskey.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until the sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Serve the pudding warm, with the salted caramel whiskey sauce generously spooned over each portion.