Lowen Cakes

Key Ingredients You’ll Need

• Brioche bread – soft and buttery, the perfect base for soaking up custard.
• Pecans – toasted in syrup for that pecan pie texture and flavor.
• Maple syrup – layers through the custard, filling, and finishing sauce.
• Heavy cream + milk – create a rich, silky custard.
• Eggs – essential for setting the custard.
• Sugar – white sugar for universal accessibility, caramelizes beautifully.
• Butter – for richness in the filling and sauce.

Tips for a Perfect Bread Pudding

Dry your bread first: Cube the brioche and let it sit out overnight, or bake it lightly to dry it. Dry bread soaks up custard best.

Don’t rush the soak: After pouring custard over the layers, let it rest at least 20 minutes so every bite is flavorful.

Check with a thermometer: Bread pudding is done when the center hits 75–80°C (170–175°F). This prevents undercooked or overbaked pudding.

Keep the sauce silky: Reheat the butterscotch gently with a splash of cream if needed.

FAQ

Can I make this ahead?
Yes. Bake it earlier in the day, cool completely, cover, and reheat before serving. The sauce can be made ahead too.

What if I don’t have brioche?
Challah or a rich white bread works, but brioche gives the most luxurious texture.

Can I skip the Pecans?
You can — but then it’s more of a classic bread pudding. The pecans give that dramatic crunch and flavor contrast.

🧊 Storage Tips

• Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
• Reheat individual portions in the microwave, or the whole pan at 150°C (300°F) covered with foil for 15 minutes.
• Sauce can sit at room temp for the day, or fridge up to 5 days. Reheat gently before serving.

Ingredients

For the Bread Pudding

• 500 g brioche bread (~10–12 slices), cubed and dried
• 42 g unsalted butter
• 70 g sugar
• 80 g maple syrup
• 120 g chopped pecans (plus 30 g for topping)

For the custard

• 240 g milk
• 240 g heavy cream
• 100 g sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 5 g (1 tsp) vanilla extract
• 40 g maple syrup
• Pinch of salt

For the topping

• 25 g sugar (cane or white or brown)
• 30 g chopped pecans
• Vanilla ice-cream (for the end bite)

For the Butterscotch Maple Butter Sauce

• 56 g unsalted butter
• 100 g light brown sugar (or cane sugar if using)
• 80 g maple syrup
• 80 g heavy cream
• Pinch of salt
• 2 g vanilla extract

Directions

1. Prep the Bread
   • Cube the brioche into ~2.5 cm (1 inch) pieces.
   • Dry overnight or bake at 150°C (300°F) for 10–15 minutes until lightly crisp.
2. Make the pecan filling
   • In a saucepan, melt butter with sugar and maple syrup.
   • Simmer 3–4 minutes until glossy. Stir in pecans, coat well, then set aside.
3. Layer
   • Butter a 23 × 23 cm (9 × 9 in) pan.
   • Spread half the bread, spoon half the pecan filling. Repeat with remaining bread and filling.
4. Make Custard
   • Whisk together milk, cream, sugar, eggs, vanilla, maple syrup, and salt until smooth.
   • Pour evenly over layered bread. Press bread gently down to soak.
   • Rest 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F).
5. Topping
   • Sprinkle sugar evenly over top, then scatter pecans.
6. Bake
   • Bake 50–55 minutes, until center reaches 75–80°C (170–175°F).
7. Make Sauce
   • In a saucepan, melt butter, sugar, maple syrup, cream, and salt.
   • Simmer 3–4 minutes until glossy. Stir in vanilla.
8. Serve
   • Rest pudding 10–15 minutes before serving. Drizzle warm butterscotch sauce and top with ice cream (highly recommended!!) if desired.

Notes

Can be baked in a 9 × 13 inch pan for a thinner pudding (reduce bake time slightly).

Best served warm, but still delicious cold from the fridge.