This Homey British Dessert Was Princess Diana’s Favorite

From now on, I’m only referring to amaretto-soaked raisins, shaved almonds, and vanilla bean paste as “Princess Diana ingredients.” Without them, this bread and butter pudding is a total crowd-pleaser. With them, please join me in accepting the Nobel Prize for “Stuff I Just Pulled Out Of The Fridge and Turned Into Dessert.”

From former royal chef Darren McGrady’s book Eating Royally, this classic dish is as effortlessly elegant as the princess herself. According to the chef, bread and butter pudding—the unmistakably crusty, buttery, almost soufflé-like spin on custard and toast—was Princess Di’s favorite holiday dessert. (Full confession: This recipe had me at “bread.”)

I was never a bread pudding person until I tried it at a barbecue place called D’s on S. Western Avenue in Los Angeles. I dug a plastic fork into a takeout pint container, sampled the pillowy soft bread—sticky and dripping with caramel sauce—and realized what I had been missing all my whole life.

British bread and butter pudding is similar to American bread pudding, except instead of a glorious jumble of cubes and ripped crusts, the bread retains a decidedly high-society crust-free triangle shape in its pool of rich, eggy custard.

Making Princess Diana’s Favorite Dessert

You’ll need to think ahead a little to make this Chef McGrady’s way. Amaretto-soaked raisins take some prep time. I infused mine in three ounces of amaretto for an hour but overnight would be ideal. While amaretto sours were my college gateway into the world of adult cocktails, buying Disaronno amaretto liqueur in a bottle that looks like 1970s men’s cologne is a vibe.

“I’m making Princess Diana’s bread pudding. It’s for soaking the raisins,” I announced to an interested shopper nearby, almost waving my hand in a royal figure eight at the “ooo’s” of approval. “Well, it looks like you could make a lot of bread pudding with that bottle!” I loved that this man in a Budweiser hoodie was as excited about Princess Diana’s favorite dessert as I was.

Happily, the custard is the foolproof kind where you whisk the yolks, sugar, and vanilla together, then heat up the cream and milk to just about boiling and slowly add it to the egg mixture while constantly whisking.

Cubed bread is the first layer in a buttered dish, followed by the tender amaretto raisins. (I later wished I had reserved a few for the final decoration.) Layer in your butter-dipped bread triangles, and cover everything with custard. Let it rest for 20 minutes before popping it into a water bath to bake until it’s set. It’s done when golden brown on top and gently jiggly toward the center. For me, that was 45 minutes at 350°F.

I couldn’t phone it in for Lady Di, so I went for the broiler brulée treatment, which involves a light sprinkle of sugar and the oven cranked up to 11—or, roughly 550°F. While my “blackened” bread tips probably wouldn’t pass muster at Buckingham Palace, they still tasted like crusted, buttery heaven. This wonderfully forgiving bread and butter pudding easily crowns anyone queen of dessert.

How To Make Princess Diana’s Bread and Butter Pudding

For a bread and butter pudding that serves 8, you’ll need:

• 12 slices white bread, crusts removed
• 3/4 cup raisins, soaked in enough amaretto to cover for at least 1 hour (up to overnight)
• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted, plus more for buttering the baking dish
• 9 egg yolks
• 2 teaspoons vanilla paste
• 3/4 cup sugar, plus more for garnishing, if desired
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 cups heavy cream
• Sliced almonds, for garnish

1. Butter a 9-inch square baking dish.
2. Cut 4 of the bread slices into 1/2-inch cubes and spread them evenly across the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle the amaretto-soaked raisins on top (reserve a few, if desired, for garnishing).
3. Cut the remaining 8 bread slices into triangles and dip each into the melted butter. Arrange them in an overlapping pattern over the cubed bread.
4. Whisk the egg yolks in a large bowl. Add the vanilla paste and sugar, mixing until smooth. Heat the milk and cream in a saucepan over medium-high heat until just boiling. Gradually pour the warm mixture into the eggs, whisking constantly to prevent curdling.
5. Pour the custard over the bread, ensuring it is evenly saturated. Let the dish rest for 20 minutes to allow the bread to soak up the custard. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F.
6. Place the baking dish in a roasting pan and fill up the roasting pan with hot water until it comes halfway up the sides of the baking dish. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the custard is set.
7. If desired, sprinkle more sugar on top and caramelize it with a torch or your oven’s broiler (use a broiler-proof baking dish if you wish to try this). Top with sliced almonds and any reserved raisins before serving.

This recipe was adapted with permission from Eating Royally by Chef Darren McGrady (Thomas Nelson Inc., 2007).