I really like that flavor and the texture of my cream cheese bread pudding, as it’s slightly firmer than many bread puddings and has a hint of cheesecakiness to it. It’s almost like having two desserts in one. I decided to take advantage of the cheesecake angle of the dessert and play with the flavors in the dish a little bit. Strawberries, for instance, are a popular topping for cheesecake, so they seemed like they would be a good match in the dish in terms of flavor. Bread pudding is a dish that can handle a lot of extra moisture, too, so even though fresh strawberries can become slightly watery during baking in some dishes, it didn’t seem like it would present any problem with the bread base of this dish.
In the finished dish, both the strawberries and the bread pudding both held up beautifully in this recipe, resulting in a dessert that tasted like a rich, moist strawberry shortcake with a hint of strawberry cheesecake to it. It definitely showcases the strawberries against the milder vanilla and cream flavors in the background. I used fresh strawberries to make this bread pudding, but frozen strawberries can also be used. If possible, I would let the frozen berries thaw for a little while to allow some of the liquid to drain off of them and to make them easier to slice. Large, whole frozen berries are a bit too large for this recipe and could make the bread pudding a little bit mushy.
Serve this bread pudding with a little bit of whipped cream. It can be served while it is still warm from the oven (it should cool for a little while before serving, however), but it also tastes great when chilled, so it can easily be made in advance. The bread pudding should keep, covered, in the fridge for about 3-4 days.
Strawberry Bread Pudding
8-oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
2 1/2 cups milk
1 tbsp vanilla extract
10-11 cups white bread, cubed
2 cups fresh strawberries, quartered
Preheat oven to 350F and lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking pan.
In a large bowl, cream together cream cheese and sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs, mixing at medium speed until very smooth, then slowly blend in milk and vanilla extract. Dump all bread cubes and strawberries into the bowl and turn gently with a spatula to allow the bread to soak up the liquid. Pour into prepared pan and gently smooth into an even layer. If strawberries come out in a bunch, you can simply relocate them by pressing them into other areas of the pudding.
Bake for 30 minutes, until pudding springs back slightly when you touch the top and the edges begin to turn golden.
Cool for at least 15 minutes before serving.
Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Serves 12-16.
Kara
July 22, 2009This sounds amazing – I have some flash-frozen strawberries (from back when they were $1/lb) that might be perfect for this. We can’t get enough bread pudding and this is a variation I haven’t tried!
veggievixen
July 22, 2009just the name of the dish is enough to make me drool! i will definitely be making the most of the rest of strawberry season by making as many things as i can with them!
D
July 22, 2009I’ve never heard of putting strawberries in it. Can’t wait to try it!!!
Karen
July 23, 2009This looks great!! What kind of white bread did you use? The fluffy stuff or a firmer bread? Do you think one works better than the other? How about using low fat dairy (cream cheese and milk)? I never have the full fat stuff in my fridge.
Kelsi Rose
July 23, 2009I made this for dessert tonight and it was amazing. I think I might try it with peaches next time…
starr
July 24, 2009For my bread puddings, I use that hawaiian bread stuff – king’s hawaiian, I think. It makes for a wicked good flavor. 🙂
starr
July 25, 2009Just wanted to update: I made this with splenda instead of sugar, added blueberries, used lower fat cream cheese and milk, added more vanilla. Used the hawaiian bread too. IT WAS WONDERFUL! Thank you for an excellent recipe! 🙂
Karen
July 28, 2009I made this recipe over the weekend. I tweaked it as follows:
I don’t have white bread in the house, so I used whole wheat. Subbed low-fat cream cheese and non-fat milk for the full fat version. Also I used a combination of peaches and blueberries. It was awesome. Thanks for the recipe
Jessica
April 23, 2010I made this for work and it was a hit. I used some frozen strawberries and blended them into the milk/egg mixture. This reminded me of the stuffed french toast at IHOP. YUMMY!!