A truly simple and delicious recipe for Hot Cross Bun Pudding – serve with ice cream after lunch to woo your guests.

Ingredients
500ml (2 cups) cream
250ml (1 cup) milk
80ml (1/3 cup) caster sugar
6 eggs
about 15ml finely grated orange rind
5ml ground mixed spice (a mixture of ground cinnamon, nutmeg & cloves)
6-8 hot cross buns (I chose ones with added pecans & cranberries)
80-100g dark chocolate, roughly chopped

How to
In a mixing bowl, add cream, milk, sugar, eggs, orange rind and mixed spice. Whisk to combine thoroughly, and to make sure the sugar has melted.

Cut each hot cross bun in half horizontally, then arrange the bottom halves inside a medium size deep baking dish. They should fit snugly, so cut them to size if needed.

Pour the custard mixture over the bun bottoms, so that they are just covered with the mixture, then sprinkle with half of the chopped chocolate. Now arrange the top halves of the buns on top of the bottom layer, pressing down gently, and pour the rest of the custard mixture over the buns until you almost reach the rim of the baking dish (you might still have some custard mixture left, wait for the buns to soak up some of it, then pour over some more). Sprinkle with the rest of the chocolate.

Let the pudding soak for 30-60 minutes, then bake in a pre-heated oven at 160 C for 55-60 minutes. The top should be golden brown, and the middle should still have a slight wobble to it. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for about 15 minutes before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Recipe courtesy of The Food Fox. Visit the blog for more delicious recipes. Recipe copyright – Ilse van der Merwe. Photo copyright – Tasha Seccombe. Styling by Nicola Pretorius.