Tres Leches Bread Pudding

Did I ever tell you that one of my favorite desserts is bread pudding? And that one of my favorite cakes is tres leches? That makes this tres leches bread pudding just…heaven.

The inspo for this came up last week when I made tres leches for a little get together, and then received a loaf of farm bread in my butcher box. 

Wham! Idea formed. Plus, just so happens Cinco de Mayo is tomorrow and I always believing in dessert-ing for an occasion.

I first discovered my love of bread pudding randomly when I made this chocolate version. It is truly the best one ever and I think the only Paula Deen recipe I’ve really ever made.  What’s not to love though? Custard? Good. Bread? Good.  This tres leches bread pudding has all the basic elements, but is frankly not the sugar bomb that the chocolate version is.

The three milks (whole, sweetened condensed and evaporated) come together with no added sugar to really make the pure vanilla flavor shine. And this is important- REAL vanilla. No imitation. I actually used both vanilla extract and vanilla paste in this, but if you don’t have the paste, just use more of the extract. Mine actually comes to me from a friend who brought it back from Mexico. I’ll tell you- there is something about Mexican vanilla that is unparalleled here. Fact.

Like traditional tres leches, this is topped with fresh whipped cream (which I guess technically makes this quatro leches?) when cooled which means that when you’re ready to serve it and the pudding is reheated, the cream melts and becomes a delicious cream sauce for the whole thing! I actually didn’t think about that when I originally put the cream on it and it just became the happiest accident.

Top with fruit, caramel sauce or love it just as it is.