Lemon Raspberry Bread Pudding {Lemon Brandy Sauce}

This Lemon Raspberry Bread Pudding with Lemon Brandy Sauce is the perfect light dessert for Spring! You will love the bright flavors and crunchy, sweet lemon topping! Lemon is one of those flavors that will reach in, grab your heart and never let it go!

It is also one of those cravings that cannot be replaced with a poor substitute. Ever try taming a lemon craving with chocolate?
Even for this card-carrying Chocoholic that just doesn’t fly.

Unless of course the aforementioned chocolate is my Lemon Surprise Cupcakes.

This is getting too complicated. Let’s keep it simple…

The lemon beast must be tamed with…you guessed it…lemon.
And not just a squeeze of lemon in your water. Come on guys!
There must be sugar with that lemon. {cough, cough} Lots of SUGAR!

And maybe a few carbs. Just sayin’…

Speaking of carbs…Have I told you about the bread rack at school? NO?!?!

Prepare to be really jealous.

I’ll break it down for you here: there is a bread class at ICC; their classroom is right next to ours, so impossibly delicious, yeasty bread smells emanate from it all day long; then at 3:00 they put out a rack of all the bread they made but didn’t want to take home (I know what is wrong with them?!!?); and then you can grab a loaf or two or three.

Last week I grabbed the most perfect brioche loaf in all its buttery, eggy goodness. It was still warm! But since I have self-control (yes, I found her again), I didn’t tear into it immediately like the savage beast I wanted to be.
No, no. I waited.
I made this Lemon Raspberry Bread Pudding with this little buttery loaf of perfection.

Good things come to those who wait. Or at least that’s what I hear…

But I suggest that you do not wait to make this bread pudding because good things also come to those who bake with copious amounts of lemon and sugar. #fact

I learned that in school. You’re welcome.

I’ve told you before (twice actually), but I’ll tell you again because I love you: don’t skip my sugared topping!!! The secret to a spectacular bread pudding is all in the crunchy, sugary topping.

Don’t skip it. You will have regrets. And those are worse than taxes.

When in doubt… #sugarallthethings

Some notes on bread pudding:

1. You can freeze the several day old bread until you are ready to make pudding or until you have enough. I prefer to cut it up into cubes prior to freezing. Then I just use the cubes frozen. With light airy bread like brioche or challah, this works well. If you are using a more dense, hearty bread (umm, why?) then you will want to thaw them and dry them out a bit in the oven first.
2. When using zest, mix it with the granulated sugar first. This breaks up the pieces of zest, so no one ends up with a bite full of lemon zest and it also extracts and absorbs the flavorful oils, which will make your dish more flavorful!
3. If your liquid will not initially fit, let the bread sit and absorb and then pour in some more of the cream mixture. Good things take time and bread (especially if it is still partially frozen) will take a little time to absorb everything it can. Patience, grasshopper.
4. Bake your bread pudding in a shallow dish no higher than 2 inches. If you bake it in a deep dish, like I did here, you will have a soufflé and it will not bake evenly. The center will need double the time the outsides need. No bueno. [I am vain and I wanted to photograph my pudding in a white dish instead of the more shallow red one…]
5. For more fun bread pudding tips, you can read the bottom section of my Pumpkin Spice Bread Pudding!

Cure Your Lemon Cravings!!!!!!

Double Chocolate Lemon Surprise Cupcakes

Sunshine Lemon Bars

Lemon Pudding Cookies 

Lemon Strawberry Shortcake

Strawberry Lemon Scones 

Easy Lemon Curd