Orange and Dark Chocolate Bread Puddings (like hot, fluffy Jaffa Cakes!)

I was lucky enough to have one of my recipes, Turkey Schnitzel with Leeks and Butter Sage Sauce, selected as a Community Pick on Food52's website a couple of months ago.

Since other Food52 members had volunteered to test my recipe, I felt it was only right to return the favor and test a recipe the next month. The theme was "Your Best Stale Bread" and I have to admit, there weren't a lot of recipes that jumped out at me and said, "Test me, test me!" As I perused the list of recipes, I kept returning to a Pandoro Bread Pudding recipe with Chocolate and Orange. The only problem was, I wanted to make the recipe exactly as stated, because if I didn't, it wouldn't be fair to the entrant; but I don't like marmalade, and the recipe instructed that marmalade be placed at the bottom of each ramekin. To make a long story short, I bit the bullet and tested the recipe.

 
Oh. My. God.
It was so delicious, I was truly shocked! Mostly because I LOVED the marmalade together with the dark chocolate! It reminded me of a hot, fluffy Jaffa Cake! For those of you who don't know what a Jaffa Cake is, it is a British cake-type cookie (here is a brilliantly written article about them) which has an orange jelly filling, and is topped with dark chocolate. Of course I gave the recipe a written "standing ovation" of a review. The entrant was Suzanne from apuginthekitchen, and I told her I had raved about her dessert to the Food52 editors! You can find her original recipe here.
I made the recipe with one less cup of cream and more marmalade as she'd accidentally missed the cream when submitting the recipe to Food52, but I loved it the way it turned out. I've also made this more than once and have found panettone or egg bread to be equally good in this recipe.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do. It's a perfect wintertime dessert!

ORANGE & DARK CHOCOLATE BREAD PUDDING

8 buttered, 3 1/2" ramekins
Preheat oven to 350º F (175º C)

Ingredients

8 oz Pandoro, panettone, brioche or egg bread, cut into cubes (let dry a bit)
6 eggs
1/4 cup (2 oz) sugar
1 cup (8 oz) milk
1 cup (8 oz) half and half
8 tbsp orange marmalade
4 oz dark chocolate (like Green & Black's 70%) chopped into pieces

boiling water

Beat the eggs in a large bowl, then add the sugar and continue to whisk. Once well beaten, 

add the milk and half and half. Next, stir in the bread cubes, and add the chocolate.

 Place a teaspoon of marmalade into each ramekin.

Fill the ramekins with the egg, bread and chocolate mixture.

Place all the filled ramekins into a deep tray and fill with boiling water 

until it reaches halfwayup the ramekins.

Place in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until custard is set.

Remove from bain marie and let cool for a few minutes before serving, 

reminding everyone that the dishes are just out of the oven.

Looking for other warm and comforting winter desserts? Here you go~

Sticky Toffee Pudding

Apple Crumble

Decadent Chocolate Torte