Fudgy Vegan Bread Pudding with Coconut Glaze


vegan bread pudding
fudgy vegan bread pudding photo by carmen troesser

Ingredients

12 Tbsp. vegan margarine such as Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks, divided, plus extra for greasing
1 loaf stale Companion pain de Beaucaire or other stale French bâtard-style bread
1 13.5-oz. can full-fat coconut milk
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
2½ cups sugar, divided
1 cup premium unsweetened baking cocoa powder, such as Ghirardelli
3 Tbsp. cornstarch, divided
½ tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups water
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
¼ cup shredded coconut



Preparation

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 2-quart baking dish with vegan margarine.

• Using a serrated knife, cut the crust off the bread and discard. Cut the remaining loaf into 1-inch cubes (There will be about 6 cups cubed bread.) and place them in the prepared baking dish.

• In a large pot, whisk together the coconut milks. Over medium heat, bring the milk to a simmer, then whisk in 8 tablespoons vegan margarine, 1½ cups sugar, the cocoa powder, 1 tablespoon cornstarch and the salt. Continue to whisk until the ingredients are well combined and no lumps remain. Cook the mixture 2 to 3 minutes, until thick. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.

• Pour the mixture over the bread cubes, stirring to coat the pieces evenly. Let soak 20 minutes, then bake 40 minutes. Allow the bread pudding to rest 10 minutes before serving.

• Meanwhile, prepare the glaze: In a small pot over medium-high heat, combine the remaining 1 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons cornstarch. Whisk in the water and stir to dissolve the sugar and cornstarch. Bring to a boil, then cook 1 minute longer, whisking constantly. Remove from heat and whisk in the remaining 4 tablespoons margarine, the lemon juice and the coconut. Stir until the margarine melts. Cover to keep warm until ready to serve.

• To serve, spoon the bread pudding into bowls and top each serving with ¼ cup coconut glaze. Serve warm.