Cornbread Pudding with Caramel Rum Sauce is decadent, easy to make and so delicious!
I’ve never really cared for bread pudding. I think it’s because some of them have a real eggy (made-up word alert) taste. I don’t like or eat eggs unless they are hidden so well that I can’t find or taste them.
When I came across a recipe for cornbread pudding with whiskey caramel in Southern Living, I was intrigued, to say the least. After reading the recipe a couple of times, I decided on the spur of the moment that I would recreate it my way.
First of all, I didn’t want to call my daughter and ask her to make another liquor store run since I don’t drink and I didn’t have any whiskey lying around waiting to be used in the caramel sauce.
Secondly, their caramel sauce looked way complicated and I have my own caramel sauce that takes mere minutes and is a no-fail recipe.
Thirdly, I did have some rum leftover from a rum cake I made for my son’s birthday last year. So I did a complete remix!
Ingredients You’ll Need For Cornbread Pudding (Full printable recipe down below!)
- precooked cornbread (see my recipe for Cornbread Sticks)
- butter
- buttermilk
- granulated sugar
- pure vanilla extract
- salt
- eggs
- caramel rum sauce
How To Make Easy Caramel Rum Sauce
For the caramel rum sauce, you will need:
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup half & half
- 4 Tablespoons butter
- Pinch salt
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons Rum
To make the caramel sauce, combine the first four ingredients in a saucepan. Whisk for 5-7 minutes or until the sauce beings to thicken. Add vanilla and whisk another minute or two. Remove from the heat and stir in the rum. Let cool. Pour into a container and place in the refrigerator. It will continue to thicken as it cools.
I like to make the Caramel Rum Sauce the night before and let it sit in the fridge overnight.
How To Make Cornbread Pudding With Caramel Rum Sauce
This is, by far, the best bread pudding I’ve ever eaten. It’s crunchy, tender, slightly sweet. Then, the rum-infused caramel kicks in and it’s just over the top good! I made it with my Aunt Jean’s cornbread sticks!
Cornbread cubes are placed into lightly greased ramekins. The custard is mixed together and poured evenly over the cornbread cubes. After the cornbread custard sits for 5 minutes, it’s baked and served with caramel rum sauce. This is one of my favorite desserts!
Cornbread Pudding with Caramel Rum Sauce
Cornbread Pudding with Rum Sauce is my favorite bread pudding! It's so decadent and the easy homemade caramel rum sauce adds even more flavor.
Ingredients
- 10 cups precooked cornbread (see my recipe for Cornbread Sticks)
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. salt
- 4 eggs
Caramel Rum Sauce
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/2 cup half & half
- 4 Tablespoons butter
- Pinch salt
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 Tablespoons Rum
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Lightly spray 8 (8 oz) ramekin cups with cooking spray and place ramekins on a baking sheet.
- Cut cornbread into 2-3" pieces and place in ramekins.
- Cook butter in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until butter turns golden brown.
- Remove butter from heat and whisk in buttermilk, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Whisk in eggs.
- Pour mixture evenly over cornbread. Let stand for 5 minutes.
- Bake, covered, for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake 10-15 minutes or until light brown and set.
- Cool for a few minutes on a wire rack before serving. Serve warm with caramel rum sauce.
- To make the caramel rum sauce, combine the first four ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk continually for 5-7 minutes or until the mixture gets thicker (It will not be extremely thick). Add vanilla and whisk another minute until it gets a little bit thicker. Remove from heat and stir in the rum. Let cool and then place in the refrigerator. The sauce will continue to thicken as it cools.
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You can find my homemade vanilla extract here! Have you ever had cornbread pudding? Believe me, you’ve got to try it!
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Originally published in Oct 2014 and updated Sept. 13, 2021
