Red Velvet Bread Pudding

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Remove your cooled 9 x 13 red velvet cake from the pan and cut it into 2 x 2 cubes with a serrated knife. Place the cake cubes in a single layer on a sheet pan and bake in the preheated oven until they have become crispy around the edges and dry to the touch, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, combine the eggs, sugar, heavy cream, ricotta cheese and grated chocolate in a bowl and mix until smooth and well combined.

Place the cubed red velvet cake into a greased souffle dish and pour the custard over the cake. Press down on the cake pieces a bit to help them absorb the custard. Let sit for about 5 minutes on the counter.

Place a larger baking type dish (larger than your souffle dish) in the 350-degree oven with your souffle dish inside and fill halfway with very hot water. Bake the bread pudding in this water bath for 45-50 minutes. Check after 30 minutes. If at that point the top is getting too crispy, cover with foil for the remaining cook time.

Meantime, prepare the cream cheese sauce. With the whisk attachment on your mixer (or with a whisk) combine the cream cheese, heavy cream and powdered sugar in a bowl. Mix these until well combined and then add whole milk until you have a sauce of the consistency that you prefer.

Serve the bread pudding hot out of the oven or cold and drizzled with the cream cheese sauce.

(You could also make this recipe in single serve 6 oz. ramekins. Simple split the ingredients into 8 ramekins and bake for about 35 minutes in a water bath.)