Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bread (Printable)

Creamy caramel cheesecake meets tender apples in this rich bread pudding, topped with luscious caramel drizzle for the ultimate fall dessert.

# What You’ll Need:

→ Bread and Fruit

01 - 8 cups brioche or challah bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 1 standard loaf, day-old preferred)
02 - 2 large apples (Granny Smith or Honeycrisp), peeled, cored, and diced

→ Cream Cheese Mixture

03 - 8 oz cream cheese, softened
04 - 1/2 cup granulated sugar
05 - 1/2 cup caramel sauce, plus more for drizzling
06 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

→ Custard

07 - 4 large eggs
08 - 2 cups whole milk
09 - 1 cup heavy cream
10 - 1/2 cup brown sugar
11 - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
12 - 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
13 - 1/4 teaspoon salt

→ Topping

14 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
15 - 2 tablespoons brown sugar

# How-To Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with butter or nonstick spray.
02 - Arrange bread cubes and diced apples evenly in the prepared baking dish.
03 - In a medium bowl, beat softened cream cheese with granulated sugar until smooth. Add caramel sauce and vanilla extract, mixing until fully combined.
04 - Drop dollops of the caramel cream cheese mixture evenly over the bread and apples.
05 - In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, heavy cream, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until well blended.
06 - Pour the custard evenly over the bread, apples, and cream cheese mixture. Gently press down to soak the bread thoroughly.
07 - In a small bowl, combine melted butter and brown sugar. Drizzle over the top of the pudding.
08 - Cover loosely with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
09 - Remove foil and bake an additional 20 minutes, or until golden brown, puffed, and set in the center.
10 - Let cool for 10 minutes before serving. Drizzle with extra caramel sauce if desired.

# Expert Hints:

01 -
  • It looks impressive enough for company but comes together in under two hours, which means you can actually have a life while it bakes.
  • The bread pudding soaks up all that caramel-cream cheese goodness while staying tender, creating pockets of flavor that feel like little surprises in every bite.
  • You can prep the whole thing the night before and just pop it in the oven, making it perfect for mornings when you need something warm and comforting without the stress.
02 -
  • If your center still jiggles after baking, give it a few more minutes rather than overcooking the edges to firm it up; carryover cooking will finish it while it cools.
  • Day-old bread is genuinely critical—I learned this by ruining two bread puddings with fresh bread before understanding why texture matters.
  • The caramel sauce temperature affects how it disperses; slightly warm sauce swirls more evenly than cold sauce straight from the fridge.
03 -
  • Make sure your cream cheese is truly softened before beating, which means leaving it on the counter for at least an hour rather than microwaving it into a weird texture.
  • Whisking the custard for a full minute ensures the brown sugar dissolves completely, preventing graininess in what should be a silky mixture.
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