When leftovers stare at me from the back of the cupboard, I have to use them. I was fortunate enough to get hold of both a cherry panettone and a chocolate-chip panettone this Christmas, used both in bombes, and naturally had a fair chunk of each left over. I have fond memories of black forest gateau and often default to it in times of sugary need. Cherry and chocolate bread? How can I turn it into anything else?! In just a few minutes you get this dark, sweet jammy delight which fills you with gooey indulgence. Yummy. You could make this with a traditional custard, but I find the caramel-style base gives a rich and satisfying finish.

Of course I wouldn’t usually have these two types of bread available, so I imagine normal bread / sponge dotted with chunks of dark chocolate and tinned cherries would likely achieve just as tasty results.

Black forest bread pudding:

4 slices cherry panettone

4 slices chocolate-chip panettone

2 tablespoons black cherry jam

100g sugar

2 tablespoons water

300ml milk (I used semi)

125g dark chocolate, chopped

2 eggs, beaten

2 tablespoons kirsch

Icing sugar to serve

Pre-heat the oven to 180°C.

Layer the bread in a casserole dish. Spread the jam on the underside of the bread as you do this.

Melt the water and sugar in a saucepan over a medium heat and allow to bubble. Meanwhile melt the milk and chocolate together in a separate pan and add a tiny pinch of salt.

When the sugar syrup starts to turn golden and the chocolate has melted into the milk, add the milk to the syrup. It will splutter and spit so be careful. After a minute’s bubbling turn the heat off and add the eggs and kirsch. Whisk vigorously to ensure the egg doesn’t scramble, and once it is incorporated pour the mixture over the bread. If the bread is a little stale you may want to leave it to steep for a few minutes to moisten it.

Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, or until the top starts to turn crisp. Dust with icing sugar and serve.