Print

Classic Capirotada Recipe Easy Mexican Bread Pudding with Rich Rum Sauce

Classic Capirotada Recipe - featured image
Print Recipe

A comforting Mexican bread pudding featuring toasted bolillo or French bread layered with cheese, nuts, raisins, and a rich cinnamon-infused rum syrup. This dessert is quick to prepare, festive, and perfect for gatherings.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 4 cups bolillo or French bread, sliced and toasted (stale bread works perfectly)
  • 2 cups shredded Oaxaca or mozzarella cheese
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 ½ cups piloncillo or dark brown sugar
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 2 cloves
  • 1 strip of orange peel
  • ¼ cup dark rum (optional but highly recommended)
  • ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted
  • ½ cup golden raisins or chopped dried apricots
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Slice bolillo or French bread into ½-inch thick slices. Brush each slice lightly with melted butter on both sides and arrange on a baking sheet. Toast for 10-12 minutes until golden and crisp but not burnt.
  2. In a medium saucepan, combine water, piloncillo (or brown sugar), cinnamon stick, cloves, and orange peel. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes until syrup thickens slightly and is fragrant. Remove from heat, discard cloves and orange peel, then stir in rum. Let cool slightly.
  3. Butter a 9×13 inch baking dish lightly. Arrange a layer of toasted bread slices at the bottom, overlapping slightly. Sprinkle a handful of shredded cheese, nuts, and raisins evenly over the bread. Drizzle some of the warm syrup over this layer.
  4. Continue layering bread, cheese, nuts, raisins, and syrup until ingredients are used or dish is full. Finish with a generous layer of cheese on top.
  5. Cover the baking dish loosely with foil and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes until the top is bubbling and golden.
  6. Let the capirotada cool for 10 minutes before serving so it sets and flavors meld. Spoon warm slices onto plates and drizzle with extra rum sauce if desired.

Notes

If syrup thickens too much while cooling, gently warm it again and stir in a splash of water to loosen. Don’t skip brushing bread with butter to achieve crispy-chewy texture. Use day-old bread for best results. For dairy-free, substitute cheese with vegan alternative or omit. Rum can be omitted or replaced with vanilla extract or orange juice for non-alcoholic version.

Nutrition

Keywords: capirotada, Mexican bread pudding, rum sauce, piloncillo, bolillo bread, holiday dessert, easy dessert, traditional Mexican dessert

Find it online: https://lucydishes.com/classic-capirotada-recipe-easy-mexican-bread-pudding-with-rich-rum-sauce/