Chocolate Banana Bread Pudding

This recipe comes from Cafe' Europa in the Fantasyland Hotel at the West Edmonton Mall in Canada and was recently published in Good Housekeeping. Prep time does not include chilling and cooling.

• Ready In: 1 hr 30 mins
• Serves: 12

Ingredients

• 1  loaf  firm  white bread
• 3  firm but ripe, bananas
• 4  large eggs
• 2  cups half-and-half or 2  cups  light cream
• 3⁄4 cup sugar
• 2⁄3 cup  semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Cut bread into 1/2-inch pieces.
2. Slice bananas into 1/2-inch chunks.
3. In large bowl, with wire wisk, beat eggs, half-and-half, and sugar until blended.
4. Gently stir in bread, bananas, and chocolate chips to combine.
5. Cover and refrigerate bread mixture at least 1 hour, occasionally pressing down bread to absorb cream mixture.
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
7. Grease 9-inch round springform or cake pan (at lease 2-inches deep).
8. Spoon mixture into pan. Pan will be very full.
9. Bake bread pudding, covered, 35 minutes.
10. Uncover and bake 45 to 50 minutes longer or until knife inserted in center of pudding comes out clean.
11. Cool pudding slightly on wire rack to serve warm.