Diana's Plum Pudding (Plum Pudding of Infamy)

This is a bread pudding baked in a bundt pan, filled with plums and studded with raisins, served with a soft or hard sauce. It's known at our house as the Plum Pudding of Infamy...we doubted my mom for days when she said she was going to make it for Christmas dinner...oh, how wrong we were to mock her! We were darn lucky she didn't withhold this from us. It's delicious warm, room temperature, and even cold the next day! Prep and cook time does not include resting time. Adapted from Plum Pudding Murder, a novel by Joanne Fluke.

• Ready In: 1 hr 40 mins
• Serves: 8-10

Ingredients

• 1  loaf  white bread (20 ounce sandwich style bread)
• 2 (15 ounce) cans purple plums, drained, sliced in halves, pitted if necessary
• 2  cups golden raisins, divided
• 1 1⁄2 cups sugar, divided
• 2  teaspoons cinnamon, divided
• 1  cup  melted butter, divided
• 7  eggs
• 2  cups heavy cream
• 1  dash nutmeg

• Soft or Hard Sauce

• 1⁄2 cup  softened butter
• 2  cups powdered sugar
• 2  tablespoons milk or 2  tablespoons brandy or 2  tablespoons  whiskey or 2  tablespoons rum

Directions

1. Butter and flour inside of Bundt pan.
2. Remove crusts and ends of the loaf; reserve for another use, if desired.
3. Divide slices of bread into three even, separate piles.
4. Cut the first third of bread slices diagonally into fourths (to make 4 triangles).
5. Arrange these triangles in bottom of Bundt pan, fitting together like a jigsaw puzzle to completely cover the bottom and sides of pan.
6. Arrange 1/2 of the drained plum halves cut-side down on top of bread triangles in the bottom of the pan.
7. Top the plums with one cup of raisins sprinkled evenly around the layer.
8. Sprinkle with ½ cup of sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon.
9. Pour ½ cup melted butter over all.
10. Cut another third of the bread into triangles, and layer it over the plums and raisins.
11. Top that layer of bread with the remaining plum halves, raisins, ½ cup sugar, cinnamon, and butter.
12. Use the last third of bread,cut into triangles, to cover the ingredients int he bundt pan.
13. Use clean hands to GENTLY press down on bread to compress the ingredients and pack them into the pan, and sprinkle with remaining sugar.
14. Place Bundt pan on baking sheet with sides.
15. In a separate large bowl, beat eggs thoroughly, then add cream and mix inches.
16. Slowly pour egg mixture over top of pan, allowing it to soak into bread layers, being careful not to overfill pan (I used a bamboo skewer to open channels along edges of pan to let more egg mixture seep down. As it soaks in you can add more mixture.).
17. Sprinkle nutmeg over top and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
18. Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in middle position.
19. Place Bundt pan with baking pan in oven for 70 minutes.
20. Let cool for 20 minutes.
21. Turn out onto serving platter or cool completely, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
22. Bring to room temperature before serving (or warm individual slices in microwave).
23. Dust with powdered sugar.
24. For sauce:
25. Beat butter until fluffy.
26. Beat in 1 cup sugar and 1 tablespoon liquor OR milk.
27. Repeat with remaining sugar and liquor OR milk.
28. Beat until smooth and thick, but pourable.
29. Store covered in refrigerator.
30. Let stand at room temperature for ½ hour before serving.
31. Drizzle pudding with hard sauce, soft sauce, or top with ice cream before serving.