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Wet Nelly (English)

english-wetnellyAlso called Wet Nelly in Liverpool and Nelson’s Cake or Nelson Bread Pudding, it’s a fabulous but frugal recipe that uses up stale bread. It’s made in many forms, with my Granny’s Traditional Bread Pudding recipe being baked and then cut into squares. Nelson’s Slices is another variation on this recipe, where the bread pudding part is baked between two layers of pastry. There’s also an Irish recipe which is similar called Gur Cake.

5-6 slices stale bread (225 g)
milk (300 mL)
dried mixed fruit (225 g)
mixed candied peel (25 g)
2 tsp. mixed spice
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
Demerara sugar (90 g)
2 eggs, beaten
vegetarian suet or melted butter (60 g)
2 Tbsp. orange marmalade
1 large lemon, freshly grated
1 large lemon, freshly zested

Tear the bread into even-sized pieces and soak in the milk for about 30 minutes.

Preheat an oven to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4).

Melt the butter in the microwave or a small saucepan if using butter and not suet.

In a large bowl, mix all the remaining ingredients together well.

Beat the milk-soaked bread to remove any lumps and then tip it into the bowl with all the remaining ingredients.

Mix it all together, then spoon it into a well-buttered baking dish, 20x20 cm.

Sprinkle Demerara sugar on top.

Bake for 1-1½ hours, or until the bread pudding is well puffed up, crispy and golden brown. It may sink on cooling, but that's fine.

Cut into squares and serve warm with cream or custard.

Makes 12 servings.

Cook's Notes:  You can also make this with Brioche or any type of bread product, as long as it is not too savoury.

Air fryer:

  • Preheat the air fryer to 350°F (180°C) and set to the BAKE function. I used a Ninja Max Health Grill and Air Fryer. Once the appliance has heated up, place the baking dish in the base container and bake for 30-45 minutes. Check after 30 minutes.
  • Freeze individual portions in cling film or baking paper for the future. However, it keeps in the fridge for up to 3 or 4 days, and even longer if you've added rum or brandy.
  • Reheat in the microwave for about 1½ minutes for each square.