How to salvage Easter leftovers: Cooking with Ayeh goes viral after showing how to make ‘Hot Cross Bun Pudding'

The only possible downside to lavish Easter feasts is leftovers and figuring out what to do with them.

If you find yourself struggling with excess hot cross buns or chocolate Easter Eggs from the holidays, a foodie based in Sydney has got you covered.

On Good Friday, Ayeh Manfre, more commonly known as Cooking with Ayeh, posted a TikTok showing her 2.3 million followers how to make Hot Cross Bun Pudding with Easter leftovers.

The video went viral, garnering over 114k views within 24 hours of posting.

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Recipe for Cooking with Ayeh's Hot Cross Bun Pudding with Easter leftovers

Hot cross buns are an Easter tradition. The spiced sweet bun is adorned with a cross on top to symbolize Jesus' crucifixion on Good Friday. The item is a favorite during the holy week, making for common leftovers.

Ayeh proposed her new dessert recipe for Hot Cross Bun Pudding as the answer to these leftover buns, calling the delicious treat a "crowd favorite."

She started the video by saying:

"If you're like me and love hot cross buns, you have to make this dessert for Easter!"

The dessert is quick to whip up and requires minimal effort. This makes it perfect even for amateur cooks who aren't as well-versed with intricate and elaborate recipes.

Ayeh's Hot Cross Bun Pudding only requires six ingredients. The viral recipe for the dish calls for a six-pack of hot cross buns, custard, one's choice of milk, vanilla essence, cinnamon, and salt.

To start off, you need to slice the six-pack of hot cross buns in half and butter the bottom half generously. Then, in a large bowl, add 350 mL of custard and 180 mL of your choice of milk (Ayeh uses almond milk).

Add a dash of vanilla, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt to the bowl. Ayeh doesn't mention the exact measurements here, so it is recommended to eyeball these ingredients and add them to taste. Mix the ingredients together thoroughly with a whisk or fork.

Soak your buttered hot cross buns in a custard mixture as shown (Images via cookingwithayeh/TikTok)

Place the hot cross buns in an oven-safe deep dish and pour the liquid mixture over them. This needs to be rested for about an hour to allow the buns to soak up all the flavor from the custard mixture.

These hot cross buns need to be baked in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until they come out "golden and bubbly." They are best served hot straight out of the oven.

Ayeh specifically recommends using a deep dish for this recipe to ensure that the pudding does not overflow in the oven.

Commenters under the viral TikTok likened the easy recipe to other dishes like Bread and Butter Pudding and Hot Cross Buns French Toast.

This isn't Ayeh's only venture into Easter leftover recipes.

She posted another recipe for Easter Rocky Road for when you have leftover Easter Eggs. This chunky block of chocolate includes layers of different-flavored Easter Eggs, marshmallows, and biscuits.

Ayeh also posted her own twist on the traditional hot cross buns last Easter — choco-chip hot cross buns.