Pineapple Upside Down Bulla Pudding
One thing I simply did not grow up eating was bulla. It was something that I just naturally never came across? It was never in my house, and growing up, I didn’t love ginger, so it was organically just never in my orbit. The double whammy is that a popular quintessential Jamaican combo is bulla and pear (avocado) — TWO things that I don’t fancy.
Don’t cancel me plsnthx.
Then comes 2025. I get invited to tour the Yummy Factory in Mandeville, and am introduced to Yummy Pineapple Bulla. I had never seen or heard of it before. I didn’t even know a bulla could pineapple. But upon erupting the plastic wrapper, a strong scent of pineapple soda immediately hit my nostrils… and I am indeed a fan of pineapple soda. So naturally, I took a taste. And there it was. Pineapple Soda in dessert form — Pineapple Bulla.
So my brain got to cranking, and I thought, “What if bulla could make bread pudding?” Couple that with the pineapple upside down cake that has been haunting me for the past 2 months, and you get this beautiful franken-dessert that is a cross between a pineapple upside down cake and a bread pudding, but with Pineapple Bulla as the main attraction.
Bone (pine)apple teeth.
Recipe (serves 2)
Ingredients:
1 Yummy Pineapple Bulla
1 1/2 tbsp butter, melted
2 pineapple slices (tinned)
2 maraschino cherries (optional)
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Dash of salt
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Melt butter over low heat, then distribute evenly between 2 ramekins (recipe can also be made in oven safe mugs), and spread butter to cover the entire bottom of each ramekin.
Take 1tbsp sugar and distribute evenly between the 2 ramekins, sprinkling evenly to coat the bottom of each ramekin.
Add a pineapple slice to the bottom of each ramekin, ensuring that the pineapple is as flat as against the bottom as possible. Then add a maraschino cherry in the middle of the slice.
Begin to crumble the Pineapple Bulla in chunks and distribute evenly between the 2 ramekins. Try to ensure there is an even layer of bulla on top to prevent doming.
In a separate bowl, beat eggs, milk, remaining sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.
Pour the wet ingredients over the bulla in the ramekins.
Bake uncovered for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. (If you used a mug, you can stop right here and dig right in after baking and enjoy!)
Let cool on a counter top or on a cooling rack for about 20 minutes. Do not refrigerate to speed up the cooling process.
Once cool enough to touch, use a butter knife to gently scrape along the sides to begin separating the pudding from the ramekin (just in case).
Flip over each ramekin onto a plate and jiggle until the pudding separates completely from the ramekin and onto the plate.
Voila!
