There’s something wonderfully nostalgic about desserts built around gooey sauce and a soft sponge. Whether it’s bread and butter pudding, jam and custard sponge or a classic sticky toffee pudding, these are the sorts of puddings that feel instantly comforting and make the cooler nights of autumn feel that bit more welcoming.
Sainsbury’s latest Loaded range takes that familiar appeal and turns it up several notches with an explosion of exciting flavours, building on their existing selection of cookie doughs, brownies and cheesecakes. The new jam & custard doughnut pudding (£6) has caught my eye in particular – an reinvention of the retro roly-poly sponge, it combines doughnut pieces with two classic fillings, creating a warm, shareable pudding that I simply can’t wait to sink a spoon into.
The banana & blonde chocolate doughnut pudding (£6) is an even more indulgent option, layering golden doughnut chunks with banana custard, caramel-flavoured white chocolate sauce, dark chocolate pieces and fudge. It’s basically a reinvention of their previously popular limited edition banana blonde sponge pudding. Best served gently heated in the oven, I reckon it would go down a treat with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or crème fraîche to cut through the richness.
Also joining the latest loaded line-up, are two more unapologetically sticky and moreish creations. Sainsbury’s loaded cinnamon & caramel sticky buns (£4.50 for two) combine cinnamon-swirled Danish-style buns with spiced crème pâtissière, toffee sauce, caramelised biscuit crumbs and milk chocolate chunks. They sound ideal for a slow weekend breakfast, although I’d happily devour one as a pudding, too.
The chocolate & pistachio sticky buns (£4.50) pay homage to the viral Dubai chocolate trend, pairing rich chocolate with the nutty flavour that has become almost omnipresent across supermarket launches. If pistachio desserts are still on your shopping list, these could be an easy way to get your fix.
Sainsbury’s isn’t alone in giving classic bakes a loaded makeover. As a keen purveyor of puddings, I’ve been delighted to spot similar creations popping up on supermarket shelves across the board. I recently wrote about Tesco’s newly launched rolled & loaded cinnamon buns, whilst also honing in on the trend; M&S has its own dunked n’ loaded doughnuts, chunked n’ loaded cookies and a sharing size jam roly poly pudding, Asda sells millionaire’s loaded donuts and Waitrose has a No.1 sticky cinnamon bun pudding, just to name a few.
The range feels like a natural meeting point between retro puddings and the current craze for oversized, loaded bakery treats. I can’t wait to dash over to my nearest store and get stuck in, it’s probably worth working off a few calories in advance!
Want to try a homemade version of these decadent desserts? Make our lemon and raspberry doughnut pudding or leftover cinnamon bun focaccia bread and butter pudding, and discover more retro dessert ideas.
Also check out more recent supermarket releases, including Sainsbury’s range of filled pasta, M&S’ custard cream spread, Aldi’s 21p mince pies and Tesco’s NY bakery stuffed pizza bagels.
