Treat yourself to a little bit of Caribbean sunshine with this indulgent tropical treat courtesy of the chefs at Saint Lucia's exclusive Sugar Beach, A Viceroy Resort...

The Cake
450g torn breakfast rolls, such as croissants, cinnamon rolls, pain au chocolat or brioche
45g raisins
225g ripe plantains
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 tsp clarified butter

Pudding Mix
150g white sugar
5 whole eggs
160 ml full fat milk
180 ml double cream
1/3 tsp vanilla pod seeds

Dulce de Leche
1 lt full fat milk
340g sugar
1 vanilla pod, split and
seeds scraped
1/2 tsp bicarbonate soda

Mix all the pudding mix ingredients together and chill. Peel and cut the plantains lengthways then heat the vegetable oil in a heavy sauté pan, and roast the plantains. Once they are lightly browned, add the butter.

Pat the plantains dry to remove any excess oil and set one layer on top of the bread in the dish, repeat with another bread layer followed by plantains. Cover the top with some of the left over crumbles and compress.

Pour over the pudding mix until well soaked and cook at 160 oC in a bain marie for 45 minutes or until set.

Combine the milk, sugar, vanilla pod and seeds in a large, 4 litre saucepan and place over a medium heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved, then add the bicarbonate of soda and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to low and cook uncovered at a bare simmer. Stir occasionally, but do not re-incorporate the foam that appears on the top of the mixture. Continue to cook for 1 hour. Remove the vanilla pod after 1 hour and continue to cook until the mixture is a dark caramel colour and has reduced to about 240 ml, which will take approximately 1.5 to 2 hours. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve and drizzle over the cake. Serve with coconut or vanilla ice cream.

Sugar Beach, A Viceroy Resort
From the finest international cuisine at the Great Room to delightfully casual tropical tastes at The Bayside Restaurant, you’ll find exceptional culinary choices to please every palate at Sugar Beach, A Viceroy Resort on St Lucia’s scenic southwest coast. Set within over 100 acres of tropical rainforest with awe-inspiring views of the Caribbean and St Lucia’s dramatic twin Pitons, the resort’s celebrated collection of dining experiences is more than equal to the view.