Strawberry Cream Cheese French Toast Bake

April 15th, 2019

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Since strawberries are in season, this would be a good make-ahead recipe especially for overnight guests and with the Easter season upon us.

Ingredients:

1 large loaf of French bread, sourdough bread, or challah (day old bread works best), cut into 1-inch cubes with the ends discarded

1 (8oz) package cream cheese, cut into 1-inch cubes

1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced, divided

6 large eggs

1 1/4 cups milk of your choice

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/3 cup maple syrup or honey

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Streusel Topping:

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cubed

Optional Toppings:

maple syrup

fresh strawberries

other fresh fruit

whipped cream

powdered sugar

Instructions:

1. Lightly grease a 9x9-inch square baking dish or 9-inch round pie pan. Arrange half of the bread cubes in the bottom of the pan.

2. Layer cream cheese cubes and half of the strawberry slices evenly over the bread cubes.

3. Top with remaining bread cubes.

4. In a large bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the eggs, milk, cinnamon, maple syrup, and vanilla.

5. Pour evenly over bread cubes. Press the bread cubes slightly down to absorb the milk/egg mixture.

6. Make the streusel topping: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon together. Cut in the cubed butter with a pastry blender or two forks. Sprinkle the topping over the soaked bread.

7. Top evenly with the other half of the sliced strawberries. Cover pan with foil. Let chill in refrigerator overnight.

8. In the morning, remove french toast from fridge. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake covered with foil for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 25 to 30 minutes or until fluffy and golden.

9. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Top with syrup and additional toppings if desired. Serve warm.

Recipe Notes

To make this into a 9x13-inch casserole dish, you may have to increase the ingredients by 1.5 times or refer to the amounts used in the original recipe source

recipe courtesy of dessertnowdinnerlater.com