Strawberry Cheesecake French Toast Casserole
Ingredients
- French Toast:
- 10-12 pieces thick-sliced bread (Challah, French, Texas Toast, etc.)
- 12 eggs
- 3 cups strawberries, sliced, plus more for garnish
- 1 (8oz) package cream cheese
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- Strawberry Syrup:
- 3/4 cup strawberry jam
- 3/4 cup maple syrup
Preparation
- In a medium bowl, cream together sugar and cream cheese, and lemon juice, and thoroughly combine.
- In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, half-and-half, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg, and set aside.
- Cut bread into cubes, and transfer to bowl with egg mixture. Stir to coat.
- Layer half of bread mixture in bottom of a greased 9×13 inch baking dish, then layer half of sliced strawberries and half of cream cheese mixture. Repeat each layer with remaining ingredients.
- Cover tightly with foil and refrigerate 4-8 hours, or overnight (optional).
- Preheat oven to 350ºF, and remove casserole from fridge while the oven heats.
- Leaving foil on, bake casserole for 30 minutes, then remove foil and bake an additional 25-30 minutes, or until top is golden brown and egg mixture is cooked through.
- While casserole is baking, mix together strawberry jam and maple syrup in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high at 30 second intervals until mixture is warm and jam has melted into syrup.
- Serve casserole warm with strawberry syrup, and enjoy!