An easy, delicious baked French toast filled with strawberries and cream cheese—perfect for breakfast, brunch, or even a cozy dinner.
Hi, I’m Kelly from Life Made Sweeter. This Overnight Strawberry and Cream Cheese French Toast Bake is a simple, make-ahead recipe that’s perfect for special mornings like Mother’s Day or any weekend when you want an effortless, memorable breakfast. Prepare it the night before, refrigerate, then bake in the morning for warm, gooey, fruity French toast ready to serve.
I used a 9-inch pie pan, but a 9×9-inch square baking dish works just as well. The bake layers fresh strawberries and cubes of cream cheese between soft bread pieces, then gets a crunchy brown sugar streusel on top. Finish with extra strawberries, a drizzle of syrup, a spoonful of whipped cream, or a dusting of powdered sugar for an extra-special touch.
Strawberry Cream Cheese French Toast Bake
6 to 8 servings
Ingredients
- 1 large loaf French bread, sourdough, or challah (day-old bread works best), cut into 1-inch cubes, discard the ends
- 8 oz (226 g) block-style cream cheese, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 1/2 cups (261 g) fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced, divided
- 6 large eggs
- 1 1/4 cups (296 ml) milk of your choice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) maple syrup or honey
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Streusel Topping:
- 1/3 cup (40 g) all-purpose flour (stir, spoon & level)
- 1/3 cup (68 g) light brown sugar, gently packed
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 6 Tablespoons (85 g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
Optional Toppings:
- Maple syrup
- Additional fresh strawberries or other fruit
- Whipped cream
- Powdered sugar
Instructions
- Lightly grease a 9×9-inch square baking dish or a 9-inch round pie pan. Arrange half of the bread cubes in the bottom of the pan.
- Scatter the cream cheese cubes and half the sliced strawberries evenly over the bread.
- Top with the remaining bread cubes.
- In a large bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the eggs, milk, cinnamon, maple syrup (or honey), and vanilla.
- Pour the egg mixture evenly over the bread, pressing the bread down slightly so it soaks up the liquid.
- Make the streusel: combine the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Cut in the cubed cold butter with a pastry blender or two forks until crumbly. Sprinkle the streusel over the soaked bread.
- Top with the remaining sliced strawberries. Cover tightly with foil and refrigerate overnight.
- In the morning, preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Bake covered with foil for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake an additional 25–30 minutes, until the casserole is puffed and golden.
- Let cool for 5 minutes, then serve warm with maple syrup and any desired toppings.
Notes
- To scale this up for a 9×13-inch casserole, increase ingredient amounts by about 1.5 times.
- Adapted from a similar overnight French toast concept; quantities and directions above reflect this strawberry and cream cheese version.
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