Baked Chocolate Strawberry French Toast
This baked chocolate strawberry French toast is the definition of dessert for breakfast. Soft, eggy chocolate brioche bread is soaked in a mixture of eggs and heavy cream, mixed with strawberries, and baked until golden delicious. Yum!
I’m a big fan of French toast. From traditional French toast to creative variations like stuffed French toast cups, I just love the flavor and texture of the classic sweet breakfast. I’ve been making it for my family for years, and now I’ve added a new recipe to my rotation.
I’ve started making this chocolate strawberry French toast casserole on the weekends, and everyone has absolutely loved it!
Why You’ll Love This Baked Chocolate Strawberry French Toast
- Basic Ingredients: This recipe uses basic ingredients found in your kitchen or grocery store.
- Easy: All you have to do is mix, chill, and bake!
- Dessert for Breakfast: With a rich, eggy texture and tons of chocolate and strawberry flavor, this is dessert for breakfast.
Ingredients
- 6 cups chocolate brioche bread, cut into cubes
- 6 large eggs – room temperature
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2/3 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup strawberries – diced
- Powdered sugar for dusting on top, this is optional
- Maple syrup for drizzling over top, this is optional (Pure maple syrup is recommended)
Substitutions and Variations
- Chocolate Brioche: If you don’t have chocolate brioche, use regular and add 1/4 cup mini chocolate chips. If you can’t find any brioche bread, you can use challah or a thick bakery style white bread.
- Berries: Any of your favorite berries will work in place of strawberries.
- Bread: Any hearty, thick-sliced bread can be used.
- Heavy Cream and Coffee Creamer: You can use 1 cup of heavy cream and 1 cup of vanilla coffee creamer instead. You can even use half and half if you want. It may not be as rich tasting but, still delish.
Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons
- 9×13 baking dish
- Large mixing bowl
How to Make This Baked Chocolate Strawberry French Toast
1: Cut the bread into cubes and place them on a baking sheet to sit for a few hours to dry out. You can also bake them in a 200 degree oven for 10 minutes, flip, and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes. Cool the bread before making the recipe.
2: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray or butter a 9×13 baking dish. Set aside.
3: Whisk the eggs, cream (and creamer if using), vanilla, cinnamon, and brown sugar in a very large bowl.
4: Add the cubed bread and gently mix until coated. Then, mix in the diced strawberries.
5: Add the bread to the prepared baking dish, pressing it down evenly with a spatula. Then, chill for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
6: Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the casserole is fully set and a wooden skewer inserted comes out clean.
7: Remove the casserole and let it sit for 10 minutes. Then, slice and serve with powdered sugar and maple syrup.
Storage
Refrigerator: Store for up to 3 days in an air-tight container.
Reheat: Microwave individual portions at 30-second intervals until heated through.
What to Serve with Baked Chocolate Strawberry French Toast
Serve this on its own as a sweet, delicious breakfast, or pair it with your favorite savory items like bacon, sausage, and eggs.
Tips
- It’s important to let the bread cubes sit for a few hours to dry out. This allows them to absorb the custard more easily and keeps the casserole from getting mushy.
- Check your casserole after about 35 minutes for doneness. If it doesn’t jiggle and isn’t wet, it’s ready to go.
- It’s important to use room temperature eggs to ensure they fully combine with the other ingredients.
More French Toast Recipes
- Raspberry French Toast Breakfast Casserole
- Chocolate Peanut Butter French Toast Sandwich
- Baked Pecan French Toast
FAQ
It sure is! All the ingredients are the same. Only the cooking method is different. French toast is cooked on a skillet, while French toast casserole is baked in the oven.
No, but they are similar. French toast casserole is based on French toast, so it’s more eggy and less sweet. On the other hand, bread pudding is a dessert made with bread, so it’s much sweeter.
No. French toast casserole should be set with a custard-like texture and a slightly crisp top. If the casserole is too wet, too much custard was probably used, or the bread wasn’t sturdy enough.
Baked Chocolate Strawberry French Toast
This chocolate strawberry French toast is the definition of dessert for breakfast. Soft, eggy chocolate brioche bread is soaked in a mixture of eggs and heavy cream, mixed with strawberries, and baked until golden delicious. Yum!
Ingredients
- 6 cups chocolate brioche bread, cut into cubes
- 6 large eggs
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2/3 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup strawberries – diced
- Powdered sugar for dusting on top, this is optional
- Pure maple syrup for drizzling on top, this is optional
Instructions
-
1: Cut the bread into cubes and place them on a baking sheet to sit for a few hours to dry out. You can also bake them in a 200 degree oven for 10 minutes, flip, and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes. Cool the bread before making the recipe.
2: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray or butter a 9×13 baking dish. Set aside.
3: Whisk the eggs, cream (and creamer if using), vanilla, cinnamon, and brown sugar in a very large bowl.
4: Add the cubed bread and gently mix until coated. Then, mix in the diced strawberries.
5: Add the bread to the prepared baking dish, pressing it down evenly with a spatula. Then, chill for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
6: Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the casserole is fully set and a wooden skewer inserted comes out clean.
7: Remove the French Toast and let it sit for 10 minutes. Then, slice and serve with dust with powdered sugar and maple syrup if desired. Enjoy!
Thanks for stopping by! I hope you enjoy all the recipes posted today. To save and collect any favorites, pin them on Pinterest. It’s a great way of saving for later on. To copy and print out todays featured recipe for the most delectable chocolate strawberry French Toast, scroll up to the recipe card and just press print.
Please stop back again soon. There’s so many more recipes to see both sweet and savory. New ones too.
Bye for now…
Disclosure: You may see links to ingredients or cooking items in the ingredient, instructions, or equipment sections of this post. I’m a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. I will receive a small percentage of sales generated by these links. However, this in no way increases the price of the items.
