Stuffed Cream Cheese French Toast Recipe | Easy Brunch Breakfast Bake
A make-ahead stuffed cream cheese French toast bake with a rich custard and tangy, lightly sweet cream cheese filling. Bakes up golden on top and custardy inside for an easy, crowd-pleasing brunch.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Butter, for greasing the baking dish
- 1 loaf (14–16 oz) brioche or challah, cut into 1.5–2 inch cubes (day-old works best)
- 6 large eggs
- 2 cups whole milk (or 1 1/2 cups milk + 1/2 cup heavy cream)
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2–3 tablespoons milk, as needed to loosen filling
- 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar or granulated sugar (optional, for topping)
- Fresh berries, for serving (optional)
- Maple syrup, for serving (optional)
- Powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)
Instructions
Instructions
- Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with butter and cube the brioche or challah; if very soft, let the cubes dry on a sheet pan for 30–60 minutes.
- Beat softened cream cheese with powdered sugar until smooth, then mix in lemon zest and vanilla; whisk in 2 tablespoons milk, adding more as needed until thick but spreadable.
- Whisk eggs, milk, granulated sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt until well combined, then whisk in the melted butter to form a silky custard.
- Scatter half the bread cubes in the dish, pour over about half the custard, and press gently to help the bread absorb.
- Dollop the cream cheese mixture evenly over the soaked bread, top with remaining bread cubes, and pour the rest of the custard over; press again to help absorb.
- Sprinkle the top with turbinado or granulated sugar if using.
- Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes up to overnight, or let stand at room temperature for 20–30 minutes while preheating the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Uncover and bake for 35–45 minutes until the top is golden and the center is set with a slight jiggle; a knife near the center should come out mostly clean.
- Cool for 10 minutes before slicing, then serve with berries, maple syrup, and a dusting of powdered sugar if desired.
Notes
For best texture, use day-old bread and allow rest time so the custard fully absorbs. Bake until edges are set and the center has a slight jiggle (about 170–175°F internally). Variations: add 1–1 1/2 cups berries between layers, sprinkle a brown sugar-cinnamon mix for a swirl, swap in part ricotta with extra lemon zest, add chopped nuts on top, drizzle warmed chocolate-hazelnut over the filling, or sweeten the custard with maple syrup. Leftovers keep up to 4 days refrigerated; reheat at 325°F to re-crisp the top. Freeze slices up to 2 months.