Overnight French Toast with Lemon Cheesecake Filling

I love French toast, but for some reason I never order it when I go to restaurants. So every time I get the chance to buy good Challah or Brioche bread I know that they will end up in French Toast. This recipe is layers of bread, with a sweet cream cheese lemon filling and topped with fresh berries and sweetened toaste coconut. It’s almost like a sweet breakfast lasagna that you can’t just have one portion of.

If you try the recipe don’t forget to leave a comment or share it and tag #athomewitheugenia so I can see it.

Happy Cooking!

French Toast with Lemon Cheesecake Filling

Layer of sweet challah bread with lemon cheescake filling and topped with fresh berries and toasted coconut

  • 1 loaf Challah or Brioche Bread (1 or 2 days old)
  • 5 eggs (better if room temperature)
  • 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 cup cream cheese (room temperature)
  • 2 tbsp lemon zest
  • 3 tbsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar
  • 1/2 cup blueberry
  • 1/2 cup raspberry
  • 1/4 cup sweetened coconut

Conventional Oven Method

  1. Prepare an oven safe baking dish by slightly buttering it, set aside.

  2. Slice Bread in enogh pieces to have 2 layers and 3 extra slices to cub to put on top

  3. On a bowl mix eggs and whipping cream until smooth and consistent. This will be achieved easier if the eggs are room temperture.

  4. On a separate bowl, and with and electric mixer, mix cream cheese, powdered sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest until well combined.

  5. Place one layer of bread covering the bottom of the baking sheet, you might need to cut some pieces to make it fit better. This is ok!

  6. Add a generous layer of the cream cheese mixture and some blueberries and raspberries

  7. Add one more layer of bread

  8. Add the rest of the cream cheese filling

  9. Top with the cubed pieces of bread

  10. Pour the egg and whipping cream mix evenly across the dish, cover and let sit in the fridge overnight.

Cooking Instructions

  1. Remove prepared dish from fridge 20 minutes before baking

  2. Preheat oven to 350 Farenheit or 180 Celsius

  3. Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes

  4. In the meantime, on a shallow pan, toast coconut until slightly golden, remove immediately to a cold plate (if you don't it will burn)

  5. After the initial 30 minutes, remove foil, add coconut and cook for another 15 minutes.

  6. Remove from oven, add remaining raspberries and blueberries on top and serve.

Slow Cooker Method

  1. Add ingredients to slow cooker layering like in the conventional oven method

  2. Set slow cooker to low and cook for 8 hours

  3. Once the cooking time is over, add toasted coconut and berries. Serve and enjoy!

I didn’t add any syrup because the filling was already sweet enough, but you can absolutely do it if you want.