Brown sugar cinnamon streusel topping and a sweet glaze transform this overnight French toast recipe into COFFEE CAKE FRENCH TOAST CASSEROLE! This easy brunch recipe can be made up to 24 hours in advance and stored in the fridge until needed.
Crumb Cake French Toast
There’s just something so special about a long, lazy weekend breakfast. Key word: LAZY! Which is why I love this overnight French toast! It can be completely prepped the night before you plan on digging in. Simply layer everything in the baking dish, cover, and refrigerate until the next morning. Just like with this Overnight Bourbon Pecan Pie French Toast Casserole and Overnight Raspberry French Toast Casserole!
When you wake up, simply preheat the oven to 350, pull the casserole from the fridge, and pop it in the oven. Kick your feet up and enjoy a good book or the morning paper while it bakes! Or get started on a strong pot of coffee and warm up some maple syrup to enjoy with the French toast once it’s ready.
Is French Bread the BEST bread for French Toast?
As you jump to the recipe, you might be surprised to see I don’t call for French bread. The reason I use challah instead of French bread is 100% personal preference. You may substitute an equal amount of sourdough, brioche, or French bread if that’s what you have on hand. Keep in mind the texture will vary depending on what kind of bread you choose. Challah and brioche will yield a softer French toast while sour dough and French bread will yield a chewier more textured French toast.
Coffee Cake French Toast Ingredients
There are three parts to this recipe, so don’t get alarmed when you look at the recipe and see a long list; I promise a lot of the ingredients are repeated in each section. Below is everything you’ll need to make your French toast dreams a reality!
- Flour: All-purpose flour is used to make the crumb topping. I do NOT suggest using any other variety of flour in its place!
- Brown sugar: Flour, brown sugar, and butter make the most delicious crumb topping! But the brown sugar is also used in the French toast base to sweeten things up. In a pinch, dark brown sugar will work fine. But I don’t suggest using granulated sugar instead.
- Salt: Balances sweetness and enhances the other flavors like cinnamon, sugar and vanilla.
- Cinnamon: Just a pinch adds warmth, subtle spice, and depth of flavor. Feel free to add a little more if you REALLY love cinnamon.
- Butter: I always suggest using unsalted butter, but salted will work if that’s all you have on hand. Simply omit the salt called for.
- Bread: I used a 1 pound loaf of challah, but you may use French bread, brioche, or sour dough. Day old bread tends to work best for French toast, as it’ll really absorb all of the liquid when you pour on the egg mixture.
- Cream Cheese: Gives this a cheesecake vibe. It softens while baking and is absolutely delicious. If you want to skip it, simply leave it out; nothing needs to be substituted in its place.
- Milk: I have only tested this recipe with whole milk, aka full-fat milk, so I cannot suggest a plant based alternative.
- Heavy Cream: Adds richness and flavor! Please don’t skip this ingredient.
- Eggs: You’ll use whole eggs and egg yolks. Yolks create a binder without making the French toast taste “too eggy”. Don’t replace them with whole eggs.
- Vanilla Extract: Enhances the sweetness and adds flavor. Don’t use imitation vanilla, which will add a fake flavor and not enhance the dish.
- Espresso Powder: Adds just a subtle hint of coffee flavor. You may 100% omit this ingredient if desired.
- Confectioners’ Sugar: This sweetens and thickens the maple glaze. If you’d prefer to skip the glaze, that’s totally fine. Just serve with maple syrup instead.
- Maple Syrup: What’s French toast with syrup…?! You’ll use this in the glaze, but you’ll also want to have some on hand for serving. For an extra special treat, warm up your syrup before pouring it on your French toast. Warning: it’s a game changer!
How to Make Overnight French Toast
- Make the Crumb Topping: You’ll want to do this first so that the flour has time to absorb the butter and get nice and crumbly.
- Make the French Toast: Combine the bread cubes with the egg mixture. Top with cream cheese, then top with crumb topping.
- Chill: Cover the pan tightly with foil and refrigerate overnight.
- Bake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F). Let the casserole come to room temperature as the oven preheats. Then bake until golden brown.
- Serve: Drizzle with glaze and serve warm, with plenty of maple syrup!
More Coffee Cake Recipes:
- Chocolate Swirl Coffee Cake
- Coffee Cake Donuts
- Pumpkin Coffee Cake
- Coffee Cake with Streusel Topping
- Bakery-Style Coffee Cake Muffins
Coffee Cake French Toast Casserole
Ingredients
For the Crumb Topping:
- 1 and 1/3 cups (160g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (213g) light brown sugar packed
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter melted
For the French Toast Casserole:
- nonstick baking spray
- 1 pound challah bread cut into 1-inch cubes
- 8 ounces (227g) brick-style cream cheese cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 and 1/4 cups (284ml) milk
- 1 cup (227ml) heavy cream
- 6 large eggs
- 4 large egg yolks
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (213g) light brown sugar packed
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder optional
For the Glaze:
- 1 cup (113g) confectioners' sugar sifted
- 1/4 cup (60ml) maple syrup plus more for serving
- 3 Tablespoons (42ml) milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
For the Crumb Topping:
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Stir in the melted butter, mixing just until combined.
- Set aside while you prepare the rest of the recipe. The mixture will absorb the butter as it sits and become more crumbly by the time you’re ready to use it.
For the French Toast Casserole:
- Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray. Place the bread cubes into the prepared baking dish. Set aside.
- In a large bowl combine the milk, cream, eggs, yolks, vanilla, brown sugar, cinnamon, and espresso powder and beat until well combined.
- Pour the liquid mixture over the bread. Then top with the cream cheese cubes, nestling them evenly across the top of the pan.
- Sprinkle the top evenly with the crumb topping. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F). Remove the casserole from the fridge and let it come to room temperature for 15 (to 30) minutes.
- Place in the oven and bake - covered - for 30 minutes. Then carefully uncover and continue baking for another 30 to 35 minutes, or until golden brown and firm in the center.
- Drizzle with glaze and extra maple syrup right before serving!
For the Glaze:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar, maple syrup, milk, and vanilla. (If the mixture appears too thick to drizzle, add a teaspoon more of milk, until desired texture is reached.)
- Drizzle on top of french toast before serving.
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