Cherry Cheesecake French Toast

A rich overnight French toast stuffed with a creamy cherry cheesecake filling for the ultimate brunch treat.

Course Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine American, Southern

Keyword cherry-cheesecake-french-toast-casserole, cherry-french-toast-recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 45

Stand time 5

Total Time 1

Servings servings (may vary)

Calories 271kcal

Ingredients

1 18-20 inch loaf French bread (or two 10 inch)
1 8 oz block cream cheese softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar divided use
8 large eggs divided use
2 tsp pure vanilla extract divided use
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 20 oz can premium cherry pie filling
2 cups whole milk or half and half
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 Tbsp turbinado sugar (sugar in the raw)
powdered sugar for dusting

Instructions

Spray a 13x9-inch baking dish with cooking spray or slather with softened butter.
Divide French loaf evenly cutting in half. Cut each half into 8 or 9 one inch slices.(Depending on length of loaf) Center side by side in dish.
In a medium size mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to whip together cream cheese,1/3 cup granulated sugar, 2 eggs, 1 tsp vanilla and almond extracts. Beat until smooth.
Fold in cherry pie filling by hand. Separate slices of bread and stuff each evenly with the cherry cream cheese filling.
In a medium size mixing bowl, whisk together 6 eggs, milk, 1/3 cup sugar, salt, nutmeg and 1 tsp vanilla until fully combined.
Pour egg mixture evenly over bread, cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Remove from fridge and sit on counter for 10-15 minutes to bring to room temperature. Remove plastic wrap and sprinkle the top with turbinado sugar.
Bake for 40-45 minutes or until puffed and golden. Check to see if egg custard is cooked through. If not, lay foil loosely on top and bake for 5 minutes longer.
Let stand for 5 minutes, then divide and serve dusted with powdered sugar.

Notes

Bread - A dense bread works best for this stuffed french toast recipe. You could use day old brioche or challah in place of french bread.
Pie Filling - When "premium" pie filling is mentioned it means that you should choose a quality pie filling that has lots and lots of cherries. Your favorite brand will work!
Berries - There's plenty of room here to make this dish in different flavors using altenate flavora of pie fillings. You might like to try blueberry french toast with a hint of lemon zest or strawberry french toast. The sky's the limit with variations.
Cream Cheese - You can lighten the cheesecake filling, use one 8 ounce block of softened Neufchatel cheese in place of full fat cream cheese.
Nutmeg - You could use a dash of cinnamon in place of nutmeg.
Be Patient - When pouring the egg custard over the stuffed french bread pieces, do it gently so as not to disturb the cheesecake filling mixture.
Alternate Stovetop Preparation - This recipe is designed to be made in advance and stored overnight prior to baking. You could stuff bread slices, dip in the egg mixture and fry in a skillet or a griddle to eat immediately. When doing so, top with warm cherry preserves or drizzle with maple syrup prior to serving.
Baking Dish - The layering of the french toast is achieved best in a standard rectangular baking dish or a slightly smaller pan to keep the filling inside. You can use a 12x8-inch or 13x9-inch pan for assembling and baking, if that's what you have handy. Either size will work.

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