Make-Ahead Cinnamon Maple French Toast Bake

The countdown to our trip west is on! Between packing for the American Royal and the Jack, finishing chores, and running last-minute errands, I wanted a breakfast we could prep tonight and bake tomorrow morning.

This French toast bake gets a generous sprinkle of Hilltop Boilers Cinnamon Maple Sugar. We’re serving it with a fluffy maple mascarpone cream made with Hilltop’s Dark Maple Syrup. Breakfast is handled—now, back to that packing list!

Serves: 8–10
Prep: 20 minutes, plus overnight chilling
Bake: 45–55 minutes

Ingredients

French toast bake

• 1 loaf day-old French bread or brioche (about 14–16 ounces), cut into 1½-inch cubes

• 8 large eggs

• 2 cups whole milk

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream

• ⅓ cup packed brown sugar

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 2 tablespoons Hilltop Boilers Cinnamon Maple Sugar, divided

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• Butter or cooking spray for the baking dish

Maple mascarpone cream

• 8 ounces mascarpone, slightly softened

• 1 cup cold heavy whipping cream

• ¼ cup powdered sugar

• 3 tablespoons Hilltop Boilers Dark Maple Syrup

• Pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking dish and spread the bread cubes evenly inside.

2. Whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, brown sugar, vanilla, 1 tablespoon of Cinnamon Maple Sugar, and salt. Pour over the bread, pressing the top pieces down gently so they soak up the custard. Sprinkle the remaining tablespoon of Cinnamon Maple Sugar over the top.

3. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours, or overnight.

4. In the morning, heat the oven to 350°F. Set the dish out while the oven heats. Bake uncovered for 45–55 minutes, until the top is golden and the center is set rather than wet. If it browns too quickly, tent it loosely with foil. Let it rest for 10 minutes.

5. For the cream, beat the mascarpone, powdered sugar, maple syrup, and salt until smooth. In a separate bowl, whip the cold cream to medium-stiff peaks, then fold it into the mascarpone mixture. Keep chilled until serving.

6. Spoon the maple mascarpone cream over warm servings. Add another little drizzle of Dark Maple Syrup if you’d like. Yum!

Make-ahead tip: You can prepare the cream the night before, Make-Ahead Cinnamon Maple French Toast Bake with Maple Mascarpone Cream