raspberry dark chocolate french toast bake

It's almost Mother's Day! Unfortunately for me, because of classes ending and needing to move out of my apartment, I won't be with my mom this Mother's Day, though I will be with her the very next day. 🙂 What kind of traditions does your family have for this special day? We always give my mama flowers or plants {gardening is her true love!}, along with other small presents, and let her choose where to go for dinner. I know a lot of people do breakfast-in-bed or brunch for their moms, which I think is the cutest, sweetest idea EVER! I know my mother would never eat in her bed, but when I'm a mom someday... this will have my seal of approval.

Although I know my mom wouldn't want breakfast-in-bed, I'm sure she would still love breakfast! When I was little, I remember her making french toast sometimes on weekend mornings or any occasion where we didn't have to wake up early and rush to school. The only problem I have with french toast, personally, is that it stinks when you have to make it for more than 1-2 people! Unless you have a giant griddle, you'll waste the whole morning flipping toast in a pan instead of enjoying time with your mom. So, I got to thinking... French toast in the oven! One of my mama's favorite desserts is bread pudding, and this is basically a cross between french toast and bread pudding. Win! This is super simple, easy to make-ahead, and you won't be slaving away at the stove all morning! I added in chunks of dark chocolate, raspberry jam, and fresh raspberries for a fun, fancy twist. Being Mother's Day and all, I had to incorporate some pink! 🙂

Looking for more Mother's Day ideas? Here are fun recipes from other food bloggers!
Creamy Shrimp Salad with Cucumber and Celery by Our Little Family Adventures
Simple Sweet Muffins by Not Just Paper and Paint
Strawberry Cinnamon Rolls with Orange Lemon Cream Cheese Glaze by Simply Caribbean
... more to come soon! ...

Print Recipe

Raspberry Dark Chocolate French Toast Bake

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr

Total Time1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast

Servings: 6

Author: Valentina | The Baking Fairy

Ingredients

• 1 loaf french bread sliced in ½" slices
• 3 eggs
• 1 ½ cups milk
• ⅓ cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3-4 tablespoon seedless raspberry jam
• ½ cup fresh raspberries washed and dried
• ½ cup dark chocolate chips or bar of chocolate broken into small pieces

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400F, and spray a 9x9 baking pan with nonstick spray. Set aside.
• Place the slices of bread onto a baking sheet, and place in the oven for a few minutes as it pre-heats. When one side of the bread is toasted, flip the slices and toast the other side. If your bread is sufficiently stale/hardened, you can skip the toasting step!
• Arrange the sliced bread in a single layer in your prepared pan. I placed mine "sitting up" so all the bread would fit in my pan, and also because I thought the crusty edge on the top would look extra pretty.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, vanilla, raspberry jam, and powdered sugar, and beat until smooth (the jam will stay in tiny chunks, that's okay!). Pour the mixture evenly over your prepared bread in the pan. Now, grab the raspberries and chocolate chunks, and tuck them in-between the slices of bread. They will seep into the bread as it bakes and make your french toast super yummy! Top with additional chocolate and raspberries if desired.
• Cover the pan with aluminum foil, and place in oven for about 60 minutes. Then, remove foil and continue baking for another 20-30 minutes. French toast should be minimally jiggly in the center! Let cool for 15-20 minutes before cutting and serving. Top with extra powdered sugar and serve with more fresh berries!
• Pro tip: you can make this the night before, then just reheat in the oven the next morning! 🙂