This baked cranberry almond French toast is sweet and made with fresh cranberries and sliced almonds, with a hint of almond in the batter. Topped with a light glaze and freshly whipped cream. On top of tasting amazing, your kitchen will smell incredible too!
This post is sponsored by Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk, but reflects my honest opinion of Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk.
Making this Cranberry Almond Baked French Toast
Making the custard
I hope the word custard doesn’t confuse you guys! A custard is simply a milk or cream that is thickened and cooked with egg. Which is exactly what we are doing with French toast—you mix milk and eggs, sweetened condensed milk, and a little extra flavoring, pour it over the bread and when it cooks, the bread is cooked in a custard which gives it that really rich flavor and texture to the bread.
In this recipe we add Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk to our custard which is poured and baked into our French toast! So why are we adding condensed milk? Well, unlike most French toasts, we don’t top this one with any syrup so we want to add a bit of sweetness to the custard. One of the things I love about Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk is that there are only two ingredients in it—milk and sugar—that’s it! So it is absolutely perfect for a recipe like this! Adding condensed milk to this recipe makes this custard super rich, flavorful, and the texture PERFECT!
Layering the Cranberry Almond French Toast
Making this baked really is simple! After you’ve whisked together your custard, take your greased baking dish and place the first layer of bread down along the bottom of the pan. Then, sprinkle half of your sliced almonds and fresh cranberries on top of your first layer of bread. Then, place your second layer of bread long top, covering the first bread layer completely. Sprinkle your remaining sliced almonds and fresh cranberries on top. Then you’ll pour your custard over top and let it soak!
How long does this French toast actually need to soak?
I like to let my soak overnight, it’s super easy to make the night before and then just pop it in the oven in the morning! However, it really only needs to sit for about an hour for the bread to really absorb all the custard before baking.
What kind of bread should I use?
I liked to use Italian bread, something not too soft and not too hearty. I’ve found if you use a super soft bread, something like regular white sandwich bread, it gets a little too soggy. I’ve also used French bread and really liked using that as well! My loaf was about 1 pound and I cut my slices ¾” thick. You should be able to get two full layers of French toast in your baking dish. If your loaf is significantly larger than 1 pound , don’t worry, in the cooking notes I have some additional instructions for you! You’ll just want to add an extra egg, a little extra milk, and a few more minutes to the bake time.
Once your cranberry almond French toast is done baking, let it cool for about 10 minutes. Drizzle your glaze over top and serve with freshly whipped cream!
Enjoy!
Alyssa
Check out these other yummy brunch ideas:
- Biscuits and Gravy Casserole
- Banana Cinnamon Rolls
- Gingerbread Cinnamon Rolls
- Buttermilk Blueberry Muffins
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Cranberry Almond Baked French Toast
Ingredients
French Toast:
- 1 ½ cups milk
- 6 eggs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 14 ounce can Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk (1 ¼ cup)
- 1 loaf Italian Bread about 1 pound, sliced into 1” slices, see notes
- 1 ½ cups fresh cranberries
- Scant ½ cup sliced almonds
Glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 ½-2 tablespoons milk
Whipped Cream:
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
French Toast:
- In a large mixing bowl whisk together milk,eggs, salt, almond extract, and vanilla until smooth. Then add in the Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk and whisk until smooth.
- Slice bread into 1” thick slices. In a 9x13
baking dish a place your first layer of sliced bread across the bottom. If necessary, cut bread slices in half to fit the bread entirely across the pan. - Sprinkle half the sliced almonds and fresh
cranberries across the first layer of bread. Place the second layer of bread across the pan and then sprinkle the remaining almonds and cranberries over top of the bread. - Pour your custard mixture evenly across the bread. Cover with foil and let sit for at least 1 hour or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake the
your French toast for (while still covered with foil) for 25 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes.
Glaze and Whipped Cream:
- While the French toast is baking make your glaze and whipped cream. Whip your cream with sugar and vanilla until you have stiff peaks. Refrigerate until needed.
- Whisk together your powdered sugar and milk
until you have a drizzable glaze. Start with 1 ½ tablespoons of milk and then add more if needed. - Let French toast cool for 5 minutes, then drizzle your glaze over top of the French toast and serve with whipped cream.
Notes
Nutrition
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