This panettone cherry French toast casserole is a sweet and indulgent treat that is perfect for serving a group! Chocolate chip panettone bread is soaked in a tasty egg mixture before being topped with cherry pie filling, chocolate chips, and an irresistible oatmeal streusel. This casserole is so delicious that your family will be requesting it over and over again!
Make-Ahead Panettone Cherry French Toast Casserole
Whenever I'm hosting out-of-town friends or family, I always feel like I need to have a delicious breakfast prepared in the morning. This panettone cherry French toast casserole is an impressive meal that can easily be prepped the night before you need it.
If you are looking for a great Christmas breakfast idea, this French toast casserole is hard to beat. Not to mention, it makes a decent amount so it is great for serving all of your guests!
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🥘 Panettone Cherry French Toast Casserole Ingredients
You can find pre-made panettone bread at any typical grocery store. For this recipe, I used the chocolate chip kind, but you could always choose whichever variety you like the best!
Cherry French Toast
- Panettone Loaf - One 17.5-ounce chocolate chip panettone loaf, cut into cubes.
- Cinnamon - 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.
- Eggs - 6 large eggs.
- Half & Half - 2 cups of half & half, heavy cream, or whole milk.
- Brown Sugar - ¼ cup of light brown sugar, packed.
- Vanilla - 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract.
- Salt - A pinch of salt to balance out the sugar.
- Cherry Pie Filling - A 21-ounce can of cherry pie filling. Or, you can try out my delicious homemade pie filling!
- Mini Chocolate Chips - 2 tablespoons of mini chocolate chips. You can use milk chocolate, semi-sweet, or dark based on your preferences.
Oatmeal Streusel Topping
- Oats - ½ cup of either old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats.
- Brown Sugar - ⅓ cup of light brown sugar, packed.
- Flour - ⅓ cup of all-purpose flour.
- Butter - 3 tablespoons of melted butter.
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🔪 How To Make Panettone Cherry French Toast Casserole
This easy recipe can be prepared and then baked, or made the night before and stored in the fridge until you are ready to bake it! To get started, grab a 9x13 baking dish, a couple of mixing bowls, and a silicone whisk!
This recipe will make a 9x13 casserole, which can be cut into 15 servings.
Prepare the Panettone French Toast
- Prepare the bread. To get started, lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish. Cut your 1 chocolate chip panettone loaf into cubes (if you haven't already) and spread them into an even layer in the prepared dish. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.
- Make egg mixture. Add 6 large eggs to a large mixing bowl and then beat them. Then, add in 2 cups of half & half, ¼ cup of light brown sugar, 1 tablespoon of vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Whisk until all of the ingredients are evenly distributed and then pour the mixture over top of the panettone.
- Add cherries and chocolate. Gently press down on the bread to make an even layer. Then, pour 21 ounces of cherry pie filling over top and use a wooden spoon to spread it evenly. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of mini chocolate chips over the top of the cherries.
- Store or bake. You have a few options at this point. You can preheat the oven while you prepare your streusel topping, or you can cover the dish with plastic wrap and place the casserole into the fridge to soak for 1 hour (or overnight).
Prepare the Streusel
- Preheat. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) while you prepare the oatmeal streusel topping.
- Mix the streusel. In a small mixing bowl, use a whisk to mix together ½ cup of oats (either old-fashioned or quick-cooking), ⅓ cup of brown sugar, and ⅓ cup of flour. Pour in 3 tablespoons of melted butter and mix it together using a fork until the mixture has a crumbly consistency.
- Bake. Evenly spread the streusel over the French toast casserole and then bake it on the center rack at 350°F (175°C) for 45-50 minutes.
- Serve. Once baked, remove the casserole from the oven. Sprinkle it with powdered sugar, if desired, or top it with whipped cream and maple syrup or chocolate syrup. Serve immediately.
This French toast is a great Christmas breakfast casserole. Even if you serve it by itself, your entire family will love it! Enjoy!
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- Try out my homemade cherry pie filling, or you can buy some from the store. If using canned cherry pie filling, try out these tips and tricks to make it taste better!
- This recipe calls for light brown sugar. However, dark brown sugar adds a rich flavor with a hint of molasses that is insanely tasty. Feel free to swap out your light brown sugar for dark brown sugar if you like!
- I like to use heavy cream when making this French toast casserole. However, you can choose to use heavy cream, half & half, or whole milk.
🥡 Storing & Reheating
If you happen to have any leftovers, place them into a sealed container and keep them in the fridge for 5 days at most.
To freeze, allow your casserole to cool completely and then transfer it to a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. Before reheating, allow it to defrost in the refrigerator overnight.
Reheating French Toast Casserole
Cover your baking dish with aluminum foil and bake it in the oven at 350°F (175°C) until heated to your liking (about 20 minutes).
❓ Recipe FAQs
Panettone bread is an Italian sweet bread that is commonly enjoyed around Christmas. It is typically studded with fruit or chocolate chips.
There are two reasons why your French toast could be soggy. First of all, if you added too much egg mixture to your bread. If you follow the measurements in this recipe, that won't be an issue.
Another reason your French toast casserole could be soggy would be if your bread was too fresh or not dried enough. If you think your bread needs to be dried, you can let it sit on the counter overnight.
French toast casserole can easily be enjoyed by itself. However, you can also pair it with some other breakfast items for a well-rounded meal. Serve it alongside some hashbrown casserole and chorizo and eggs.
🍒 More Cherry Recipes To Try
- Sugar Cookie Cherry Cobbler - This incredibly delicious dessert only uses 2 ingredients to make!
- Cherry Pie Bars - These easy-to-serve bars taste just like cherry pie but in tasty bar form!
- Maraschino Cherry Coffee Cake - This sweet cake features a cinnamon swirl, streusel topping, and even vanilla icing!
- Cherry Blueberry Dump Cake - Dump cake is extra easy because you just dump in your ingredients and toss it in the oven!
- Chocolate Chip Maraschino Cherry Almond Bars - Fudgy bars are topped with chocolate chips and maraschino cherries for an extra special treat!
- Chocolate Maraschino Cherry Brownies - These rich, chocolatey brownies are topped with a creamy cherry frosting!
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📖 Recipe Card
Panettone Cherry French Toast Casserole
Ingredients
Cherry French Toast
- 17.5 oz Panettone loaf (chocolate chip, cubed)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 6 large eggs
- 2 cups half & half (or whole milk, or heavy cream)
- ¼ cup light brown sugar (packed)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
- 21 oz cherry pie filling
- 2 tablespoon mini chocolate chips
Oatmeal Streusel Topping
- ½ cup old fashioned oats (or quick cooking oats)
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar (packed)
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoon butter (melted)
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
Prepare the Panettone French Toast
- To get started, lightly grease a 9x13 baking dish. Cut your chocolate chip Panettone loaf into cubes (if you haven't already) and spread them into an even layer in the prepared dish. Sprinkle with cinnamon.
- Add your eggs to a large mixing bowl and then beat them. Add in the half & half, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt. Whisk until all of the ingredients are evenly distributed and then pour the mixture over top of the Panettone.
- Gently press down on the bread to make an even layer. Then, pour the cherry pie filling over top and use a wooden spoon to spread it evenly. Sprinkle the mini chocolate chips over the top of the cherries.
- You have a few options at this point. You can preheat the oven while you prepare your streusel topping, or you can cover the dish with plastic wrap and place the casserole into the fridge to soak for 1 hour (or overnight).
Prepare the Streusel
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) while you prepare the oatmeal streusel topping.
- In a small mixing bowl, use a whisk to mix together your oats, brown sugar, and flour. Pour in the melted butter and mix it together using a fork until the mixture has a crumbly consistency.
- Evenly spread the streusel over the French toast casserole and then bake it on the center rack at 350°F (175°C) for 45-50 minutes.
- Once baked, remove the casserole from the oven. Sprinkle it with powdered sugar, if desired, or top it with whipped cream and maple syrup or chocolate syrup. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Try out my homemade cherry pie filling, or you can buy some from the store. If using canned cherry pie filling, try out these tips and tricks to make it taste better!
- This recipe calls for light brown sugar. However, dark brown sugar adds a rich flavor with a hint of molasses that is insanely tasty. Feel free to swap out your light brown sugar for dark brown sugar if you like!
- I like to use heavy cream when making this French toast casserole. However, you can choose to use heavy cream, half & half, or whole milk.
- To store: If you happen to have any leftovers, place them into a sealed container and keep them in the fridge for 5 days at most.
- To freeze: Allow your casserole to cool completely and then transfer it to a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. Before reheating, allow it to defrost in the refrigerator overnight.
- To reheat: Cover your baking dish with aluminum foil and bake it in the oven at 350°F (175°C) until heated to your liking (about 20 minutes).
Jeffrey Weber-Reek says
First I need a Panettone loaf , so OK you've got me stumped, where am I picking this up, a local bakery, Walmart ? Or can you supply a recipe for the Panettone loaf? Thank you, Jeffrey
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Hi Jeffrey! Yes, so sorry, I did pick this up at Wal-mart and it would be available at any of the local grocers that carry Panettone during the holidays. I didn't get to sharing my Panettone recipe this year but it's on my list of to-do's for next year. 🙂 Thanks for asking!