Mascarpone French Toast
This Mascarpone French Toast is the perfect way to add an extra special touch to a familiar breakfast dish.
This recipe is for when you want a little something extra with your french toast. Maybe it’s Valentine’s Day or a lazy Saturday. Or you’re having guests stay over during the holidays. Orrr maybe its just a random Tuesday and you want french toast, darn it. Either way, crispy golden brown french toast topped with mascarpone whipped cream and fresh berries is a guaranteed winner. Let’s make it!
My sister and I used to love ordering the Pain Perdu at Mimi’s Cafe, which is apparently what French toast is called in France. And the dish was actually stuffed with a cream cheesy concotion that–now that I think of it–was probably mascarpone. I’m not sure if the mascarpone part is french? But I do know its DELICIOUS. The fluffy, creamy topping pairs perfectly with crispy french toast. Fresh berries bring a little freshness to tie everything together.
Ingredient notes
- Egg bread, brioche or challah – these rich eggy breads are perfect for french toast. If slicing bread yourself, slice about 1 inch thick.
- Whole milk – for the custard, I like to use whole milk for just the right balance of richness. You can substitute plant-based milks if you can’t have dairy. It will change the texture a bit since the fat content will be different but you can still get a tasty result. And of course, plant-based milks bring their own unique flavors to the equation as well.
- Mascarpone cheese – you can substitute cream cheese if you would like but mascarpone and cream cheese do have different flavor profiles and textures. Mascarpone is sweeter than cream cheese and lacks the tang that cream cheese has. It’s also creamier and naturally more spreadable.
- Heavy whipping cream – no substitutes here, you’ll need to make whipped cream to mix with the mascarpone for the perfect mascarpone topping.
Why you’ll love this mascarpone french toast
- It’s easy! French toast, especially mascarpone french toast, is one of those dishes that seems extravagant but is actually ridiculously easy to make and impossible to mess up.
- Can be made ahead. I love to make a big batch of french toast, freeze it and warm it up for fun weekday breakfasts.
- Perfect for a crowd! Its easy to double this recipe and set up a serve-yourself-situation.
Recipe notes
Bread – If your bread didn’t come sliced, slice it to 1 inch thick. I used the challah from Trader Joe’s and got about 14 slices. I also wanted to make this recipe to use up the whole loaf. I mean, I know it’s not a big deal to have a few slices left over, but why not just use up the whole thing?
Mascarpone whipped cream. Make this first so it can be ready and waiting for you once the french toast is done. And while you’re at it, you probably will want to wash and slice the berries too.
French toast custard base – make sure to thoroughly beat the custard. You don’t want to see any streaks of egg whites across your finished toasts!
Soaking. You will want to soak the bread on each side for just a minute or two so heat the griddle or skillet before you start soaking the bread. The bread should be thoroughly wet, but not sopping.
Temperature. I like to use an electric griddle to make french toast because you can make more at once. I heat my griddle to 350F and cook on each side for 3-4 minutes. If using a skillet, you will want to use lower medium heat. I say “lower” because depending on your pan it can vary. A heavy pan like cast-iron will be fine with medium heat. If you are using a non-stick pan/something less sturdy, medium low should get you the right amount of heat for french toast.
Make ahead, storage & reheating
I LOVE doing breakfast prep because I love breakfast and I want to eat something good. Cool story, I know. But its just true. French toast lends itself beautifully to meal prep.
Make ahead
Just follow the recipe as written, then lay the french toasts in an even layer on a cooling rack or baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place in the freezer for about an hour before transferring to a freezer-safe bag or container.
Storage
Store left-over toast you plan to eat within 3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To store long-term, follow the make-ahead instructions above.
Reheating
My favorite way to reheat french toast is in the toaster! It works surprisingly well. Every toaster is a little different, so just toast until heated through. I’ve never had issues with it burning, and it gives it a little extra crunch that is very much welcome.
You can also reheat in a skillet on the stove until warmed through.
And while you can reheat in the microwave, I don’t recommend it. It will be a soggy and just not as good. But you do you.
Mascarpone French Toast Recipe
This Mascarpone French Toast is the perfect way to add an extra special touch to a familiar breakfast dish.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 14 slices 1x
- Category: breakfast
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
French toast
- 14 slices brioche/challah/egg bread about an inch thick (this is how many slices I got from the Trader Joe’s Challah loaf)
- 4 eggs
- 1 1/4 cup half and half
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- butter
Mascarpone topping
- 8 oz container mascarpone cheese
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Optional fruit topping
- 1–2 cups strawberries, sliced or chopped, *see notes for frozen fruit
Instructions
- Beat whipping cream. Place bowl and beaters in the freezer while you gather ingredients. Beat whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Add mascarpone cheese, maple syrup and vanilla and beat again until smooth. Place in the fridge while you make the french toast.
- Whisk half and half, eggs, cinnamon and vanilla extract in a large 9 x 13 baking dish until smooth.
- Heat a griddle or cast-iron pan over medium heat. I heated my griddle to 350F.
- Place as many bread slices as will fit in the baking dish, let sit for 1-2 minutes, then flip.
- Once the griddle is hot, add a pat of butter and spread around. Remove a slice of bread from the egg mixture and let excess drip off before placing on the griddle. Repeat with remaining slices. Cook french toast on each side for 4-5 minutes or until golden brown.
- Transfer to plates and serve with mascarpone topping, strawberries and maple syrup.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Temperature/griddle – if you won’t be using a griddle, heat a heavy pan (like cast-iron) to medium heat. More lightweight pans can be heated to the lower end of medium heat. Either way, you want to pan fully heated (butter is sizzling a bit) before adding the french toast for the best golden brown result.
Berries – any berry will work here! Blueberries are another favorite in our house. Blackberry and raspberry or a blend is also lovely. You can also use frozen berries. Just thaw thoroughly and drain the excess liquid.
Tried this recipe?
If you try this recipe, please leave a star rating below and let me know how it went. I’d love to hear from you! You can also find me on Pinterest!