Upside-Down Orange French Toast
This Upside Down Orange French Toast is baked to perfection and bursting with citrusy flavor and warm spices. It’s buttery pecan crust and cream cheese topping, truly make this a special breakfast.
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This recipe is slightly adapted from Taste of Home.
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Why You’ll Love Upside-Down Orange French Toast:
- A unique and special breakfast especially for a holiday.
- Easy to assemble and make.
- Fun twist on classic French toast.
- Impressive when you’re hosting guests.
I really try to make an effort during the month of December to make each weekend special and stay in the spirit of the holiday. A great way to do that is I make a special breakfast or brunch we can sit down and enjoy together. I can’t think of anything better than starting off our Sunday morning with a comforting breakfast in our jammies.
This Upside-Down Orange French Toast could not be any more festive and delicious. The scent alone while it bakes will perfume your home with cinnamon and orange, and the presentation is beautiful. It sounds like it might be a time consuming breakfast to make but the only “real time” invested in my opinion, is the overnight waiting period while the bread absorbs the egg mixture. Other than that, this recipe is fast and easy to assemble, and it’s actually quite fun to make.
The ingredients are pretty basic in this upside-down French toast but wow, is it uniquely delicious. Basically you create a buttery orange pecan layer in the bottom of a baking dish, lay down your bread slices, add a little cream cheese, and pour on the eggs. I think it takes me all but 15-minutes to assemble.
Ingredients For Upside-Down Orange French Toast:
- Butter
- Sugar
- Orange zest
- Pecans
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- French bread slices
- Cream cheese
- Eggs
- Orange juice
- Vanilla extract
- Salt
- Powdered sugar
More Orange Flavor:
If you want to infuse even more orange flavor you can add a little orange extract to the egg mixture. We feel the orange zest and juice give it just enough flavor without overpowering the dish, but this is just preference.
What If I don’t like cream cheese?
While you can definitely leave the cream cheese off, it’s a very subtle taste. Actually you probably wouldn’t even know it’s in there other than what you see on top. It just gives it a layer of creaminess that pairs so well with the buttery pecan mixture. What I’m saying is, I really think you’ll love the addition of the cream cheese. 😉
How to make Upside-Down Orange French Toast:
Step 1. In a small bowl combine orange zest, sugar, pecans, and spices.
Step 2. In a second bowl combine eggs, orange juice, and vanilla extract.
Step 3. Melt butter and pour into a 9×13 inch baking dish. Evenly sprinkle sugar and pecan mixture over the butter. Arrange bread slices in the baking dish making sure to press down into the butter and pecans.
Step 4. Spread each slice of bread with softened cream cheese. Pour egg mixture evenly over the bread slices. Cover with foil and place in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight.
Step 5. When ready to bake, set out at room temperature for 30-minutes. Preheat oven to 325℉ and bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes. Let sit for 5-minutes and sprinkle with extra cinnamon and powdered sugar. Use a spatula to invert slices onto plates.
Tips:
- Make sure the cream cheese is super soft so it’s easy to spread on the bread. I usually pop it in the microwave for a few seconds so it is spreadable like butter.
- Use smaller thick slices of French bread so you can fit 8-10 pieces in the baking dish. You want it to be snug.
- Allow to rest for 5-minutes after baking, then use a knife to gently separate the slices This will make it much easier when removing each piece and ensure the pecan butter mixture stays intact.
Other Breakfast Recipes You Might Enjoy:
Let’s eat!
Upside-Down Orange French Toast
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup melted butter
- 1 orange, zested
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 8-10 slices French bread depending on how big the slices are will determine how many fit in the baking dish
- 4 ounces super soft cream cheese
- 8 large eggs
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- pinch of kosher salt
- powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- In a small bowl combine orange zest, sugar, pecans, and spices.
- In a second bowl combine eggs, orange juice, and vanilla extract.
- Melt butter and pour into a 9×13 inch baking dish. Evenly sprinkle sugar and pecan mixture over the butter. Arrange bread slices in the baking dish making sure to press down into the butter and pecans.
- Spread each slice of bread with softened cream cheese. Pour egg mixture evenly over the bread slices. Cover with foil and place in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight.
- When ready to bake, set out at room temperature for 30-minutes. Preheat oven to 325℉ and bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes. Let sit for 5-minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired then use a spatula to invert slices onto a plate.
Notes
- Make sure the cream cheese is super soft so it’s easy to spread on the bread. I usually pop it in the microwave for a few seconds so it’s spreadable like butter.
- Use smaller thick slices of French bread so you can fit 8-10 pieces in the baking dish. You want it to be snug.
- Allow to rest for 5-minutes after baking, then use a knife to gently separate the slices This will make it much easier when removing each piece and ensure the pecan butter mixture stays intact.
| Nutrition Facts | |
|---|---|
| Servings: 6 | |
| Amount per serving | |
| Calories | 659 |
| % Daily Value* | |
| Total Fat 44.4g | 57% |
| Saturated Fat 23.3g | 117% |
| Cholesterol 587mg | 196% |
| Sodium 661mg | 29% |
| Total Carbohydrate 31.8g | 12% |
| Dietary Fiber 0.8g | 3% |
| Total Sugars 14.4g | |
| Protein 24.5g | |
| Vitamin D 51mcg | 257% |
| Calcium 178mg | 14% |
| Iron 5mg | 26% |
| Potassium 351mg | 7% |
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I’m so excited to make this for my granddaughter who LOVES French toast!
Ang, I’m new to your channel, but I’m absolutely loving it & your recipes!
I love how the presentations are so lovely & your personality is refreshing & genuine!
Some channels are just either artificial, not practical or just way too much verbal content..I love yours for just the opposite reasons…I’m already a huge fan!
Thank you & for all your prep/hard work, THANK YOU!!!
Thank you so much for the kind comment and I really appreciate your feedback! I think your granddaughter would love the French toast and might even enjoy helping you with it. 🙂