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Home » Recipes » Courses » Breakfast and Brunch Recipes » Pancakes, Waffles & French Toast

Carrot Cake Overnight French Toast Casserole

Published: Apr 15, 2019 by Terri Gilson · Modified: May 11, 2022 · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links · 17 Comments

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carrot cake overnight french toast casserole in white casserole dish
Photo collage - whole carrot cake overnight french toast casserole on the top and a piece of it on the bottom
Piece of Carrot Cake French Toast Casserole in the foreground and whole casserole in background

"We only have one room left," he said, "but it's on the adult only floor, so no kids allowed." As I glanced down at my ever-expanding belly I thought, "what the heck. This would be our last chance to stay on an adult only floor for a very long time; our last hurrah." "We'll take it," I replied. We were on our way to Edmonton for a little Easter weekend getaway; our last trip as a childless couple.

Piece of carrot cake overnight french toast in foreground and remaining casserole in the background

*This post is sponsored by Egg Farmers of Canada and I have been compensated monetarily. All opinions are my own (See Disclosure Policy)

He was born that August and then before I knew it, he was done with baby food and onto solids. And I had all this leftover baby food. What to do with it? Well, make Carrot Cake Overnight French Toast Casserole, that’s what! Wow and I thought the baby food stage went fast....

Jump to:
  • 🥘 Ingredients
  • ⏲️ Baking time
  • 📋 Carrot Cake Overnight French Toast Casserole Recipe
  • 🐇 More Easter Recipes!

I worked with a gal who divided her life into "BK" and "AK"...

BK was "before kids" and AK meant "after kids." Not only was it funny, it was so true! Having kids is life altering after all... They tell you to enjoy the peace and quiet, your sleep and freedom "BK" because "AK", it will be gone. But I guess you can't truly miss something until it is really gone.

I had already been an adult for years, yet I didn't even know these adult only hotel floors existed! Why didn't I know about these floors when I really needed them? When the team of 10-year-old hockey players were pounding the hallways above me, while I spent the night staring at the ceiling? And now, with a baby on the way, I'd no longer be welcome there.

But that night on the adult only floor of that hotel, I still didn't appreciate the sleep, the peace, quiet, freedom, lack of responsibility. I didn't appreciate any of it. How could I?  I didn't know any different.

My daughter came into the world a short 22 months later. They rocked my world in every way possible. And yes, BK seemed like another lifetime ago. I could clearly see the division.

When you're in the midst of it, the time goes so slowly. However, when you look back, you realize what a tiny flash in the pan it really was. One day you are changing diapers and the next you have a teenager. They tell you it will go fast, but you don't believe them. As my Mom always told me, "The days are long, but the years are short."

My babies may be gone, but the leftover baby food recipes survived. Because fortunately and surprisingly, baby food isn’t just for babies!

🥘 Ingredients

The beauty of baby food is that the work is already done for you! Why do all that shredding or cooking and puréeing carrots when you don’t have to? That's why I use carrots,  in the form of baby food,  in this casserole; it's super quick and easy! And since they make it for babies, there are no preservatives and fillers in it. It's pure carrots and water. And the brand I uses makes theirs with organic carrots. Plus, you can buy baby food anywhere!

Whole Carrot Cake French Toast Casserole with pineapples dotted with whipped cream and grated carrots on top

Easter starts with eggs and so does this Baked French Toast Casserole!

3 Eggs in a basket (one made to look like an Easter bunny) with bread and other french toast ingredients in background

This French toast casserole not only boasts healthy carrots (baby food) and other real, wholesome ingredients like cinnamon, pineapple, walnuts and cream, it has lots of healthy eggs! Yet it still tastes like you're eating a carrot cake for breakfast! It’s amazing to see how versatile eggs can be; you often don't even realize they're the 'hidden glue' or backbone of so many recipes.

⏲️ Baking time

Overnight French toast Casseroles are so much easier than fussing with making individual French toast. It takes about 10 minutes to throw together the night before, you let it rest overnight in the fridge while you slumber and the next morning, you pop it in the oven for 50 minutes. Easy Peasy! And perfect for your Easter brunch.

So, if you want to have dessert for breakfast and still feel good about it, then make this Carrot Cake French Toast Casserole with cream cheese glaze. Perfect for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and essential for Easter desserts (or in this case 'dessert for breakfast'!), Canadian eggs are delicious and nutritious.

Carrot Cake French Toast Casserole with a piece missing

FUN Canadian Egg Facts

  • When you enjoy Canada Grade A eggs, you know you’re getting a top-quality product made by Canadians, for all Canadians.
  • No matter where you purchase your eggs, they are from a Canadian farmer.
  • On average, eggs travel from the farm to grocery store in less than a week!

My family loves this recipe and requests it every year for Easter brunch! And thanks to the system of supply management, over 1,000 other Canadian family farms work year-round from coast to coast to provide us all with the fresh, local, high- quality eggs for you and your family love and enjoy.

Piece of Carrot Cake French Toast Casserole in the foreground and whole casserole in background

It's been 14 years since that Easter trip to Edmonton. And as we prepare for this year's Easter trip to Edmonton, we definitely won't be booking a room on an adult only floor. These days the hotel we stay at HAS to have a pool and be as close as possible to the water park (even though I don't even like swimming.) But I wouldn't trade it for the world. Nor would I trade it for all the peace and quiet of any adult only floor. Although being a parent is wrought with sleepless nights, lack of peace and quiet and the loss of many freedoms, I'd take AK over BK any day because you don't know what you're missing until you have it.

So, as the years fly by and the babies they were become but a distant memory, the baby food recipes live on. And as a mother, they allow me to hang on to just a wee bit of that baby time because unbeknownst to them, at almost 14 and 12, I still get to feed them baby food!

2 jars of baby food piled up behind a dish of carrot baby food

Eggs are synonymous with Easter so it's the perfect time to celebrate Canadian eggs by sharing your favourite egg dishes with family and friends. So if you're looking for Easter breakfast casserole recipe, give this a try! And give this Sunny Side Up Pavlova Recipe a try too! And why not mix it up with a choose-your-own Pavlova topping station at your celebration?

But eggs aren't just for Easter (and neither is carrot cake) -obviously! You can eat them every day. And for all my Weight Watchers friends, remember eggs are 0 points! Yes, that's ZERO freestyle smart points!!! So, if you're looking for even more great egg recipes and nutrition information, click HERE and you can follow @eggsoeufs on Twitter. Instagram and Get Cracking on Facebook!

How will YOU be enjoying your eggs for Easter?

Whole Carrot Cake French Toast Casserole with pineapples dotted with whipped cream and grated carrots on top
Food Meandering Logo

📋 Carrot Cake Overnight French Toast Casserole Recipe

This easy Carrot Cake Overnight French Toast Casserole is made with healthy eggs, pineapple, walnuts and pureed carrots (in the form of baby food so it's quick and easy to make) but still tastes like you're eating carrot cake for breakfast! It's the perfect Easter breakfast casserole recipe.
5 from 6 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Breakfast, brunch
Cuisine: American, Canadian
Keyword: carrot cake, casserole, french toast
Servings: 10 people
Calories: 308kcal
Author: Terri Gilson
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
refrigeration: 8 hours
Total Time: 9 hours 40 minutes
Prevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

  • 1 loaf Thick french bread, brioche or texas toast bread * if using brioche, may need to use 2 loaves, if loaves are smaller
  • 8 large eggs
  • 1 1 /2 cups half-and-half cream
  • 2 -128 ml -carrot baby food jars
  • 4 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoon white granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 -398 ml can -crushed pineapple, drained and liquid squeezed out
  • ⅔ cup finely chopped walnuts
  • ¼ cup maple syrup

Cream Cheese Glaze

  • 8 oz oz cream cheese
  • 1 cup icing sugar/powdered sugar
  • 3 tablespoon milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla

Garnish

  • 1 398 ml can pineapple rings, drained and patted dry with a paper towel
  • ½ - 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • whipped cream * I use the aerosol can of whipped creaam
  • carrot ribbons (thin) * See photo below, in instructdions
  • walnuts

Instructions

  • Generously spray a 9 X 13 casserole dish  or baking dish with non- stick cooking spray. Arrange ½ the loaf of slices of bread in 2 rows, overlapping if need be,  in a casserole dish.
    bread overlapping in two rows in casserole dish
  • In a large bowl, combine the eggs, half-and-half cream, drained, crushed and squeezed pineapple (make sure you squeeze as much liquid out as possible!),  pureed carrots (baby food), brown sugar, white granulated sugar,  vanilla, cinnamon and maple syrup. Then beat with a whisk until blended thoroughly.
  • Pour ½ the liquid  mixture over the bread slices, making sure all are covered evenly with the cream-egg mixture. 
    bread overlapping in two rows in casserole dish, covered with half of the mixture
  • Then add the rest of the bread, pouring the remaining half of the liquid over the bread slices
    double layer of bread overlapping in two rows in casserole dish
  • Sprinkle finely chopped walnut evenly over soaked bread slices.
    Walnuts sprinkled over french toast casserole
  • Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight (about 8 hours)
    Casserole pan covered in foil
  • The next day,  preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Remove from refrigerator, leave the foil on and bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes. 
  • Remove foil and return to oven for an additional 15 minutes. Meanwhile prepare glaze.
    baked carrot cake french toast casserole

Cream Cheese Glaze

  • Beat softened cream cheese with a hand mixer until smooth.
  • Gradually add powdered sugar/icing sugar until incorporated. Then add milk and vanilla.
  • Spread glaze over warm casserole with a spatula.
    Carrot ribbons being made with vegetable peeler

Garnish

  • Sprinkle with cinnamon.
  • Pat the pineapple rings dry with paper towel and place on top of casserole, as shown.
  • Dot the insides of the pineapple rings with whipped cream (* I use a whipped cream from a spray bottle) 
  • Use a vegetable peeler to make thin ribbons with carrots, then add 2-3 on top of whipped cream.
  • Add few pieces of chopped walnuts.
    Whole Carrot Cake French Toast Casserole with pineapples dotted with whipped cream and grated carrots on top
  • Serve with additional syrup and whipped cream, as desired.

Notes

Notes:
Make ahead:
  • This can also be reheated and served later. If you are taking it along to a gathering or potluck make sure you bake it in a microwaveable casserole dish (so it can warmed up)!
  • You'll want to add the glaze and garnishes AFTER you reheat it
  • And be sure to bring along additional maple syrup and whipped cream to serve with it!
Freezing:
  • You can freeze leftovers! I froze my leftovers of this recipe, fully garnished,  then heated up a piece for 1 minute and 30 seconds. The texture was a little more moist so I wouldn't recommend this for serving initially, but it's fine for leftovers.
 
Nutrition Facts
📋 Carrot Cake Overnight French Toast Casserole Recipe
Amount Per Serving
Calories 308 Calories from Fat 81
% Daily Value*
Fat 9g14%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Cholesterol 131mg44%
Sodium 269mg12%
Potassium 147mg4%
Carbohydrates 46g15%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 22g24%
Protein 10g20%
Vitamin A 230IU5%
Vitamin C 0.1mg0%
Calcium 60mg6%
Iron 2.4mg13%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition

Calories: 308kcal (15%) | Carbohydrates: 46g (15%) | Protein: 10g (20%) | Fat: 9g (14%) | Saturated Fat: 1g (6%) | Cholesterol: 131mg (44%) | Sodium: 269mg (12%) | Potassium: 147mg (4%) | Fiber: 1g (4%) | Sugar: 22g (24%) | Vitamin A: 230IU (5%) | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 60mg (6%) | Iron: 2.4mg (13%)
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating and review below!
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🐇 More Easter Recipes!

  • Healthy & Light Carrot Cake
  • Easter Creme Egg Microwave Fudge
  • Easter Creme Egg Chocolate Swiss Roll
  • Carrot Cake Dessert Pizza
  • Carrot Cake Doughnut Muffins (with Mascarpone Jam Filling, Orange Mocha Glaze and Candied Carrots)

More Pancakes, Waffles & French Toast

  • Sheet Pan Chocolate Chip Pancakes
  • Healthy Comfort Foods
  • Christmas Brunch Recipes
  • French Toast Sandwich (with Raspberry Cream)

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sue

    April 15, 2019 at 10:37 am

    Well how brilliant is that?! I would have never thought to use baby food carrots. As a vegetarian I have a love affair with eggs so a fabulous recipe to add to my collection. Being able to make it the night before takes the stress away and a special morning to share with friends.

    Reply
    • Terri Gilson

      April 15, 2019 at 7:30 pm

      Thanks, Sue! Yes, discovering this baby food hack was a happy accident in an attempt to avoid food waste! Although I’m not vegetarian, I’m with you when it comes to eggs! I eat them daily ?

      Reply
  2. Alisa Infanti

    April 16, 2019 at 11:45 am

    I love the fact that is is an overnight recipe. Easter is so busy for us between families that I usually do a brunch for my family so am always looking for a good recipe like this that just needs to be popped in the oven in the morning!

    Reply
    • Terri Gilson

      April 19, 2019 at 9:23 pm

      I hear you, Alisa! I am not the greatest at hosting (I get stressed) so the more I can do in advance, the better!

      Reply
  3. Isabelle @ Crumb

    April 16, 2019 at 11:52 am

    This looks like a lovely addition to an Easter brunch, and the idea of using baby food to sneak in some vegetables is positively brilliant. Of course, I'd have some 'splaining to do about why there's baby food in the pantry, seeing as we've never had babies and aren't planning on having any, so my poor husband would be very confused! 🙂

    Reply
  4. Dawn - Girl Heart Food

    April 17, 2019 at 6:18 am

    This is such a brilliant idea! Love the idea of carrot cake in breakfast form and I especially love that you can prep the day before! This would disappear fast at any Easter meal. Perfect for brunch on a random Saturday too 😉

    Reply
    • Terri Gilson

      April 19, 2019 at 9:22 pm

      Hi Dawn - thanks! Yes, it is definitely a random any day recipe!

      Reply
  5. Colleen

    April 17, 2019 at 8:57 pm

    This is brilliant. I never, ever would have thought to use baby food in any recipe, but wow this looks delicious and simple. I Can't wit to try it!!

    Reply
    • Terri Gilson

      April 19, 2019 at 9:22 pm

      thank you, Colleen! Yes, I'm always looking for shortcuts and ways to use up leftover anything 🙂

      Reply
  6. Himalayan salt valley

    April 18, 2019 at 5:04 am

    This looks so delicious. Thanks for sharing such a wonderful recipe.

    Reply
    • Terri Gilson

      April 19, 2019 at 9:21 pm

      Thanks !

      Reply
  7. Denise@urbnspice

    April 18, 2019 at 6:50 am

    I love the terms BK and AK, Terri. I think so many of us Moms can relate to that, for sure! Your overnight french toast carrot cake casserole sounds wonderful! And what a great tip to use that perfect carrot baby food puree. It's brilliant! Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
    • Terri Gilson

      April 19, 2019 at 9:20 pm

      Thank you, Denise!

      Reply
  8. Jo Vanderwolf

    April 18, 2019 at 11:53 am

    Oh my gosh! So perfect for Easter brunch. My guests are going to love it. Thank you for sharing, I can't wait to give it a go!

    Reply
    • Terri Gilson

      April 19, 2019 at 9:20 pm

      Thanks, Jo! I hope you enjoy 🙂

      Reply
  9. NANCY WU

    April 23, 2019 at 6:06 pm

    Hey!! this looks delish! Can’t wait to make this for the little one.

    Nancy
    Nomss.com

    Reply
    • Terri Gilson

      April 24, 2019 at 5:09 am

      Thanks, Nancy! I hope you enjoy it - we do 🙂

      Reply

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I'm Terri, a passionate home cook and baker, an award-winning recipe developer and a busy working mom that is trying to eat healthy and fit everything into not enough hours in a day! My mission is to share not only my recipes, cooking hacks and tips with you, but also my secrets to successful weight maintenance.

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