French Toast Casserole with Coconut Almond Topping

Ingredients:

French toast

• 9 slices Texas toast or thick slices of other bread
• Unsalted butter to grease the pan
• 6 large eggs
• 3.5 cups light cream
• 5 tbsp. granulated sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 0.5 tsp ground cinnamon
• A pinch of salt

Coconut-almond topping

• 0.5 cup + 3 tablespoons sweet coconut flakes
• 1/3 cup + 1/4 cup finely chopped almonds
• 5 tbsp. granulated sugar
• 5 tbsp. premium flour
• A pinch of salt
• 90 g unsalted butter, softened
• 1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk
• Powdered sugar and berries, for serving (optional)

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 150°C and lightly grease a 22 x 32 cm baking dish.
2. French toast:
   
   Place the bread slices in a single layer (it's okay if they overlap slightly) on a baking sheet. Bake the slices (to dry them out slightly) for 6 minutes, then flip them over and bake for another 6 minutes. Set aside to cool.
   
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, heavy cream, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and salt. Dip each slice of bread in the egg mixture to coat thoroughly and place them in a greased baking pan. Pour the remaining egg mixture over the bread. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.
4. Coconut-almond topping:
   
   In a food processor, combine 0.5 cups of coconut flakes, 1/3 cup of almonds, granulated sugar, flour, and salt and pulse until smooth. Add the butter, egg, and egg yolk and blend well until smooth.
   
5. Assembly:
   
   Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Spread the coconut-almond mixture evenly over the soaked bread slices. Top with the remaining 1/4 cup sliced ​​almonds and 3 tablespoons flaked coconut and bake until the topping is puffy and light golden brown and the filling is set (the center of the casserole should no longer jiggle when shaken), 45-50 minutes. Let cool for 1 hour before serving, or serve at room temperature.
   
6. Sprinkle the casserole with powdered sugar and berries if desired.