Strawberry Shortcake Croissant Bake
Strawberry Shortcake Croissant Bake is a rich, custardy croissant casserole baked with a vanilla egg mixture and topped with juicy, macerated strawberries and lightly sweetened whipped cream.
Ingredients
Croissant Bake
- 5-6 large croissants or 7-8 mini croissants
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp lemon zest optional, but recommended
Strawberries and Whipped Cream
- 3/4-1 pound fresh strawberries sliced
- 1-2 Tbsp granulated sugar to taste
- 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2-1 cup heavy cream heavy cream about doubles when you whip it, so it depends on how much whipped cream you want in the end
- 2-4 Tbsp powdered sugar use 2 for 1/2 cup cream and 4 for 1 cup cream
- 1/2-1 tsp vanilla depending on how much cream you use
Instructions
Make Croissant Bake
- Grease an 8x8-inch baking dish with butter or nonstick spray.
- Zest and juice a lemon if using lemon zest and fresh lemon juice
- If croissants are very fresh/soft, leave them out 20–30 minutes to dry slightly (day-old is ideal).
- Tear croissants into large, golf ball–size chunks and scatter evenly in the pan.
- Make the custard: whisk eggs, milk, heavy cream, granulated sugar, vanilla, salt, and lemon zest (if using) until smooth and mostly dissolved.
- Pour custard evenly over croissants. Gently press down with a spoon or your hands. Rest 5–10 minutes so they soak.
- Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes to 1 hour (overnight is great). Pull the pan out while the oven preheats.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Remove plastic wrap. If using foil, you can cover for the first part of baking to prevent over-browning.
- Bake 20–30 minutes, until puffed, lightly golden, and set in the center (a slight jiggle is fine, but it shouldn’t look liquid). Tent with foil for the last 10–15 minutes if browning too fast.
Make Strawberries and Whipped Cream
- Strawberries: toss sliced strawberries with 2 Tbsp granulated sugar and lemon juice. Taste and add more sugar if needed.
- Whipped cream: beat cold heavy cream with powdered sugar and vanilla to soft peaks. Refrigerate until serving. (If using whipped cream from a can, you can skip this step)
- Cool baked croissants 10–15 minutes, then top with strawberries and whipped cream (or let everyone top their own). Serve warm or room temp.
- Store leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.