Sweeten up your Valentine's Day lunch with this French toast recipe. Drizzled with Nutella, these red velvet french toast slices also feature a decadent vanilla bean cheesecake filling.
Ingredients
Red Velvet French Toast:4 eggs
1 cup buttermilk (or 1 cup milk + 1 tablespoon vinegar set aside and allowed to 'sour' for 5 minutes)
2 tablespoons sugar (or natural granulated sweetener)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons red food colouring (30 mls | 1oz)
8 slices bread, halved (so you end up with 16 bread halves)
Vanilla Bean Cheesecake Filling:250 g | 8oz tub reduced fat cream cheese
2 tablespoons sugar (or natural granulated sweetener)
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
Fresh raspberries
Method
For French Toast* Whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, sugar, vanilla, food colouring and cocoa in a shallow bowl until smooth and lump free. Alternatively, combine these ingredients in a small blender or magic bullet cup; blend until smooth and transfer the egg wash to a large shallow bowl.
* Dip bread slices into egg wash and press lightly a few times to soak through completely. Flip each slice and repeat with each bread until slices all are evenly coated.
* Heat a large nonstick pan/skillet over low-medium heat and fry the bread in batches of 3 or 4, turning once until just cooked through. Remove and place onto a warmed plate.
* While french toast is frying, make your cheesecake filling:
For Cheesecake Filling:* Combine the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla paste in a medium sized bowl, and whip until light and fluffy.
* Spoon 1-2 tablespoons of filling onto 6 toast halves; spread to evenly coat; top with remaining toast halves to create a sandwich.
* Drizzle with melted chocolate; top with remaining cream (optional); dust with icing/confectioners sugar and serve with berries.