A Breakfast Casserole – in cake form! All the morning essentials present – bacon, eggs, milk, bread and cheese – it’s a breakfast strata that tastes like a cross between quiche, omelette and savoury French toast with cheesy custardy insides, and a golden crusty surface.
Excellent way to make use of leftover bread. Make it now or leave it overnight, then just pop it in the oven the next day!
Breakfast Casserole – Strata Cake!
Being completely upfront – this is not a real dish as such, it’s just something I made up on a whim back when I first published it over 5 years ago as a way to make breakfast for a group without frying up individual bacon and eggs for everyone.
It’s essentially a breakfast casserole or a savoury bread and butter pudding, made with bread soaked in eggs and milk, scattered with cheese and bacon, then baked until golden on the surface, custardy and cheesy on the inside.
And rather than baking it the traditional way in a casserole dish, I’ve used a cake pan – so you also get golden sides and the fun factor of being able to serve slices of it like cake!
Something different – but you know it’s going to be tasty – right?! I like the way you sort of get “swirls” throughout the “cake”, which are really just the crust of the baguette I chopped up to make this breakfast “cake”!
What you need for this breakfast cake
Here’s all you need to make this breakfast strata – bread, eggs, bacon, cheese and milk. All the breakfast essentials!
Absolutely any bread is fine – I like long breadsticks / baguette-type because you get more “swirls” on the inside because there’s a higher crust to crumb ratio. You can also easily switch bacon for ham.
Also, bonus if it’s stale bread because it holds its form better once soaked in the egg mixture. However fresh works just fine too. The bread used in the recipe video and photos is fresh.
How to make this Breakfast Strata
It’s so easy you can do it even when you’re still half asleep. Though to make your mornings even more relaxing, mix it up the night before then just pop it in the oven the next morning!
Slice / tear bread into 2.5cm / 1″ pieces. Leave the crust on unless you’re using a really thick-crusted bread. Nobody wants super-thick, chewy crust inside when it’s supposed to be soft and custardy!
7 cups bread – You need 7 cups of bread in total, just lightly pushed down to fill the cup. I can’t give you a weight because different breads differ in weight for the same volume. Cup measurements are the best way I can describe it!
Whisk together the eggs and milk;
Soak bread – Mix the bread in until it’s totally soaked through with egg mixture, then stir through most of the cooked bacon and cheese (hold some back for sprinkling);
Pour into cake pan – Pour the mixture in a very well-buttered non-stick cake pan. A springform pan is the handiest but a cake pan without a loose base is fine too because the strata cake holds together well enough to turn it out. If you know your cake pan is prone to being sticky, line it with parchment paper because eggs are the ultimate food glue and added cheese makes it like superglue!
Bake 45 minutes – Cover with foil and bake 25 minutes, then remove cover and bake for a further 15 to 20 minutes until the top is golden and crusty. Check with a skewer inserted into the centre to ensure no raw egg mixture is on it. Let it stand for a few minutes to stabilise then remove the cake pan sides (if you used a springform pan) or turn it out carefully.
The smell when this is baking is mouth-watering! It smells like a Quiche Lorraine, and though admittedly it looks a lot more rustic than a quiche, it is a whole lot less effort to put together!!
Customisation options
A very appealing feature of this recipe is that it’s highly customisable. I’ve gone with the breakfast staple of bacon here, but there’s plenty of other options – including adding things like chicken to make it lunch or even dinner worthy:
Ham in place of the bacon – a great way to use up leftover Christmas ham (skip the bacon-crisping step).
Garlic butter roasted mushrooms would be particular great and also fitting for breakfast. Halve or quarter so they incorporate better (whole will be too large);
Any chargrilled or roasted vegetables (follow directions in this Roasted Vegetables Pasta Salad recipe);
Feta or goat’s cheese – crumbled;
Chicken – cooked, chopped or shredded. Even leftover flavoured chicken eg from tacos or a chicken that was marinated like my Everyday Chicken Marinade;
Smoked fish – the oilier the better, so it won’t dry out. Think flaked smoked mackerel, herring/kippers or hot-smoked trout. Regular cold-smoked salmon would also work – it’ll cook in the strata because it’s thin and become “hot-smoked” – delicious!
Spinach – Make my garlic sauteed spinach, chop roughly and distribute before baking.
Breakfast sausages – Remove skin, break into small pieces, pan-fry as per bacon.
Olives, sun dried tomatoes and other antipasto-type things.
To serve, slice it up just like cake. If you’re the civilised sort, eat it with a fork but it holds together well enough to just eat it with your hands. 😉Excellent food for on the go! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Cheese & Bacon Breakfast Strata Cake (Breakfast Casserole!)
Ingredients
- 300g / 10 oz bacon , diced (or ham)
- 6 large eggs
- 1 1/4 cups milk (full cream or low fat)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- Black pepper
- 7 cups (packed) any plain bread (I use baguettes) , cut into 2 cm / 1 inch cubes (preferably slightly stale, Note 1)
- 2 cups cheese , shredded (Note 2)
Optional garnish
- parsley , finely chopped (garnish – optional)
Instructions
- Cook bacon: Heat a large non-stick frying pan over high heat. (Use a bit of oil if not using non-stick). Add all but 2 tbsp of bacon (reserve some for topping just before baking), cook until lightly browned. Remove from the pan and drain on a paper towel.
- Whisk eggs and milk: Whisk the eggs, milk, salt and pepper in a large bowl (or container, if leaving overnight).
- Soak bread: Add the bread, 1 1/2 cups of the cheese and the cooked bacon to the egg mixture. Mix well. Cover and set aside in the fridge for at least 30 minutes (until all the egg is soaked into the bread) or overnight.
To Cook:
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (all oven types).
- Grease cake tin: Generously grease a 20cm/8" springform cake tin with butter (cake pan without loose sides also ok, also see Note 3 re: leakage risk).
- Fill: Pour the bread mixture into the cake tin, pat down to compress. Scatter with reserved uncooked bacon and remaining 1/2 cup of cheese. Cover loosely with foil.
- Bake for 25 minutes, then remove the lid and bake for a further 15 – 20 minutes until golden on top and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean (no raw egg).
- Rest & slice: Allow to rest for 5 minutes before removing the springform or turning out. Garnish with parsley if using. Cut into slices to serve. Be civil and eat it on a plate with a fork, or just use your hands!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Originally published April 2015, updated October 2020 with brand new photos, video and process steps. Tidied up recipe writing but no change to recipe!
Life of Dozer
The clatter of spaghetti dropping on the floor and he was in the kitchen in a flash…..
Well, I WAS going to give them a wash and use them anyway, but he got to them first!!!
Has anyone made this with gluten-free bread?
My kids 8yo and 12yo went crazy for this and have requested it again. The recipe cleared out my freezer of random slices of bread that were floating around, and I pre-made it and it sat in the fridge ready for baking. Next day leftovers were heated in the airfryer. This ticked all my boxes of taste, ease and kid approved.
For some reason, I did not care for this dish. I like everything that’s in it, but I think it was the consistency that I didn’t like.
I’m with you – just didn’t do it for me. Others in the family thought it nice, but I won’t be making it again.
another 5/5- just made this and well it is the bomb(the best) – added some left overs(cheese and tomatoes) – sliced whil still warm yum yum
Well this was a surprise dish. I Intended to make a quiche tonight and realised I had no frozen shortcrust and could not be bothered making my own, which led me on the search for an alternative. Voila!! super easy to throw together, got rid of the bread that would have been thrown out by tomorrow, used all the scraps of cheese up and cleaned out the bacon drawer! It tasted much better than I imagined and we have left overs for break tomorrow. Great, lazy Sunday meal that I will make again. As I was cleaning out the fridge-I added a chorizo sausage, some chives and some spring onions. I liked how the edge all browns up and goes a little bit crunchy with the lovely soft texture of the inside. Good one Nagi
Absolutely delicious and easy to prepare. Thank you, Nagi! Love your recipes. ❤️
Will Brioche bread work? Thanks Nagi!
I’ve made this twice now, and I have to say I adore it. I also like the cake tin idea. Makes it so easy to portion out and looks pretty. It tastes great. I use a mix of cheeses (self confessed cheese addict) and I’m sure it’s going to be easy to customise the meat too. Thanks for the recipe. Most appetising one of these I’d seen 😍
This strata cake has become my bulk brunch go to recipe. I bought some day old bread from a bakery. My add ins were a can of creamed corn, crispy chorizo, onion, bacon, cherry tomatoes and dusted with fresh grated nutmeg. 😋
This was a great, easy recipe. I forgot to measure the bread (just tossed a whole baguette in there) so I added another egg & a bit of milk to make sure it wasn’t too dry. It wasn’t, custardy it was. I also added a pinch of garlic powder, dried onion flakes & italian seasoning. I also used bacon instead of sausage or ham. Very flexible. I could definitely see adding spinach & sauteed peppers & onions to this.
Thank you Nagi for this fantastic recipe. I used up all the scraps of bread hiding in my freezer, and it was absolutely delicious. I can’t believe that something so simple to make can taste so good !
Had this Xmas morning with my family home. I was busy cooking all day so this lovely Cheese & Bacon brekkie casserole was great because it was prepared the night before. Everyone loved it. Thanks for making me look good Nagi 😉 Definitely on my favourites list!
This is a perfect recipe, I use Trader Joe’s unexpected cheddar and mozzarella mix… then heat up leftover slices in the air fryer for a few minutes. It’s so perfect, I’ve made it 10+ times, you have to try it!
Great recipe Nagi! I like to use kransy and jalapeno. Is a great bring along dish for parties
Such a simple delicious and versatile recipe. Tonight’s is left over roast chicken, ham that needs to be eaten, garlic mushrooms and a bit of broccoli for health 😂. A green salad on the side and it’s a whole meal. A great recipe to use up ingredients in the fridge.
Nagi, this is such a fantastic recipe! Added red onion and roasted peppers.
Made it early in the day and left it in the fridge to soak up all the yummy flavours, then baked it in the afternoon. Will definitely be making this again 😋
Fabulous. Haven’t done for a while, now going to do next week. 🐶🐶
Sounds like a good plan Diane! N x
I wonder if I can use cream instead of milk? I have a whole lot of leftover cream in my fridge!
You could but, a warning, it will be very rich!!! N x
Delicious!
I work in a bread bakery, so I have an abundance of bread in my freezer. I made just over a triple batch, using a whole challah loaf, and the last quarter of a caraway rye loaf.
I added sauteed mushrooms, 2 bunches of green onions, and garlic. It added so much flavour!
I used a 15″x9″ pan, and it was packed – I’d split it up if I were to do this again.
A great recipe, that was a huge hit with my husband.
I bet the caraway rye was so delicious with this! Thanks for that feedback Meghan! N x
Made this today for my lunches this week. Had to cut a bit of the side to fit it in the storage container so got to taste it in advance, and still slightly warm and it was delicious. I am looking forward to trying out the different variations given. Also thanks for the tip of putting a tray on the lower shelf. I have now found out my springform has a small leak 😉
It’s a great recipe for meal prep ahead!! Enjoy your lunches Adrienne! N x