Love Crepes? Try Making This Crepe Cake
My husband absolutely adores crepes. If I really want to get on his good side or just show him some love that speaks directly to his “acts of service” love language, making him crepes would show a LOT of love. Especially because he knows that making crepes can be quite a tedious, albeit a task that is very worth it!
I love checking out recipes from the blog, Our Best Bites, particularly their desserts--so when I saw they have a “crepe cake”, I knew I had the PERFECT idea for my husband's birthday cake this year.
These kinds of thin cakes are nothing new. I remember watching the bakers on The Great British Bakeoff attempt Paul Hollywood’s challenge to make this German cake that had the thinnest layers I have ever seen! The bakers really struggled to get it as perfect as Paul did. While they were using actual cake layers, the recipe I am sharing with you is a crepe cake, filled with your choice of fillings, stacked high and topped with delicious whipped cream, berries and Farraro Rocher chocolates, but of course you can make yours with whatever sounds great to you.
Experiment with Fillings
This crepe cake will be as tasty as anything you can imagine. PIck your favorite flavor combos and go for it! Here are a few ideas:
A really delicious combo that I want to try for his birthday because he loves lemon so much would be alternating layers of whipped cream and lemon curd and top it with powdered sugar, whipped cream and fresh berries.
Are crepes one of your favorite breakfast indulgences? What flavor combination do you think would be the favorite for you and your family? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
CREPES:
4 eggs
4 tablespoons canola oil
6 tablespoons sugar
2 cups flour
2 2/3 cups milk
NUTELLA MOUSSE:
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon hazelnut extract, optional
3/4 cup Nutella
4 ounces (half block) cream cheese
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
water (see instructions)
GANACHE:
2 ounces whipping cream (by volume)
2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips (by weight)
FOR GARNISH:
Farraro Rocher Chocolates
Chocolate Dipped Strawberries (see notes)
Directions:
Add Recipe to Cook'n
I love checking out recipes from the blog, Our Best Bites, particularly their desserts--so when I saw they have a “crepe cake”, I knew I had the PERFECT idea for my husband's birthday cake this year.
These kinds of thin cakes are nothing new. I remember watching the bakers on The Great British Bakeoff attempt Paul Hollywood’s challenge to make this German cake that had the thinnest layers I have ever seen! The bakers really struggled to get it as perfect as Paul did. While they were using actual cake layers, the recipe I am sharing with you is a crepe cake, filled with your choice of fillings, stacked high and topped with delicious whipped cream, berries and Farraro Rocher chocolates, but of course you can make yours with whatever sounds great to you.
Experiment with Fillings
This crepe cake will be as tasty as anything you can imagine. PIck your favorite flavor combos and go for it! Here are a few ideas:
- Fruit curds (lemon would be exquisite!)
- Chocolate ganache or chocolate mousse
- Hazelnut spread (today’s recipe uses hazelnut to create a mouse)
- Fresh berries
- Jams of any flavor (just keep in mind that this can make the layers quite slippery--you could opt for stickier, more stable fillings for easier assembly)
- Mint chocolate ganache topped with chopped Andes mints and whipped cream
- Stabilized whipped cream
A really delicious combo that I want to try for his birthday because he loves lemon so much would be alternating layers of whipped cream and lemon curd and top it with powdered sugar, whipped cream and fresh berries.
Are crepes one of your favorite breakfast indulgences? What flavor combination do you think would be the favorite for you and your family? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
Strawberry Chocolate Crepe Cake
A delicious and decadent cake made by layering delicate crepes and sweet fillings. Looks amazingly impressive but it's not hard to make! Author: Our Best Bites
Serving size: 10
Calories per serving: 408
Ingredients:
Calories per serving: 408
CREPES:
4 eggs
4 tablespoons canola oil
6 tablespoons sugar
2 cups flour
2 2/3 cups milk
NUTELLA MOUSSE:
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon hazelnut extract, optional
3/4 cup Nutella
4 ounces (half block) cream cheese
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
water (see instructions)
GANACHE:
2 ounces whipping cream (by volume)
2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips (by weight)
FOR GARNISH:
Farraro Rocher Chocolates
Chocolate Dipped Strawberries (see notes)
Directions:
To make crepes (you’ll want to make them and let them cool completely before using)
1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend on low speed until combined, scraping down sides as necessary.
2. Heat a non-stick skillet to medium-high heat. Hold pan with one hand while you pour the batter with the other hand. Twirl the pan in a circular motion pouring just enough batter to coat the bottom of the pan. Place on cooking surface and cook until edges are set and you can easily run a rubber spatula around the edge of the pan, 30 seconds. Flip crepe and cook an additional 15-20 seconds. Remove crepe from pan and either keep warm in the oven or cool to room temperature. *You can choose the size of the pan by the circumference of cake you want. Keep in mind smaller crepes will produce more, and therefore a taller cake, but fewer slices. In my photos I used a 10” skillet and that is as large as I would go.
To make mousse:
1. Place gelatin in a tiny bowl and add 1 teaspoon cold water. Let sit for 5 minutes and then add 1 tablespoon boiling water and stir until smooth. Place cream, powdered sugar, vanilla and hazlenut in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment on. Beat for about 1 minute and then slowly drizzle in the gelatin in a tiny stream. Continue beating until a little firmer than standard whipped cream (but don’t turn it into butter! I do stiff peaks). Remove and set in a seperate bowl. Place cream cheese in mixer and beat until soft and creamy, add nutella a little at a time and beat until incorporated. Remove bowl from mixer and gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture in 3 additions.
2. To assemble cake: Place a crepe on a plate or cake stand and spread on about ¼ cup nutella mixture. Add another crepe and continue until crepes and continue until crepes or mousse is gone. If desired, double the ganache listed and use half for the top of the cake and use the rest to spread after every few crepes on the inside.
To make ganache:
1. Heat cream in microwave safe bowl until steaming. Add chocolate chips and let sit for 5 minutes and then whisk until smooth. Spread on top of cake and gently spill over edges. Garnish with berries and chocolates. Store cake in the fridge if not serving right away and set out at room temp for a few minutes before serving.
Notes:
1. Chocolate Dipped Strawberries: I just eyeball my dipping chocolate, but use about 1 teaspoon coconut oil (or canola oil) per 1 cup of chocolate chips. Place both in a microwave safe bowl and heat in 30 second intervals, stirring after each one, until melted and smooth. Hold berries by stems and gently dip in chocolate and then place on parchment paper or a silicone liner. Let sit until chocolate is firm.
2. The size of your cake will depend on the size of your crepes. I used an 8-9” skillet and got about 20 crepes.
Source: ourbestbites.com
1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend on low speed until combined, scraping down sides as necessary.
2. Heat a non-stick skillet to medium-high heat. Hold pan with one hand while you pour the batter with the other hand. Twirl the pan in a circular motion pouring just enough batter to coat the bottom of the pan. Place on cooking surface and cook until edges are set and you can easily run a rubber spatula around the edge of the pan, 30 seconds. Flip crepe and cook an additional 15-20 seconds. Remove crepe from pan and either keep warm in the oven or cool to room temperature. *You can choose the size of the pan by the circumference of cake you want. Keep in mind smaller crepes will produce more, and therefore a taller cake, but fewer slices. In my photos I used a 10” skillet and that is as large as I would go.
To make mousse:
1. Place gelatin in a tiny bowl and add 1 teaspoon cold water. Let sit for 5 minutes and then add 1 tablespoon boiling water and stir until smooth. Place cream, powdered sugar, vanilla and hazlenut in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment on. Beat for about 1 minute and then slowly drizzle in the gelatin in a tiny stream. Continue beating until a little firmer than standard whipped cream (but don’t turn it into butter! I do stiff peaks). Remove and set in a seperate bowl. Place cream cheese in mixer and beat until soft and creamy, add nutella a little at a time and beat until incorporated. Remove bowl from mixer and gently fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture in 3 additions.
2. To assemble cake: Place a crepe on a plate or cake stand and spread on about ¼ cup nutella mixture. Add another crepe and continue until crepes and continue until crepes or mousse is gone. If desired, double the ganache listed and use half for the top of the cake and use the rest to spread after every few crepes on the inside.
To make ganache:
1. Heat cream in microwave safe bowl until steaming. Add chocolate chips and let sit for 5 minutes and then whisk until smooth. Spread on top of cake and gently spill over edges. Garnish with berries and chocolates. Store cake in the fridge if not serving right away and set out at room temp for a few minutes before serving.
Notes:
1. Chocolate Dipped Strawberries: I just eyeball my dipping chocolate, but use about 1 teaspoon coconut oil (or canola oil) per 1 cup of chocolate chips. Place both in a microwave safe bowl and heat in 30 second intervals, stirring after each one, until melted and smooth. Hold berries by stems and gently dip in chocolate and then place on parchment paper or a silicone liner. Let sit until chocolate is firm.
2. The size of your cake will depend on the size of your crepes. I used an 8-9” skillet and got about 20 crepes.
Source: ourbestbites.com
Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.
Mary Richardson
Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2014
Email the author! mary@dvo.com
