CREPE CAKE

I wanted to make something really special this year for Mother’s Day, as I feel like I am more and more grateful for this special lady every year. This past semester, I was able to try a piece of Lady M’s green tea crepe cake thanks to my roommate who brought a slice back after an interview in New York. It was light and airy, differentiating itself from the usual bread cakes, and I thought the cake was beautiful with its alternating delicate layers and creamy filling. Luckily for me, recipes of crepe cakes have been floating around the food blogosphere, so I did some research and settled on a recipe from Honestly Yum. 

This cake is a stunner. All the layers and frilly edges of the crepes give it a dainty look. And the thing is, ANYONE can make this cake. It doesn’t take many special tools, just a lot of time. I cannot emphasize this enough - this cake takes a long, long time. I told my father to take my mother on a date to the movies and ended up calling him telling him take her to dinner afterwards to stall her some more.

Some notes on this recipe - The most important part of the crepe-making process is having a good non-stick pan. It will make life SO much easier. I ended up omitting the 1 ½ cup mascarpone called for in the batter since mascarpone is pretty pricey and I was already using so much in the cream. I also substituted the limonchello in the original cream with freshly squeezed lemon juice since limonchello was hard to get my hands on. If I made this again, I would be more liberal with the amount of cream between each crepe. Not only does more cream add more height to the cake, but it also makes the cake nice and moist and is the part that holds the most flavor so it doesn’t taste like you’re literally eating a stack of floury, plain crepes. I would also be sure to keep the crepes as thin as possible because some of them came out slightly thick, which was noticeable when eaten.

Crepe Cake

Adapted from Honestly Yum

Makes 1 15-18 layer crepe cake **

Crepe Batter

9 large eggs

1 ½ cups whole milk

1 ½ cups flour

¼ cup powdered sugar

2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp salt

zest of one lemon

Lemon Mascarpone Cream

1.5 cups heavy whipping cream

4 tablespoons granulated sugar

10 ounces mascarpone

6 ounces of lemon curd

3 tablespoons of lemon juice

** The crepe cake shown here is made with 31 crepes, double the recipe

To make the batter: combine the flour, eggs, milk, salt and powdered sugar into a blender and give it a good whiz until smooth. Turn the heat to medium low and ladle ¼ cup of batter onto a 10″ non-stick pan. Do not butter the pan! Butter will make the batter soggy – making it difficult to flip. As you are pouring the batter, lift the pan and rotate it quickly so the batter spreads evenly. Let the crepe almost cook entirely through before turning it over. It should take about 90 seconds on the first side. If the batter is setting before spreading, the heat is up too high. If the crepe is falling apart or folding on itself when you try flipping it, it’s because you haven’t let it cook long enough on one side. Use a rubber spatula and your fingers to turn the crepe over. Cook for another 10-15 seconds and place the crepe on a foil lined baking sheet. Continue making crepes, piling them on top of each other – remember that the cream will add height to your stack. Allow to cool for a few hours before assembling with the pastry cream.

Toe make cream: Combine the whipping cream and caster sugar and whisk until it forms soft peaks. Set it aside. In another mixing bowl, mix the mascarpone, lemon curd, and lemon juice until blended. Gently fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture. The cream should be light and smooth.

To assemble: Once your crepes have completely cooled, place the first layer onto a cake stand. Give it a dollop of cream and spread it evenly. Continue adding layers of crepes and cream until you’ve reached your desired height. Top it off with a pile of fresh raspberries and a dusting of powdered sugar. Add flowers. Chill in the refrigerator until ready to eat.