Crêpes are a beloved food group in my household. My boys have grown up eating them with everything from sweet to savory fillings, sometimes dozens at a time. When I couldn’t get them to eat as little kids I’d make a batch of crêpes and watch as they disappeared. Stacking them into a crêpe cake is an easy and elegant way to dress up what is really a humble street food in France. This version was made from a really sweet book called Simply Citrus by Marie Asselin. I “met” her on Instagram and she kindly sent me a copy of the book. I adore instagram for all the inspiration and for the space to create videos of the recipes I make. You can watch me make Marie’s cake in my instagram stories.
Marie’s lemon curd is unlike any I’ve made before. She cooks it like a pastry cream, which uses cornstarch and eggs to bind it and then finishes it with heavy cream. It is delightful. I suggest you double her recipe, so you can have some left over after the cake is filled. The combination of the tart lemon curd and rich mascarpone cream are a perfect marriage. Instead of topping with more cream, I went with the brûlée on top. I like the contrast of texture and you know how I feel about my blow torch, so any excuse to use it.
After I layered the crêpe cake I added sugar to the top and set it ablaze with my blow torch.
It adds a nice contrast to the soft layers and it fun to do. Watch my Instagram video to see how.
Ingredients
Crêpes
- 3 whole large eggs
- 2¼ cups whole milk
- 190 g all-purpose flour*
- 30 g sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract homemade vanilla recipe
Instructions
- Blend all the ingredients together in a Blender until smooth. Pour into a container, cover and refrigerate for several hours before making the crepes.
- Gently stir the crepe batter before using. Heat a Crepe Pan over medium low heat. Lightly butter the pan and pour in about a scant 1/4 cup batter (more or less depending on the size of the pan. I use a ladle so each crepe is the same size. The first crepe is usually a mess, so don’t despair if it isn’t perfect. Cook the crepe until the edges turn golden brown.
- Using a metal spatula (think cake decorating) lift the edges of the crepe all the way around the pan, then lift the crepe and flip. Cook on the second side for just a few seconds to set the batter. Do not add any more butter before cooking the remaining crepes. Continue until you have all the crepes you need.
- Find the full recipe for the crepe cake, including lemon and mascarpone fillings over at completelydelicious.com.
It looks so beautiful and delicate and light. Thank you for sharing
I’m wanting to make this cake, but with almond pastry cream in it, rather than the lemon curd/mascarpone. I found your recipe for vanilla pastry cream and was wondering if you have any tips for making it almond – should I just add almond extract to it in addition to the vanilla? Or does it need some almond paste as well?
As always, I LOVE your food – your Instagram stories have me mesmerized! 🙂
Hi Brenda.
I really love your idea for the almond pastry cream. You could add extract and/or cream some almond paste and then add a bit to the pastry cream.
Cheers, Zoë
I love crepe cakes – looks stunning! So delicious ♥