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.
I love crepe cakes – looks stunning! So delicious ♥
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
It looks so beautiful and delicate and light. Thank you for sharing