And just like that, my birthday weekend is over. But I can’t complain. I got everything I hoped for – and more!
The festivities kicked off Friday evening with a fantastic spread featuring finds from my local Whole Foods. Jason offered to take me out to dinner, but I mentioned I’d be just as happy enjoying a “tasting platter” on the patio at home. So he lent me his credit card to pick up provisions during my lunch break – and that’s exactly what I did!
Then, on Saturday and Sunday, we visited my favorite stores in Burlingame and downtown Palo Alto, and Jason treated me to a cup of Philz Coffee, juicy heirloom tomatoes and a giant sourdough batard.
To top it off, I made this 25-layer crepe cake. I’m not going to lie – it’s a labor of love. The dessert requires time, patience and asbestos hands to prepare. In fact, my fingertips are still a bit sore from flipping hot crepes for an hour. But the trouble is worth it.
This elegant stack of eggy, paper-thin pancakes layered with dollops of fluffy pastry cream is heavenly. It’s light, not too sweet and quite stunning. If you’re up for a cooking challenge, give this 25-layer crepe cake a go! I’m already anxious to make it again.
P.S. My crepe cake actually had 26 layers, but who’s counting?
Recipe adapted from The Baker Chick.
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon hot water
- 3 cups milk
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 6 eggs
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 7 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- powdered sugar
- In a medium sauce pan, bring milk to a simmer over medium heat.
- Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cornstarch and egg. Slowly add half of the hot milk to the bowl, whisking constantly. Pour mixture back into the sauce pan. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens, 3-4 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract and water.
- Transfer mixture to a small bowl and cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the surface of the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to 2 days.
- In a medium sauce pan, bring milk to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat, add butter and stir to melt.
- In a large bowl, combine the eggs, flour, sugar and salt. Slowly add the hot milk and melted butter and whisk until smooth. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
- Remove the crepe batter from the refrigerator and stir. Heat a 10-inch nonstick fry pan over medium heat. Add ¼ cup crepe batter and swirl to completely cover bottom of the pan. Place the pan back on the heat and cook until the center of the crepe is almost dry and the edges are lightly browned. Using a spatula (or your fingertips), flip the crepe and cook until the underside is golden brown, about 1 minute.
- Remove the crepe from the pan and place on a baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining batter, stacking crepes directly on top of each other (they won't stick together).
- Refrigerate the crepes for at least 1 hour or until completely chilled.
- Remove the pastry cream from the refrigerator and beat with a hand-held mixer on low speed until smooth.
- In a large bowl, beat heavy cream on high speed until stiff peaks form. Fold in the sugar and then the pastry cream.
- Place one crepe on a plate (see notes) and top with about 3 tablespoons pastry cream mixture, spreading it toward the edges. Top with another crepe and about 3 tablespoons pastry cream mixture, spreading it toward the edges. Repeat with remaining crepes and pastry cream mixture.
- Refrigerate cake for 1-2 hours.
- When ready to serve, sift powdered sugar over cake. Serve cold or at room temperature.
I accidentally used self raising flour instead of all purpose. Is that okay?
I’m guessing it will be fine. Let me know how it goes!
It turned out quite alright!
Great to hear!
How far in advance can you make and store the crepes?
Hi – I’ve never made the crepes in advance, but you may find this article helpful.