How to Make a Crepe Cake

I grew up on crepes. My dad, the resident crepe-maker in our household, would make them at least once a month for breakfast, and sometimes even for brinner (that’s breakfast for dinner). Crepes were one of the first recipes I learned to make and to this day I enjoy them often for breakfast or brinner, filled with sweet preserves, sour cream or savory ingredients, like ham and cheddar. I just can’t enough of them.

And yet, having eaten so many crepes in my life, I’d never tried my hand at a crepe cake. I had no idea what I was missing. Layers of creamy, custard-like filling between paper-thin pancakes make for one seriously delicious and visually stunning cake. And it doesn’t take much effort to put together, just a little time, patience and a reason to make a cake (which shouldn’t be too hard to come up with). I have a feeling this will be my new go-to cake for celebrations and parties.

First, make the filling: Whisk together an egg, some sugar, flour and cornstarch in a bowl.

Heat milk just to boiling in a saucepan, then whisk slowly into the bowl.

Return the mixture to the saucepan and heat, whisking constantly, until thickened. Transfer back to the bowl and chill in the freezer and then refrigerator for a couple of hours.

Meanwhile, make the crepes: In a large bowl, whisk together beaten eggs, milk, sugar and flour. We’re going to make a lot of crepes with this recipe so the end result is a very tall cake, but if you want to save yourself some time and ingredients you can halve the crepe recipe.

Heat a lightly oiled skillet over medium heat, then ladle 1/4 cup of crepe batter at a time into the skillet; swirl to coat. Cook on each side about one to two minutes, then transfer to a plate to cool. Repeat until all the batter is used up.

When the filling is set and fully chilled, whip up some heavy cream and fold it into the filling along with a bit of sugar.

To assemble the cake, place one crepe in the center of a cake plate. Top with a thin layer of the filling, then top with another crepe. Repeat until you’ve used all but one crepe, then top the cake with the final, clean crepe. Chill the cake in the fridge for a couple hours until ready to serve.

Oh, and since we’re making this for a celebration, a cake banner is definitely in order. To make a cake banner, you’ll need some cardstock, scissors, a pushpin or something sharp to punch a hole in the cardstock, some baker’s twine and bamboo skewers. Cut the cardstock into triangles, then poke two holes near the top so you can string baker’s twine through them. String the baker’s twine through the holes to create a banner of triangles, then tie the two ends to two bamboo skewers. Voila! You just made a cake banner.

When the cake is ready to serve, sprinkle some powdered sugar on top (or sprinkle with granulated sugar and brulee with a kitchen torch, if you have one). Stick the cake banner skewers into the top of the cake, leaving a little slack in the banner so it hangs nicely. Use a very sharp knife to cut the cake into slices.

There you have it! A yummy, totally celebration-worthy crepe cake. Enjoy!