So, my mom visited me in the great state of Texas this weekend, and she left me with all of her happiness in life. I took it all like the parasite I am. She sold me her car, for which I am eternally grateful. She brought my cat, which, as anyone who has met her know, is one of the sweetest and most lovable creatures on God's green earth. Look. At. This. Fluff.
(Okay, she doesn't pose well for pictures, but she's a very pretty cat)
My mom and I had a wonderful weekend of adventure. One thing I've really enjoyed about moving to the city is that I can find adventure any time, anywhere. We went to the Grapevine Main Street festival and wandered into some fun shops in the historic part of Grapevine, which I had never seen. We went to the Dallas Arboretum and saw some incredible flowers, despite it being a little rainy. I found a small hole-in-the-wall dinner theater where we saw a production of "Prelude to a Kiss." I can always do something in the city that I've never done before, and I've made some really cool memories this way.
Of course this weekend of adventure included good food. I introduced my mom to one of my favorite types of food, ramen (real, restaurant quality stuff that barely even counts as the same food as the cheap packets), and we had to find some good curry, which we did. Curry is a culinary gift to mankind, If you haven't tried it TRY IT.
Okay, now to the point of why I'm rambling about all of this on my recipe blog. I decided to make a nice brunch for my mother, which included a crepe cake, something I've learned to make since coming to Texas. Crepe cakes combine two of my favorite things, crepes and cake. I love making crepes, there's just something fun about frying up a big stack of the little guys and preparing them for topping. Crepe cakes are basically a pile of crepes with creme in between, sliced and served like a cake. Simple, right? It's not difficult, but it does take time, here's the steps to making a crepe cake:
1. Mix up crepe batter
2. Let it rest for at least 30 minutes. This allows all the ingredients to come together and make your crepes less likely to rip when flipping or stacking.
3. Make crepes. This can take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour depending on how fast you are.
4. Let the crepes cool completely in the fridge. This is really important. Warm crepes would melt the cream. You can do all of this the night before and cover the crepes in plastic wrap for assembly in the morning.
5. Make the cream. This varies based on what kind of cake you're making. It can be a simple whipped cream, or multiple flavors, or something more pudding-like.
6. Stack the cake. Put down a crepe and smear on a thick layer of cream, leaving a border at the edge so that it doesn't ooze out with the layers stacked on top of it. Repeat until you either run out of crepes or cream.
7. Top with whatever decorations are fitting.
8. Refrigerate for at least an hour. I didn't let this cake set long enough, which is why it's kind of sloppy looking. Letting the cake set gives the cream time to stiffen and seep into the crepes, leaving a moist, cake-like crepe and a thick cream that cuts easily.
Crepe cakes are all about that slice, the thin layers separated by rich cream look incredible when you pull out that first delicate slice. Cutting into the cake is fun, feeling the thin layers fall away under the knife. It's a delicate operation to get a slice to a plate without it falling apart, but the presentation of crepe cakes is stunning. If you're looking for a dessert that will really stand out and taste great, this might be the ticket. The flavors of crepes and cream can be mixed up to create cakes for different taste preferences or occasions. A delicate peaches and cream, rich chocolate espresso, a fancy spin on a classic carrot cake, the only limit is your imagination (and, you know, what actually tastes good).
Okay, so here's how I made the one for my mom. This cake is made from vanilla-almond crepes and has alternating layers of blackberry and strawberry cream. This combination was my idea based on what fruits were in season and what I thought was fitting for a brunch crepe cake.
This was my crepe recipe:
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/16383/basic-crepes/
Note: add sugar to this recipe if you want sweet crepes, which will make the end result more cake-like. I added vanilla extract and almond flavoring as well.
The average crepe cake will take about 2 cups of heavy whipping cream. For some flavors, you can mix the flavoring into the cream with the sugar before whipping (chocolate, orange zest, peppermint). For fruit flavors, the process is slightly different. Blend the fruit, then put it in a separate bowl. Whip the cream, then fold the fruit into the cream, losing as little air as possible.
I decorated mine with slices of fruit. The layers of strawberry and blackberry alternate. Just look at all of those tasty layers!
Crepe cakes have quickly become one of my favorite things to make, so I hope this bpost inspires you to have some adventure in your life and in your dessert.
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