Mille Crêpe Cakes are all over the internet. Soft and pillowy crêpes stacked on top of each other with pastry cream layered in between… So beautiful and dramatic. I wanted to not only see how delicious it tasted but try making one myself. I had no idea what a pain in this ass this cake was going to be to make. Thankfully, it was utterly delicious and worth the effort. That said, I will not be making this again but I can now check it off my Foodie Bucket List.
BTW if you attempt to make this you will have to either start early in the morning like I did or make it over two days. You also need to make pastry cream and a blueberry sauce which should be done ahead of time so they can cool.
The Ingredients
You will need: 6 tbsp melted butter, 3 cups warm milk, 6 eggs, 1/2 tsp vanilla, 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 7 tbsp sugar and pinch of salt.
You will also need to make pastry cream for in between the layers and a blueberry sauce for on top.
The Batter
In a large bowl whisk together eggs, flour, sugar and salt. Whisk in the warm milk and melted butter.
This is not typical for a crêpe batter but I also added 1/2 tsp of vanilla to give it more flavour. Most will avoid doing so because they want the crêpes to be pristine but I do not care about aesthetics when it comes to food.
Make sure batter is lump-free. Sieve if necessary. Refrigerate batter for at least two hours.
Making The Crêpes
This is where things fell apart. I was following a recipe as a guideline and it said to heat crêpe pan on medium-low heat. I have a very large crêpe pan and trying to make a large crepe on low heat like that ensured my first three crêpes fell apart.
On a buttered crêpe pan I decided to use a ring mold in an attempt to make smaller crêpe for more of a mini crêpe cake instead. It was either that or dump the batter down the sink.
After a while I could do more than one crêpe in the pan at a time but it was a hot day, this was extremely time consuming and I was beyond frustrated.
You need to cool the crêpes on parchment paper which took up a lot of space, especially since I was making more than 20 crêpes!
Assembling
I used the ring mold to cut the crêpes into circles and cut off the rough edges but I was just being a perfectionist at this point. I did all that work, this damn cake was going to look pretty!
Put the first crêpe on a serving plate and then use a small spatula to slather the lovely pastry cream right to the edges. Keep adding layers of crêpes and pastry cream and top with your prettiest crêpe.
Cover with plastic wrap and let set in the fridge for at least an hour.
Serve!
After sitting in the fridge the cake becomes quite compressed and very easy to slice and serve.
I have to say that the effect of all those layers is quite amazing and stunning.
That said, I am glad I made a blueberry sauce to add additional colour and flavour.
Foodie Conclusion
Despite having so much trouble fighting with my crêpe pan which was too big for this project and the temperature being too low to make large crêpes… I am glad I made this. The cake is super rich but lighter than air at the same time. The blueberry sauce enhanced the decadent eating experience. I can see why these are so popular.
If I ever eat this again though it will not be made by me but I will be very appreciative of the chef who took on this painstaking foodie dessert.
“I was just being a perfectionist at this point. I did all that work, this damn cake was going to look pretty!” — And it does, Suzie, it DOES! Magnificent job!
I was a bit worried when I read the post title — “mille crepe” means “a thousand crepes” in English. SO glad you stopped at 20, LOL!
Thank you!!!! And I tell you, every layer felt like a thousand, LOL. I wish I had my mom’s crepe pan, I used to make crepes in all the time without any problems. This big one was a nightmare!!!
This cake looks awesome! Love how it has so many layers!
Thank you Bethany!!! Yes! So many layers…
Looks beautiful, well done!
Thank you so much Laura!
Wow! It looks beautiful and yummy. Like you said, all that work I rather let someone else bake it for me.
Thanks Shell and yes, good choice! 🙂