Replicating Favorites: Mille Crêpe Cake

Mille Crêpe Cake is somewhat of a cake du jour.  With the openings of a few new French bakeries in the city, it seems like the Mille Crêpe Cake has been popping up behind the glass panes all over Manhattan!  The idea is mind blowingly simple: endless layers of thin tender crepes and fluffy light whipped cream.  So simple that I decided to try to construct this for JZ’s 25th birthday.

I dug up a recipe from Gourmet for a Grand Marnier crepe cake that I had saved for quite a few years now.  The Grand Marnier gives a little citrus lift to an already impossibly light cake.  I wanted to round out the citrus flavor so added lemon zest as well as a splash of limoncello and a scoop of lemon curd to the whipped cream filling.

The ingredients are simple:

Grand Marnier and Limoncello, Orange and Lemon Zest, Egg Yolks, Flour (Clockwise starting at top left)

I had some doubts about making crepes without crepe pans and the special spatula (yes, I love having all these gadgets and equipment).  It can’t be that easy can it?  Well, after making approximately 50 crepes (2x the crepe recipe – which I highly recommend if it’s your first time) using a simple omelet pan, I can say that while I certainly didn’t churn out perfectly paper-thin crepes, it gave me enough crepes to construct a lovely cake in the end.

Golden Crepe in an Omelet Pan

A few pictorial steps for making the crepe cake:

Step by Step for Making Mille Crepe Cake

Now finally, I lay on a final layer and dust with powdered sugar.

The Mille Crêpe Cake

And a slice of Mille Crêpe Cake for you – Happy Birthday!

A Cross Section View of the Cake

Mille Crêpe Cake (Adapted from Gourmet’s Grand Marnier Crepe Cake:http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Grand-Marnier-Crepe-Cake-241754 )

• 6 large eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 3 cups chilled heavy cream, divided
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, divided
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup confectioners sugar, divided
• 2 teaspoons grated orange zest, divided
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest, divided
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier or Cointreau
• 1/3 cup of lemon curd

1. Blend eggs, milk, 1/2 cup cream, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla with flour, salt, 1/4 cup confectioners sugar, and 1 teaspoon zest in a blender until just smooth.
2. Brush a 10-inch nonstick skillet lightly with some of melted butter, then heat over medium-high heat until hot. Pour in a scant 1/4 cup batter, immediately tilting and rotating skillet to coat bottom. (If batter sets before skillet is coated, reduce heat slightly for next crêpe.) Cook until underside is golden and top is just set, 15 to 45 seconds. Loosen edge of crépe with a heatproof rubber spatula, then flip crêpev over with your fingertips and cook 20 seconds more. Transfer to a plate. Continue making crêpes, brushing skillet with butter each time and stacking on plate.
3. Beat remaining 2 1/2 cups cream, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, 3/4 cup confectioners sugar, 1 teaspoon zest each of orange and lemon, and Grand Marnier in a large deep bowl with an electric mixer until cream holds stiff peaks.  Fold in the lemon curd.
4. Center a crêpe in the middle of a spring foam for easy assembly and spread with 1/4 cup cream. Continue stacking crêpes and spreading with cream, ending with a crêpe. Chill, covered, at least 4 hours and up to 24.