Yes, it's a cake made out of crepes and delicious tiramisu filling in between!
The perfect dessert for anyone who loves crepes and tiramisu...or anyone really. It's a great combination and doesn't take long to make!
Crepe cakes have been really popular recently, I would always read about it online and have been wanting to try it at the local cafes but haven't had the chance to yet. In the end, I decided to make one myself so I could taste it!
This Tiramisu Crepe Cake is basically a combination of my two favourite things, crepes and tiramisu (with a few alterations). It consists of mascarpone mousse that is spread between layers of chocolate crepes, topped off with whipped cream and cocoa powder (It's not a tiramisu without the top layer of cocoa powder!)
The crepes are soft and rich with chocolate flavour, and remain moist for a few days. The crepes are also thin enough that it doesn't overpower the cake with chocolate, but still have a strong enough flavour when stacked together. The filling is a coffee mascarpone mousse and for the top layer of cocoa powder, I used dutch-processed cocoa powder to give it the darker colour and a more mellow taste.
I feel that leaving the crepe batter in the fridge overnight and cooking it the next day yields better results. This allows the batter to rest, air bubbles to subside, and time for the flour to absorb the liquid which results in a more tender crepe. When you're storing the crepes in the fridge, make sure to place a piece of parchment paper between each layer and keep in an airtight bag.
Tiramisu Crepe Cake
Yield: One 5" Cake (Serves around 8 people)
Ingredients
Chocolate Crepes
51g Melted butter
344g Milk
108g All Purpose Flour
41g Hershey Cocoa Powder
53g Sugar
150g Eggs
Coffee + Mascarpone Mousse
55g Egg yolks
69g Sugar
230g Mascarpone
2g Vanilla Extract
12g Espresso Powder
18g Hot water
232g Whipping Cream
Toppings
Whipped Cream
Dutch-processed Cocoa Powder
Steps:
Chocolate Crepes
1. Place butter into a medium saucepan and melt over low heat
2. Pour melted butter into a small bowl and use the saucepan to heat up the milk
3. In a medium bowl, sift flour, cocoa powder, and sugar. Use a whisk to evenly mix the ingredients.
4. Add eggs to the dry ingredients. Whisk until fully incorporated.
5. Gradually whisk in the melted butter and milk to the batter, alternating between them.
6. Store batter in fridge overnight.
7. To cook crepes, heat a crepe pan or small round pan (depending on the size of crepes you want) over medium heat.
8. Pour a small amount of batter into the pan. Tilt it quickly but carefully, evenly distributing the batter over the pan.
Cook for about 1 minute until the bottom is dry and looks cooked, then flip and cook the second side for about 30-40 seconds. (Exact cook time will depend on the temperature of your pan and amount of batter)
Repeat until all batter has been used
Coffee Mascarpone Mousse 1. In a small bowl, mix together the coffee powder and hot water. Let cool.
2. Add the yolks and sugar into a medium bowl and whisk over low heat until temperature of the batter reaches around 86C, be careful not to let the eggs overcook.
3. Slowly add the mascarpone into the batter and whisk till fully incorporated. (Add in a small amount into the batter and whisk till incorporated before adding the rest in)
4. Mix in the vanilla extract into the coffee mixture. Gradually whisk in the coffee mixture into the mascarpone batter.
5. Whisk up the whipping cream in a separate bowl on medium speed, until medium to stiff peaks.
6. Gently fold the cream into the batter. Fold a small amount first to make sure lumps don't form and to help the batter to be in the same consistency as the cream before adding the rest in.
Assemble
1. Place a layer of crepe on a 6" cake board. Spread a thin layer of mousse onto the crepe and add another layer of crepe on top. Continue the process until all crepes have been used.
2. I added a last layer of mousse on top and shifted dutch-processed cocoa powder on top.
3. Whip up some whipping cream and decorate as you wish. Let it sit in the refrigerator before serving.
4. Eat to your hearts' content!