Love and Olive Oil

November Kitchen Challenge: Crepe Cake

November Kitchen Challenge: Crepe CakeAfter a two month hiatus (was it just me or was October crazy for everyone?) Kitchen Challenge is back with a vengeance! For the first time, we’ve partnered with an amazing brand to make this challenge even more fun (hello PRIZES! see below for more details!)

This month, we’re tackling crepe cakes. Which, really, is two challenges in one, the basic crepe being the first and the actual cake an entirely different challenge completely.

A crepe cake is not a quick, throw-together kind of dessert. Also called a mille layer cake (meaning a thousand layers because, honestly, by the time you’re done making crepes it’s going to feel like a thousand). It’s more of a showpiece, a special occasion type of cake. And luckily, it is quite conducive to making well ahead of time, and in fact, typically requires at least a day to sit and ‘mingle’ before cutting and serving (it’s less likely to slide apart that way). I’m thinking a fall-flavored crepe cake could be the perfect addition to your Thanksgiving table.

Bananas Foster Crepe Cake from the Breakfast for Dinner cookbook

Technically, I’ve made a crepe cake before. For the book, actually. Vanilla crepes with a bananas Foster filling (pictured above – yum!) But I feel like it’s still a challenge, always benefiting from refinement to technique and recipe, and thus perfectly suitable for a Kitchen Challenge subject.

Once you have a basic crepe recipe down, it’s just a matter of filling. You can fill it with just about anything, from ganache to curd, pastry cream to whipped cream. While I have seen fully-frosted crepe cakes, I find the naturally ruffly edges of the crepes beautiful in their own right, and don’t feel they need to be covered up.

The Challenges:
  • Technique. Crepe formation is no easy task. It takes practice and finesse. My advice? Don’t expect your first few crepes to turn out. After a few tries though, you should start to get a hang of the wrist/swirl motion needed to create a perfect crepe.
  • Time. There’s no denying that a crepe cake takes a significant amount of time effort. Luckily, it can be split up and made ahead of time (in fact, crepe cakes are often better that way!) I suggest making the crepes one day, then assembling the cake the next. Let it chill at least 24 hours before serving.
  • Yield & Scale. Every crepe recipe is similar, a thin batter of milk, eggs, flour, and melted butter. But the quantity of a basic crepe recipe is not necessarily scaled to make enough crepes for an entire cake. You’ll need around 4-5 cups of batter (assuming 1/4 to 1/3 cup of batter per crepe) to make a reasonably sized crepe cake, (16-20 crepes being a good number for an impressive cake). Note too that the size of your pan will affect the number of crepes you get from a batch of batter. Smaller 6-inch pans will make more crepes (and a taller cake) than a larger 9 or 10-inch pan.
  • Flavor. I love challenges where your creativity can really shine through, and what flavor combinations you come up with!
Resources & Recipes:
  • Alton Brown’s basic crepe recipe is a great place to get started. Mix your batter in a blender and it’ll be smooth and ready in no time.
  • Martha Stewart has a great basic crepe recipe and intro video to help you get a hang of the technique. Um, is that really how you pronounce crepe?
  • 5 Tips for Making Sweet Crepes from the Kitchn. Very intrigued by the use of beer in this recipe…
  • Here’s a recipe from Epicurious for a crepe cake with a Grand Marnier whipped cream filling. Simple and elegant. Again, basic recipe that could easily be adapted.

Join me!

Accept the challenge, make a crepe cake, and submit it by Sunday, November 30th. I’ll post about my own experience the following week along with a roundup of everyone who tackled this challenge with me.

Make a crepe cake, win a crepe pan from Swiss Diamond!

In addition, 7 lucky participants will receive this gorgeous Swiss Diamond 9.5″ crepe pan (a $110 value). Depending on how many submissions I receive will determine how the pans are given away (if we only have 7 submissions, everyone gets one! For more than 7, the recipients will be drawn randomly). This giveaway is for US residents only.

Submit Your Results »

What is the Kitchen Challenge?

The Kitchen Challenge series is simply about getting in the kitchen and challenging yourself to make something new; you aren’t required to have a blog to participate, nor are you required to post about it if you do. However, if you do have a blog and post about the challenge, you are more than welcome to use the above graphic.

Disclosure: This post sponsored by Swiss Diamond. As always, all opinions written are purely our own. We’re incredibly grateful for opportunities like these that allow us to challenge ourselves in the kitchen, so thank you for supporting us and the brands we love.

There may be affiliate links in this post. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

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16 Comments

  1. I am in! Thank you. This is just the motivation that I needed to get back into crepe making. The first few were pretty rough, but making 30 in a row is great practice.

  2. Helped my Mom make one with chocolate sauce

  3. Oooo, interesting! Between my full-time job, the food holiday cooking challenge I’m on, and the holidays creeping, I’m hard pressed to make a crepe cake, but I totally need a crepe pan so I’m trying to make it happen! Although, have you just set the bar? Because I’m feeling pretty defeated already. Have you SEEN the beauty you made?!

  4. I used to make crepes for the kids I nannied for all the time! They go nuts for them and their mom used to let them have them for dinner as a special treat ;) Love that this is in cake form!

  5. This cake looks like serious business!  I don’t know if I would have the patience to make all the crepes, but it sure looks beautiful when it’s all finished.

  6. Challange accepted! I recently added you to my Bloglovin feed and was so excited about your kitchen challenges, and then you didn’t post any. Haha. I am very excited to participate in my first challenge with you. I also just recently bought a crepe pan and have made crepes for my family one time. So this will be a fun and delicious challenge. 

  7. Yay! So glad that kitchen challenge is back and I’m definitely in! 

  8. This looks delicious and is so unique – I’ve never heard of it before! I actually had chicken and mushroom crepes for brunch yesterday, but now I’m wishing my brunch spot had crepe cakes too!

    Jenn

  9. My grandmother in Hungary used to make wonderful crepe cakes….the difference was that she spread whisked egg white while making the crepe on top of each layer, so the whole cake was incredibly springy and moist. Between each layer was either poppy seed paste or walnut paste mixed with powdered sugar. Delicious!!

  10. I love crepes (Russian version). I’ve been planning to make a crepe cake for like 4-5 months now. Unfortunately, I never get to making the cake, because me and my husband end up eating them with jam. Oops. This is the nudge I needed. Challenge accepted! :)

  11. August?!

  12. I made a crepe cake a couple months back – and actually just another last week! You’re right, they are NO easy task but they are SO beautiful and impressive. Totally worth the effort!! Pinned!

  13. August 29?  Do you mean November?  I’d love to make this one!

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