The Most Common Crepe Cake Disaster And How To Avoid It

A popular French dish, crepes resemble pancakes but differ in that they're much thinner and don't contain certain ingredients such as leavening agents or buttermilk. Crepes can be enjoyed any time of day as a meal or snack and stuffed or topped with both savory and sweet ingredients. They are typically served rolled up or folded into triangles, but they can also be transformed into layered cakes known as mille crêpes that have a sweet cream filling. While you don't bake the cake itself, each crepe has to be cooked individually and stacked. It's not necessarily difficult to execute, but be sure to set aside plenty of time when tackling this dessert. Sandy Folsom, School Director of the Wilton Sweet Studio, explained to Tasting Table, "Rushing the process is one of the biggest mistakes you can make when whipping up a crepe cake."

Cooking the crepes takes the most time, but you also have to account for the batter prep. "It's important to let your batter rest and chill in the fridge for a couple hours to allow the liquid to be fully absorbed which will result in a crepe cake that's appropriately moist and tender," Folsom says. In fact, you could let it go for up to 24 hours in the fridge (a great make-ahead tip).

Crepe batter is simple and uses only ingredients you probably keep on hand; you won't need more than flour, butter, sugar, eggs and milk. As mentioned, resting your batter will contribute to the best texture of your finished crepes, but only if you cook them correctly. A burnt crepe is a burnt crepe. Sandy Folsom advises, "Make sure you aren't overcooking your crepes: use heat no higher than medium and turn it down if you find they're browning too fast."

For a basic crepe cake, fill the layers with homemade whipped cream frosting. You can also customize the flavor of the crepes and/or the filling. Put an Italian twist on the French dessert by making mille crepe tiramisu. Strawberry and Nutella are two popular crepe fillings that could also be used in the cake version. Julia Child famously soaked her fruity crepe filling in cognac or orange liquor, which would make this cake extra celebratory.