Enjoy a new way of eating pancakes just in time for Pancake Day! This cake is the richest, most buttery cake you will ever eat so why not host a gathering for Shrove Tuesday and share it with a group? (Seriously, this crepe cake is very rich and buttery). I got this recipe from The Runcible Spoon and decided to give it a go myself and was pretty pleased with the results!
Look at the crepe layers! At first glance this cake covered in it’s rich ganache is delicious looking - but it’s when you cut off a slice that you really see the crepe-y surprise hidden within. It’s also not as hard as it looks (even if you make the whipped cream layers a bit wobbly like I did!) – thanks a lot to The Runcible Spoon for this recipe!
Chocolate pancake cake
Ingredients:
Crepes:
- 355ml warm water
- 710ml milk
- 12 eggs room temperature
- 180 grams melted butter
- 375 grams all purpose flour
- 90 grams granulated sugar
- 15 grams salt
- Tbsp vanilla
Chocolate whipped cream:
- 950ml double cream
- 120g icing sugar
- 60g cocoa powder
Chocolate ganache:
- 100g dark chocolate
- 235 ml double cream
- 90g unsalted butter
Method:
- Mix the dry ingredients together in a food processor, in another bowl mix the wet ingredients. Combine slowly, adding the wet mixture to the dry to create your crepe batter!
- Heat a small knob of butter in a frying pan over a medium high heat. When lightly bubbling pour in enough batter to coat the pan. Cook for about one minute. The pancake is ready to flip when bubbles appear on it’s surface. Fry for a further 30 seconds until golden then remove your crepe onto a clean baking sheet and repeat this process 29 more times, making a stack of pancakes.
- Whip the double cream with a hand mixer in a large mixing bowl until stiff peaks form
- Sift in powdered sugar and cocoa powder and fold until incorporated.
- Combine chocolate and cream together in a bowl, using a bain-marie to melt the chocolate.
- Take off the heart and add butter in small chunks until all the butter has melted. Allow to cool before pouring.
- Lay down your first crepe on a cake board, then spread an even layer of whipped cream to the very edge of your crepe (make sure you do this evenly or you’ll end up with wobbly layers like mine!) then press a second crepe on top.
- Repeat with the rest of your crepes and whipped crème, topping with your last crepe. Chill in the fridge for an hour.
- Remove from the fridge, using an overturned bowl or anything else circular (I used a large side plate) place on the centre of the cake and use a knife to trim round the edge of the cake, removing the edges so you have smooth sides.
- Runcible spoon use another layer of whipped cream on the sides but I went straight to spooning on the ganache. My ganache had cooled so I used a knife to apply it rather than pouring and the result is that my ganache is a little thicker and applied more like an icing.
- Leave to set in the fridge, then cut into your cake and enjoy!
Runcible spoon’s original recipe here.
Decorative plates - Catnap Design London "Monty" Frilled Edge Plate £38, "Oscar" Frilled Edge Side Plate £25