A crêpe cake has been on my to-do list all year. Leave it to a procrastinator like myself to finally set aside time during the last few days of 2015 to tackle this classic recipe. This isn’t the easiest cake to make, but I love its chic meets rustic vibe.
This delicate, ruffle-edged cake is made from a stack of 20 tender crêpes. There’s a luscious layer of pastry cream in between each buttery crêpe layer, and this is where black rose tea makes a big statement.
I fell in love with Teabox’s Mountain Rose upon opening the pouch. This black tea is a mix of rose, jasmine, and cardamom–reminiscent of Indian desserts like creamy rice pudding. There’s something luxurious and exotic about this blend. Best of all, it’s floral and fragrant without being overwhelming.
All you need to do to infuse a pastry cream with tea flavor is to add one step: simply throw the leaves in to steep with the simmered milk. Strain out the tea leaves prior to mixing the milk with the rest of the pastry cream ingredients, making sure to squeeze out every last drop of this richly flavored milk.
It’s best to use quality loose leaf tea in this recipe. The simpler ingredients–milk, flour, eggs, and butter–set the stage for the tea’s intricate flavor to come shining though.
It’s very important to be consistent with using your measuring equipment here. Using a dry measuring cup for the liquid batter ensures that each crêpe is the same size and thickness. The same is true for using a tablespoon to measure out the layers of pastry cream.
Whether you make this cake for New Year’s or some other celebration in 2016, just be sure make it. This cake has an understated elegance and tastes even more fantastic than it looks.
The Mountain Rose Black Tea used in this recipe is courtesy of Teabox.
Black Rose Tea Crêpe Cake
Makes 1-8″ cake.
Ingredients:
{Pastry Cream}
1/4 cup cornstarch
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups whole milk
2 Tbsp rose flavored black tea (I used Teabox’s Mountain Rose Black Tea)
4 egg yolks
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp rose water
{Crêpes}
3 cups all-purpose flour
6 eggs
1 1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cup milk
6 Tbsp butter, melted
3/4 tsp salt
3 Tbsp sugar
non-stick spray or melted butter
{Garnish}
powdered sugar
Equipment:
mixing bowl
medium pot
mesh strainer, for tea
whisk
plastic wrap
blender
8″ crêpe pan
spatula
1/3 cup measure
paper towel
large plate or cake stand
Tbsp measure
sifter, for powdered sugar
Directions:
1. Make the Pastry Cream. In a medium bowl, mix together the cornstarch, sugar, and egg yolks. Add in 1/2 cup of the milk, then mix everything together. In a pot over low-medium heat, heat the milk until it simmers. Turn off the heat, add the loose tea, then let it steep for 5-7 minutes. Strain out the tea, pressing out all of the milk from the leaves. Add this hot tea milk gradually into the cornstarch mixture, whisking continually. Return the mixture to the pot, then set on low heat and stir vigorously for 5-7 minutes until the pastry cream is thick and comes to a boil. Mix the butter, vanilla, and rose water into the pastry cream. Transfer the pastry cream to a bowl, then cover with plastic wrap against the surface. Set this aside to cool.
2. Make the Crêpe Batter. Place all the crêpe ingredients (except the non-stick spray) in the blender, placing the liquid ingredients in first before adding the dry. Blend until the mixture is lump-free and smooth.
3. Cook the Crêpes. Spray the crêpe pan with non-stick spray (or coat with a thin layer of melted butter), then place it on very low heat until the pan gets evenly warm. Pour a 1/3 cup of the batter in the center of the pan, then roll the pan in a circular motion so that the batter distributes to an even thickness. Cook the crêpe for a few minutes on the first side until it releases from the pan. Check to see that the color of the crêpe underneath is lightly browned, then flip the crêpe over to cook on the other side for a few minutes more. Stack the crêpes on top of one another as you make them, covering them with a damp paper towel. Repeat this step to make 20 crêpes.
4. Construct the Cake. Place one crêpe on a large plate or cake stand. Spoon 1 Tbsp of pastry cream in the middle of the crêpe, then spread it out evenly over the surface of the crêpe leaving a 1/2″ border all around. Repeat this step for 19 of the crêpes, topping with one last crêpe to create a finished cake. Optionally, dust the cake with powdered sugar to finish…enjoy!
