How to Make a Crepe Cake

By Leah Maroney, The Spruce Eats

Learn to Make a Mille Crepe

Crepe cakes, also known as mille crepe, look super impressive, but they really aren't complicated! You just need to make a ton of crepes and some delicious homemade whipped cream. (You can use store-bought, but homemade is so much better!) Some fresh berries seal the deal. It's a cake that is not too sweet but ends up feeling super decadent. It's also stunningly beautiful seeing all of those paper thin layers sandwiched with fresh cream and vibrant berries.

Crepe Batter

Every crepe cake needs to start with the perfect crepe batter.

Our crepe recipe has sugar and a little vanilla to make the batter more sweet than savory, which is perfect when you are making a cake.

Crepe Ingredients:

• 1 cup of flour
• 3/4 cup of milk
• 1/2 cup of water
• 2 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons of salted butter (melted and cooled)
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
• 2 tablespoons of sugar

Place all of the ingredients in a blender and blend on high until completely combined. Cover the blender and place it in the refrigerator for one hour to allow the bubbles to settle. Too many bubbles in the batter will cause the crepes to rip when you are trying to flip them.

If you are using a pan that is 9 inches, you will need to make a triple batch of the batter in order to have enough crepes to stack a moderately high cake. If you are using a smaller pan, you will have more crepes and may only need to make a single or double batch, depending on how high you want your cake to be. You will need 20 to 30 crepes depending on how thick you make your crepes as well.

Adding Crepes to the Pan 

Heat up a non-stick pan or cast iron skillet on medium-high heat. Add a tablespoon of salted butter. Once the pan is nice and hot turn down the heat to medium-low. Pour just shy of a 1/4 cup of the batter into the pan. Once you get the hang of how much batter you need, you can pour straight from the blender if it has a nice pour spout.

Swirl the Batter

Moving quickly, swirl the batter in the pan so that it reaches all of the edges. Allow the crepe to cook for 30 seconds. Then use a wooden or plastic spatula to flip the crepe and allow it to cook on the other side for another 10 seconds. Metal spatulas are more likely to rip the crepe as you flip them.

Remove from the heat and place on a plate or wire rack to cool. You can stack them on top of each other one they have each cooled slightly. You do not need to add butter every time you pour new batter in the pan. Just add it whenever it looks like it needs greasing or if the crepes start to stick.

Continue to make the crepes until you are out of batter.

Stacking

Once you have cooked all of the crepes that you need you can start stacking them. Place the first crepe on your desired cake stand or plate. You will need about 3 cups of whipped cream. It's a good idea to add a whipped cream stabilizer if you are making homemade whipped cream.

You can also add a 1/4 cup of marshmallow fluff to the whipped cream recipe below to stabilize the cream so that it stays stiff and ensures that the crepes will not slip and slide when you stack them.

Whipped Cream Ingredients:

• 2 cups of heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

Beat the cream with a hand mixer until it forms stiff peaks. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar. Beat or stir into the cream until combined. Be careful not to over beat. The cream will easily turn into butter and buttermilk if beaten for too long.

Adding Whipped Cream 

After you place one crepe down on your cake stand, add a thin layer of whipped cream. Do not add too much whipped cream as the crepes will begin to slip. If you are adding berries add them after a layer of whipped cream. Make sure to slice the berries, whether they are strawberries or raspberries or blueberries very thinly. This will ensure that the cake is mostly even and will prevent slippage when you are stacking the layers.

Layer and Decorate

Add on your next crepe after you have added the cream and berries. Continue to layer the cream, berries, and crepes until you have reached the desired height of your cake.

Chill and Serve Your Crepe Cake

Decorate the top of your cake with fresh berries and chill immediately. Allow the cake to chill for at least 30 minutes. Then cut the cake with a very sharp knife and serve. 

See more at: The Spruce Eats