Matcha & Vanilla Crepe Cake

How many layers can you count?

I love the lightness in the cream and crepe layers combined together… makes me feel like the calories don’t count!!

I’ve had many trials and errors with crepe cakes and I learn something new every time. It does get pretty frustrating since it is such a long process for it to not work out and often times, goes straight into the garbage.

I finally believe that I have a recipe that is reeeaaaally reeeeaaaally close to that Lady M crepe cake that I love so much. Given that the Pastry Chefs at Lady M have several years of training, I may never get to the same level and will still go to Lady M and treat myself to a slice or two, but for those weekends when I’m committed to a longer project, this is the perfect one to continue to make over and over again. And for those dinner parties, this is definitely a perfect and special treat!

Ingredients:

For Vanilla Crepes:

2 cups whole milk
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons cake flour
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1 1/2 tablespoon butter, unsalted

For Matcha Mascarpone Cream Frosting:

6 egg yolks, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated white sugar
3 tablespoons dry white wine.
3 cups (24 ounces) mascarpone cheese
3 cups chilled whipped cream
3 tablespoons matcha powder
3 tablespoons hot water

Whipped Cream for Mascarpone Cream Frosting:

3 cups heavy whipping cream
9 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar
3 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Directions:

For Vanilla Crepes:

Place milk, eggs, flour, sugar and salt in blender and blend at medium-low speed.
Scrape seeds from vanilla bean and add into blender. Continue to blend for about 15 seconds. Alternative option to vanilla bean, is to use one tablespoon of pure vanilla extract.
Scrape down the sides of the blender.
Turn the blender back to medium-low speed and drizzle in the melted butter.
Blend the ingredients thoroughly together and strain through a fine mesh strainer into container. Crepes turn out the best when the batter is is silky smooth.
Cover the container and place in refrigerator overnight. Allowing the batter to rest overnight is essential for a crepe cake, so the crepe does not turn out rubbery. Generally, if you only want to make crepes to eat immediately, then the crepe does not have a chance to cool down and become rubbery. In that case, you may not need the batter to rest in the frig overnight. But, if you have a little bit of time and making crepes to eat right away, even allowing the batter to rest even 30 minutes is helpful.
A crepe pan is helpful to make the perfect crepe, but a non-stick pan will work as well. I would recommend a 8 to 10 inch pan. Another helpful tool is the wooden stick to pull the batter around the pan to ensure a nice even spread or with practice, swirling the pan works as well.
To set up the pan, use a cooking oil, I prefer avocado oil and use a paper towel to spread a thin amount around the pan.
On medium to medium-high heat, ladle just about 1/4 cup (for 10-inch pan) onto the pan. If you’re not using a crepe pan, the first two or three crepes may not be evenly cooked. A crepe pan does help ensure the heat is more evenly conducted throughout the pan. Once the batter is in pan, swirl it to cover the surface area of the pan.
Allow one side of the crepe to cook (about 15 to 30 seconds), depending on heat level and thickness of crepe. You do want the crepe to be as thin as possible, otherwise your crepe layers could look like pancake layers. After a couple of crepes, you’ll be able to see once the crepe is down on one side. To flip, use a food turner to lift the edges of the crepe and use your fingers to flip the crepe. The crepe is delicate, so sometimes other kitchen tools may rip the crepe.
Once flipped over, continue to cook until done and then place the crepe on a cooling rack. As the crepes cool down, you can layer them on top of each other.
Continue until all batter is used up.

For Matcha Mascarpone Cream Frosting:

In small bowl, mix matcha powder and hot water together to create a paste and set aside.
For whipped cream:
- With whisk attachment on standing mixer, on medium speed, whisk together heavy whipping cream, sugar and vanilla extract.
- Continue to mix until soft peaks start to form – approximately 5-7 minutes.
- Set whipped cream on side.
In a medium bowl, over simmering water, whisk together egg yolks and sugar, but be careful not to cook the eggs.
- Continue to whisk until the mixture thickens (approximately 3-5 minutes)
- Add the white wine to the mixture, so it loosens a little bit and continue to mix for another 3-5 minutes and set mixture on side to cool slightly.
Whisk mascarpone cheese into the egg yolk and sugar mixture until just combined.
Whisk matcha paste to the mixture.
Add the whip cream in three separate batches by gently folding the mixtures together (do not overmix or the cream will deflate).
Once combined, either keep in airtight container in refrigerator until needed or can be used immediately for frosting.

Assembly:

On serving plate, start with one crepe on the bottom.
Use about 1/4 to 1/3 cup mascarpone cream and place on top of crepe.
Use a frosting spatula to spread the cream around the crepe, leaving a thin perimeter edge without any cream, but because the crepe is naturally thinner around the edges, try to ensure there is a thicker edge of cream around the outside. This will prevent the crepe cake from doming up as you build up the layers.
Continue to layer the crepe and mascarpone cream until all layers are used up (depending on how big the pan is, you should get about 15-20 layers).
Refrigerate crepe cake for about 4 hours or overnight.
Option is to top with favorite fruit, such as raspberries.
Prior to serving, use confectioner’s sugar and shift a thin layer of sugar on top.
Slice right into it and enjoy!!