Crepe Cake with Raspberries and Cream

So it seemed like spring had sprung and all was finally well with Mother Nature.  The weather was getting warmer, the birds were chirping in the morning, and tiny little green buds began to speckle all the trees around my neighborhood.  I was seeing more kids playing around outside, and just the other night, I even heard the ice cream truck driving around playing its catchy little tune (I still get excited about this).  Then, in a completely sudden change of events, it snowed two nights ago.  Snow.  In April.  In spring.  Not ok.

To be fair, the snow that fell was really just a light flurry, but still. It's the principle!  The fact that my mom had to use an ice pick to get that layer of ice off the car windshield in the morning was a bit depressing.  I thought we had moved past this!  Here I am posting a lovely recipe for a delightfully springy Crepe Cake with Raspberries and Cream, and there were sprinklings of snow on the ground just yesterday.  Fortunately, the weather is supposed to improve slightly over the weekend and by then, spring will hopefully be here to stay!  In the meantime though, we can continue to pretend that it's really spring with this crepe cake.

This crepe cake is made up of 22 thin crepes that are stacked with layers or freshly whipped cream and a raspberry filling made from fresh raspberries.   It's different kind of layer cake, and what I love most about it is that it is such an impressive sight.  The cake looks impressive, and there's nothing more striking than cutting out a slice of the crepe cake to reveal all those lovely layers.  I absolutely love the way the slices look!  I also really like how the edges of the crepes look when they're all stacked together.  They're imperfect and curly, and look like lots of ruffles gathered on top of each other.  It's a cute and festive look that is such a showstopper.

Crepe cakes are great desserts to whip up when planning a holiday party menu.  They don't require very much time, can be made the day before, and can feed a lot of people.  Believe me, a thin slice of this crepe cake is very satisfying!  Crepe cakes only look like they are complicated to make, when in reality they're really simple.  It takes approximately one minute to prepare the crepe batter (seriously, you just throw everything in the blender and blend until smooth), and after that, you let it rest for at least one hour.  It's super important to let the crepe batter rest, because this helps to calm down the batter and get rid of all those bubbles that form when it gets blended.  That hour when the crepe batter is resting in the fridge is more than enough time to prepare the fillings for your crepe cake, and if you're making a crepe cake with Nutella or dulce de leche (this one is next on my agenda), you don't even have to do anything!  The process of cooking and flipping the crepes is definitely the most time consuming part of the whole process, but it's nothing too terrible.  The crepes cook quickly, and even though cooking so many crepes can seem intimidating, you'll get into a groove quickly enough that it'll go by fast. Assembling the cake is super easy too.  Simply spread layers of the fillings, alternating between the two and stacking crepes on top of one another.  Once you're done, refrigerate the cake to set it and so that the crepes don't begin to slide around, and that's it!

Crepe cakes are incredibly versatile, and you can change up the fillings to pretty much anything that you can think of.  Peanut butter and jelly, Nutella, lemon curd, Biscoff spread, and dulce de leche are just a few ideas!  To make this a perfect dessert for Easter Sunday though, I kept the fillings simple and light.  Who doesn't love fresh whipped cream with raspberries?!  I don't know anyone like that, that's for sure.  This crepe cake is barely sweetened and is the perfect way to finish off a big Easter meal.  Enjoy, and make sure to save some room for dessert on Sunday! Happy Easter everyone!

Crepe Cake with Raspberries and Cream
crepe recipe adapted slightly from Alton Brown

Ingredients

For the Crepes

4 large eggs 
1 1/2 cups milk
2 cups water
2 cups flour
6 tablespoons melted butter
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the Raspberry Filling

2 6-oz containers fresh raspberries
3-4 tablespoons sugar (depending on the sweetness of the berries)
splash of lime juice

For the Whipped Cream

2 cups heavy whipping cream
3 tablespoons sugar (to taste)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Combine all of the ingredients in a blender and pulse until they are all blended together and smooth.  Refrigerate the crepe batter for at least one hour to allow the bubbles to subside.  You can refrigerate the batter for up to 48 hours, but make sure to let it rest for at least 1 hour.

While the crepe batter is chilling, prepare the raspberry filling.  In a saucepan set over medium heat, combine the fresh raspberries, sugar, and lime juice.  Cook the raspberries until they begin to break down and turn syrupy, about ten minutes.  Stir every so often.  Once the syrup has thickened slightly, remove the saucepan from the heat.  Let the raspberry filling cool to room temperature and then store in the fridge until ready to use.

When you're ready to make the crepes, heat a small non-stick pan over medium heat.  I used a 10" pan that yielded 8-inch crepes.  Add butter to coat the bottom of the pan.  Pour about a scant 1/4 cup of batter into the pan, and swirl to coat evenly.  Once the batter has set, flip the crepe and cook for a few seconds to cook the other side.  Lay the crepe on a cutting board so it can cool completely.  Repeat with the remaining batter until you've used it up.  Remember, the first crepe will probably not look all that pretty, so discard it (the first crepe never works out...).  Once the crepes have cooled you can stack them and put them aside.

To assemble the cake, begin by preparing the whipped cream.  In a chilled standard electric mixer bowl, combine the whipping cream, sugar, and vanilla extract.  Using the whisk attachment, whip the cream until it begins to hold medium peaks.  

Place one crepe on a serving platter or cake stand.  Spread a layer of whipped cream over the crepe, and top with another crepe.  Spread a layer of raspberry filling over the crepe, and then top with another crepe.  Continue this process of alternating fillings and topping with crepes until all the crepes have been used, and you're left with a plain crepe on top.  I recommend not spreading the filling all the way to the edges of the crepes, but rather leave a half inch to an inch border all the way around, otherwise you'll have filling and whipped cream oozing out from every direction as you stack the crepes on top of each other.  Place the crepe cake in the fridge to chill for an hour or so, just so that the fillings set.  Serve the cake at room temperature with additional whipped cream if desired.  Enjoy!

Makes 1 8-inch crepe cake