Crepe Cake With Granola And Plums Recipes

CREAMSICLE CREPE CAKE

Steps:

• Make the filling: Whisk the egg yolks, granulated sugar, cornstarch, orange zest, orange juice, lemon juice and salt in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula until the mixture comes to a simmer and is thick like pudding, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter until melted. Strain the filling through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl, pushing it through with a rubber spatula. Press plastic wrap onto the surface of the filling and refrigerate until cold and firm, at least 2 hours.
• Meanwhile, make the crepe batter: Combine the flour, eggs, milk, melted butter, granulated sugar, vanilla and salt in a blender; blend until smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender as needed. Set aside, covered, 1 hour. (This prevents the crepes from turning out rubbery.)
• Finish the filling: Beat the heavy cream in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until it starts thickening, about 1 minute. Add the confectioners' sugar and beat until stiff peaks form, about 1 more minute. Beat in the vanilla. Stir one-quarter of the whipped cream into the orange filling, then gently fold in the rest. Cover and refrigerate until set, about 1 hour.
• Make the crepes: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Heat a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Lightly brush with butter, then pour 1/4 cup batter into the center of the pan. Quickly tilt and swirl the pan to coat and cook until the bottom is golden brown and the top is firm, about 1 minute. Loosen the edges of the crepe with a spatula, then flip with your fingers; cook until lightly browned on the other side, 30 more seconds. Invert onto the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining batter, stacking the crepes as you go; lightly brush the pan with more butter as needed. You will have about 16 crepes. (Don't worry if a few tear-layer them in the middle of your cake.)
• Put 1 crepe on a platter and top with a scant 1/4 cup filling, spreading it to the edge. Repeat, stacking the remaining crepes and filling, and ending with a crepe. Refrigerate overnight (this will make slicing easier). Top with whipped cream and orange zest before serving.

CHEF JOHN'S STRAWBERRY CREPE CAKE

Steps:

• Pour eggs, flour, sugar, salt, oil, milk, and vanilla extract into a blender. Blend, starting on low speed and finishing on high, until combined. Refrigerate batter for at least 30 minutes.
• Scoop strawberry jam into a saucepan. Rinse out jar with water and pour into the saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and stir. Simmer for 1 minute, remove from heat, and stir. Let cool to room temperature.
• Brush some butter over a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Pour in 1/4 cup batter; tilt pan to coat evenly. Cook until crepes bubble and brown, about 1 1/2 minutes per side. Transfer to a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining batter, buttering the pan between crepes. Let cool completely before stacking, at least 15 minutes.
• Combine mascarpone cheese, cream, sugar, and vanilla extract in a bowl. Whisk together until stiff peaks form.
• Lay a crepe onto a large plate. Spoon on 2 or 3 tablespoons of the cream mixture, spreading it almost to the edge. Swirl in some strawberry jam. Transfer finished crepe onto a flat serving plate. Repeat with remaining crepes, cream, and jam. Center each crepe over the previous one in a stack. Gently press on a final plain crepe to finish.
• Refrigerate until completely chilled before cutting and serving.

MILLE CREPE CAKE WITH GRAPEFRUIT CREAM AND CANDIED ORANGES

Steps:

• For the crepes: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and vanilla. Whisk the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until fully incorporated.
• Using an immersion blender, mix the batter until silky smooth and very thin, 2 to 3 minutes, to break up all egg proteins and fully blend the flour. (You may also use a regular blender.) Refrigerate the batter for at least 1 hour before use.
• Heat a nonstick crepe pan over medium heat. Add a small bit of butter to grease the pan. Pour 1/4 cup of the batter into the center of the pan. Use a ladle or the back of a large spoon to spread the batter out as thinly as possible, using a circular motion.
• Cook the crepe until air bubbles on the top are formed and starting to pop, and the bottom is light brown, about 1 minute. Flip the crepe with an offset spatula or pancake turner and allow to cook on second side until golden brown, 1 minute. Transfer the crepe to a plate or baking sheet to cool.
• Continue this process with the rest of the batter. It may not be necessary to butter the pan every time, as long as the crepes continue to freely release. You should have about 18 crepes.
• Allow the crepes to completely cool to room temperature.
• For the filling: Bring the grapefruit and lemon juice to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Whisk the eggs, egg yolk and sugar together in a medium bowl. When the grapefruit juice begins to simmer, temper the egg mixture by adding a small amount of hot liquid to the eggs while constantly whisking. Add the warmed egg mixture back to the pot and continue to cook over medium heat, continuously whisking. When the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, transfer to a medium bowl (strain through a fine-mesh strainer if necessary). Finish by whisking in the butter. Cool completely in the refrigerator.
• Add the heavy cream and confectioners' sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat until soft peaks form.
• Once the curd has completely cooled, fold about 1/4 of the whipped cream into it, then add all of the curd mixture to the bowl of remaining whipped cream and gently fold it in, taking care not to deflate the whipped cream. This will be your filling for the crepe cake.
• One layer at a time, add a heaping scoop of grapefruit cream and spread out to the edges of the crepe. Top with another crepe and repeat process until the last layer of crepe is placed on top. Spread the remaining grapefruit cream on top and decorate with candied oranges.
• Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F and line a baking sheet with a silicone mat. Slice the orange crosswise into very thin slices, about 1/8 inch thick. Bring the sugar and 1 cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the orange slices, lower the heat to medium low and simmer for 15 minutes. Drain the orange slices and spread them out on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour. Remove the orange slices from the pan and allow to cool and harden on a wire rack.
• To create an ombre pattern of citrus slices, candy 2 slices from each type of citrus:
• Meyer lemon, navel orange, tangerine, Cara Cara orange, ruby grapefruit and blood orange.