Chantilly Crepe Cake
This chantilly crepe cake is made up of 20 thin and delicate crepes each layered with fluffy chantilly icing and piled high with fresh berries. Nothing stacks up to this light, luscious cake that is sure to impress!
This chantilly crepe cake is made by stacking up 20 thin, delicate crepes with alternating layers of lush chantilly icing. I’ve been wanting to make one of these crepe cakes for a while and I thought the lightness of it would be great for summer. Add some fresh red and blue berries to the top and now you’ve got the perfect cake for your 4th of July party this weekend!
The crepe batter comes together quickly and while it can take a few tries to cook each one just right, it’s a fun process once you get the hang of it. I knew I wanted to pair the crepes with a light, fluffy icing like chantilly. I make my chantilly icing with a base of cream cheese, mascarpone, and a hint of almond extract. Then whipped cream is folded to create the perfect creamy yet airy texture. The almond flavor is not overpowering but just enough and the fresh berries are a perfect complement to it. If you’ve ever had the berry chantilly cake from Whole Foods, this is very reminiscent of that but instead of cake layers, we’re using crepes!
Ingredients for Chantilly Crepe Cake
The crepe batter and the icing are both quick to make and don’t require too many ingredients. Let’s go over what you’ll need to get started.
For the Crepes
- Butter
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Milk
- Vanilla
- Flour
- Salt
For the Chantilly Icing
- Heavy Cream
- Powdered Sugar
- Cream Cheese
- Mascarpone
- Almond Extract
Decorating the Cake
You can decorate the crepe cake however you’d like, with an assortment of berries, fresh fruits, or even keep it simple with just the chantilly icing. I like to use strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries then finish with a sprig of mint and dust the top with powdered sugar. The berries perfectly compliment the hint of almond in the icing and the lightness of this dessert but you can get creative with what to add to the top!
How Do I Make a Chantilly Crepe Cake?
- Make the crepe batter. This comes together much quicker than you’d think! Throw all the ingredients into a food processor or blender and let run for about a minute until the mixture is fully combined. Make sure to scrape the bottom and sides well halfway through.
- Rest the crepe batter. Allowing the crepe batter to rest in the fridge for about 30 minutes will give some time for the flour to get hydrated, similar to letting a cookie dough rest before baking. It will give a better result in the end.
- Cook the crepes. This may take a few mess-ups before you get it just right. You want to find the right balance of heat (low or medium-low), amount of batter (about 3 tablespoons), and the correct size pan (8” – 9” nonstick). This recipe makes about 23 crepes and I use 20 in the cake, so you have a few chances to practice!
- Make the chantilly icing. This 5-ingredient icing comes together easily in a stand mixer. You can make this while you wait for the crepes to cool and store it in the fridge until you’re ready to assemble the cake.
- Assemble the crepe cake. This is my favorite part of the process and it actually goes pretty quick. You’ll alternate adding a crepe with spreading a thin layer of the chantilly icing until all the crepes are used. Add a generous dollop of the frosting on the top crepe and pile with fresh berries!
Tips for the Best Crepe Cake
- Use room temperature milk and eggs. This is important in order to get a nice smooth crepe batter. If you add cold ingredients to the warm melted butter, the butter will seize up and you will end up with small chunks in the batter. You want a lump-free batter so be sure to let the milk and eggs get to room temp before blending everything.
- Don’t overheat your pan. I found that one of the easiest ways to mess up the crepes was by having the pan too hot. Once the pan was heated up, I turned it down to low to keep it consistent for the remaining crepes. This will differ depending on the type of stove you have but keep this in mind when making your practice crepes.
- Use a thin spatula or your fingers to turn the crepes. Since they are super thin and delicate, you want to find just the right tool for turning the crepes. I used a very thin, small rubber spatula to help release the edges of the crepe and then used my fingers to flip them. I found that this was the best way to flip the crepes without tearing them, but be careful not to burn yourself!
- Refrigerate the cake. The chantilly icing gets needs to be refrigerated and can get pretty soft while you’re assembling the cake so I recommend refrigerating the finished cake for at least an hour before serving which will make it easier and cleaner to cut. You can even refrigerate it overnight, and serve it the next day!
What I think makes a good summer dessert, is one that is fresh, just sweet enough, and not too heavy. This chantilly crepe cake checks all those boxes and will wow your guests. Happy crepe cake-making!
Chantilly Crepe Cake
Ingredients
For the Crepes
- 4 Tablespoons (56g) unsalted butter, plus 1 teaspoon for greasing pan
- ¼ cup (56g) granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 ½ cups (600ml) whole milk, at room temperature
- 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
For the Chantilly Icing
- 2 ½ cups (600ml) heavy cream
- 1 ½ cups (180g) powdered sugar
- 8 oz (226g) cream cheese
- 8 oz (226g) mascarpone cheese
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
For Decorating the Top
- assortment of fresh berries, I use strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries
- powdered sugar for dusting, optional
Instructions
- Crepes: Melt the 4 tablespoons of butter and allow it to cool slightly. In a food processor or blender, add all of the crepe ingredients. Blend until the mixture is well combined, scraping down as needed. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Once the batter has rested, preheat an 8” – 9” non-stick frying pan over medium-low heat. Coat the pan with the remaining 1 teaspoon of butter. You’ll only need to grease the pan for the first crepe.
- Give the batter a quick mix then add a scoop (measuring about 3 tablespoons) to the center of the hot pan. Quickly lift and swirl the pan to evenly distribute the batter into one thin, even layer across the entire bottom of the pan. Cook until the edges are set, and the bottom starts to turn golden about 1 minute.
- Carefully loosen the crepe with a spatula then flip over and cook an additional 30 seconds on the other side or until brown spots appear on the bottom of the crepe (the second side should resemble a flour tortilla). Transfer completed crepes to a flat pan or plate.
- Repeat with the remaining batter, adjusting the heat as needed so the pan does not get too hot. You should end up with about 23 crepes. Cool completely before assembling the crepe cake.
- Chantilly Icing: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream and powdered sugar until it reaches medium-stiff peaks. Transfer the whipped cream to another bowl.
- In the same bowl used to whip the cream, add cream cheese, and using a paddle attachment, cream until smooth and no lumps remain. Set aside the whisk attachment for step 10.
- Scrape the bowl. Add the mascarpone cheese and almond extract to the bowl and mix on medium speed, until just combined.
- Scrape the bowl. Switch back to the whisk attachment. Add the whipped cream to the bowl and whip on low speed until the mixtures start to come together. Scrape the bowl then whip on high speed for about 10-15 seconds, until fully combined.
- Assembly: Assemble your crepe cake on a cake plate or serving platter. Start by laying down one crepe and adding about ¼ cup of the chantilly icing. Spread the icing in a thin, even layer, using an offset spatula, and push it out to the edges of the crepe.
- Place on the next crepe and press down gently.
- Repeat the process with the icing and the remaining crepes (I use 20 crepes total). For the last crepe, pile on a thick layer of icing and leave about a ½” border on the top crepe showing. Add the fresh berries to the top of the crepe cake where the icing is. Refrigerate the cake for about an hour to allow the icing to set, making it easier to cut.
- Dust with powdered sugar, serve, and enjoy!
Notes
- This crepe recipe makes about 23 (9” round) crepes and I use 20 for the cake, so you have a few to practice on.
- If you want to make the crepes ahead of time, place a small piece of parchment or wax paper between each one, then after they have cooled cover the whole stack with plastic wrap. Make sure to put them on a flat plate or surface then refrigerate overnight, or until you’re ready to assemble the cake.
- The completed crepe cake will keep in the fridge for 2-3 days. Cover the whole cake loosely with plastic wrap and keep it refrigerated.
