{Espresso Boston Creme} Crepe Cake

Ladies and gentleman, I'm proud to introduce my first real blog post! Finally, finally. It's a bit overdue, but I wanted this mini milestone to be different. I courted making everything from chocolate cakes to baumkuchens before deciding that nothing beats revamped simplicity. And what better way to accomplish that than with a versatile crepe?

For those of you wondering what a crepe is, it's a thin spongy pancake, with a certain level of taste-bud androgyny. Crepes can be used for savory lunch meals as well as sweet desserts, and this time, I decided to stack them all and make a Crepe Cake! Because, well, why not?

Crepe cakes are generally filled with pastry cream and topped with berries, but I decided to add my own twist. And in classic Boston Cream Pie tradition I filled it with vanilla custard and top it with chocolate ganache! Until I apparently decided that was too boring as well, and threw in some espresso. Let's just say it was a good decision.

Something I didn't realize going into this was that the crepes soak up a lot of the filling, and after a day or so in the fridge, the whole thing was dense and sort of dry. I decided to  improvise by making a chocolate sauce out of the espresso custard just to add moisture. And *important note*! Make sure that you level the filling in all the layers while stacking; once you start, even the slightest angle will become a more pronounced slant.

And a word to the wise, don't wait to let your ganache firm up too much, or it'll be super tough to spread around.  I had to use a spoon to push it over (which is pretty visible) but its dark chocolate, and its delicious, so I didn't mind too much!

You can pretty much stop at this point but because I was still bored (it was a slow Saturday), I melted down some sugar, let it cool and then spun it around a greased wooden handle for the garnish. Sugar is so fascinating to me; how something can turn from a burnt brown glob to shaped gold is a natural wonder in itself. For more on that technique, click here.

But sugar or no spun sugar, I highly recommend making this! It's the easiest way to make an impressive cake without having to pay close attention to detail - and the flavor possibilities are endless! Added bonus: if you mess up halfway through? Just roll up the crepes with some strawberries or nutella, and I promise it'll be just as good!

Crepe Recipe:

2 cups milk
3/4 cup water
4 eggs
6 Tablespoons butter, melted
3 Tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon butter or oil, to grease the skillet for the crepes

1) Make the crepe batter by mixing all the ingredients in a blender  or just whisk it vigorously
2) Chill the crepe batter at least for 1 hour (I made it the night before). 
3) For an easier fool-proof method, heat 2 nonstick skillets over medium high heat. Brush each with a little bit of butter or oil. 
4) When the skillet is hot, pour in some crepe batter (a little bit more than half of a 1/4 measuring cup for an 8 inch skillet) and tilt the skillet, distributing the batter evenly over the surface of the skillet. 
5) Once one side is cooked (about a minute), flip it onto the second skillet. Let it cook for a minute and then transfer onto a plate. You can always use a spatula, but they're easier to break.
6) You should have 20-30 crepes, if you’re using an 8 or 9 inch skillet.

Espresso Vanilla Custard {Pastry Cream}

3 egg yolks
3 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp vanilla 
3 tbsp instant espresso
3 tbsp hot water

1) Beat egg yolks well in medium bowl or glass measure; gradually stir in milk until blended. 
2) Mix sugar, cornstarch and salt in large heavy saucepan. Gradually stir in a small amount of milk mixture, making a smooth paste. Gradually stir in remaining milk mixture until blended.  
3) Cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens and comes to a boil, 20 to 25 minutes. Boil and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat immediately.  
4)Set pan in larger pan of ice water. Stir occasionally and gently for a few minutes to hasten cooling. Stir in vanilla and espresso dissolved in the hot water. Press piece of plastic wrap onto surface of pastry cream to prevent "skin" from forming. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 1 hour.

*Notes: I would make this a day or two in advance to make life easier. I also avoided the ice bath by just continuing to whisk off heat.

Ganache

4 oz dark chocolate
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tbsp butter

1)Heat the cream and butter until almost boiling
2)Pour over chopped chocolate and stir until smooth
3)Let cool to a thick, yet pour-able consistency 

Happy Hunting!

- Neha x