Crepe Cake with Vanilla Pastry Cream

Don't you just want to plunge into this? It's layer upon layer of delicate crepe and fluffy vanilla pastry cream. I made this for Christmas.

I wanted to use a kitchen flame torch to caramelize some sugar on the top of my cake, but of course, even though my mom collects every single kitchen gadget made in heaven, the flame torch is the only one missing.

Making this requires quite a bit of preparation, so definitely plan ahead! The crepe cake has a very rich taste to it, yet light at the same time; a small slice is satisfying.

I chose Cooking Light's lightened crepe recipe and paired it with a pastry cream by Pierre Hermes I found whilst looking at Cream Puffs in Venice! I also used half of a leftover pomegranate for some color.

Crepe Cake with Vanilla Pastry Cream
Adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour (about 4 1/2 ounces)
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup low-fat 1% milk
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons butter, melted
2 large eggs
Vanilla Pastry Cream (recipe follows)

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup and level the excess off with a knife. In a blender, combine the milk, water, melted butter, and eggs. Add in the flour, sugar, and salt and process the batter until smooth. Transfer the batter into a container, cover, and chill for an hour.

Heat an 8-inch nonstick pan or skillet over medium heat. Pour a scant 1/4 cup batter into pan; quickly tilt pan in all directions to distribute the batter evenly into a thin layer. Patch up any holes with droplets of batter. Cook about 1 minute; the crepe is done when it can be shaken loose and is lightly browned. Using a spatula, carefully lift the edge of the crepe and turn the crepe over, cooking for 30 seconds or until the center is set.

Place crepe on a paper towel and cool completely. Cook the other crepes, stirring batter between crepes. Stack the crepes between layers of wax paper to prevent sticking. Should yield 13 crepes.

To assemble, lay 1 crepe on a cake plate. With a spatula, cover the crepe with a thin layer of pastry cream, about 1/4 cup. Cover with a crepe and repeat, ending with your best-looking crepe on top. Chill for at least 2 hours. To serve, set out for 30 minutes before serving. Sprinkle the top crepe with 2 tablespoons sugar and caramelize with a blowtorch; otherwise, dust with confectioners’ sugar.

For the Vanilla Pastry Cream
adapted from Cream Puffs in Venice & "Desserts" by Pierre Hermes
Ingredients
2 cups milk
1 tbsp vanilla extract
6 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch, sifted
3 1/2 tbsp butter
2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon sugar
3 tablespoons Kirsch or 1/2 tsp pure vanilla (optional)
icing sugar (optional)

Bring the milk to a boil and turn off the heat. Stir in the vanilla extract, then set aside for 10 minutes to cool. Prepare a large bowl filled with ice and water and set aside a small bowl for the finished pastry cream to be placed in the ice bath.

In a medium heavy-bottomed pan, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch. Gradually whisk in the hot milk. Place the pan over high heat and bring to a boil. Once boiling, whisk vigorously for 1-2 minutes. Press the mixture through a fine-meshed sieve into the small bowl and place it in the ice bath. Keep stirring until the temperature reads 140 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Stir in the butter until combined. Once completely cooled, cover and chill for an hour.

Once pastry cream is chilled, whip the heavy cream with one tablespoon sugar and Kirsch or vanilla extract if using until the cream holds soft peaks. Fold into the pastry cream until well combined.