Crepe Cake with Whipped Chocolate Ganache
A layer cake made from thin crepes and rich whipped chocolate ganache.
Yesterday, I celebrated another birthday and it was a nice low key day. My husband made me pancakes for breakfast, I did some shopping and we finished the day with a movie, cupcakes and champagne. Not too shabby, I think. John even cooperated and we had a fun day together.
Of course, I couldn’t go without making myself something indulgent for my special day. Birthdays do only come around once a year, after all!
Several years ago I made a crepe cake for my birthday and loved it. I had planned to make one again this year and just update the post with some new pictures, but then I decided I wanted to make this one with a chocolate filling. So now this site has two crepe cakes, which definitely isn’t a bad thing. There’s one for you vanilla lovers, and this rich chocolaty one for those of us who can’t get enough chocolate.
Whipped chocolate ganache (or soft ganache) is like traditional ganache, only with a much higher ratio of heavy cream. You chill it completely and then whip it like you would whipped cream. It gets light and fluffy and completely irresistible.
If you’re worried that it’s too much chocolate between those thin crepes, it’s not. It’s the perfect amount of OMG, I’ve died and gone to chocolate heaven. This cake tastes like the most incredible crepe breakfast you’ve ever had, only it feels a little more right eating it for dessert.
My husband casually mentioned something about nutella while we enjoyed this cake and I couldn’t believe I didn’t think of it myself. Next time I’ll try folding some into the ganache to really make it just like the crepes I like to have for breakfast. Some sliced bananas or a handful of fresh raspberries would make it even more perfect, if that’s possible.
baking tip:How to make crepes
Making crepes isn’t difficult! It just takes practice.
1. Heat a 9-inch skillet over medium low heat and lightly grease with butter.
2. Add 1/4 cup crepe batter and use your wrist to swirl the batter around until it completely covers the bottom of the pan.
3. After 1 minute, use a rubber spatula to loosen the edges of the crepe.
4. Use the spatula or your fingers to flip the crepe and let it cook for 1 more minute.
5. Slide crepe out of the pan and repeat.
Crepe Cake with Whipped Chocolate Ganache
Ingredients
For the crepes:
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (85 grams)
- 3 cups whole milk (710 ml)
- 6 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (188 grams)
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar (75 grams)
- Pinch of salt
For the whipped ganache:
- 10 ounces dark chocolate , finely chopped (285 grams)
- 2 cups heavy cream (475 ml)
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium low heat. Continue to cook, while stirring occasionally, until browned. Set aside and let cool slightly.
- Meanwhile, heat the milk in another saucepan until steaming and small bubbles appear at the edges. Set aside and let cool slightly.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment or with a hand-held mixer, mix the eggs, flour, sugar, and salt until combined. While mixing on low speed, add the butter and milk slowly until incorporated. Cover and chill until ready to make crepes.
- Heat a 9-inch skillet over medium heat and grease with a small amount of butter. Add approximately ⅓ cup of batter to the skillet and swirl to coat the pan evenly. Cook for a few minutes until edges begin to brown. Flip and cook for an additional minute. Repeat until the batter is gone, stacking crepes and letting them cool to room temperature.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, bring the heavy cream to a simmer. Place the chopped dark chocolate in a medium bowl. Pour the heated heavy cream over the chocolate and let sit for 1 minute. Whisk until smooth and chill for at least 2 hours. Whip to medium peaks.
- To make the cake, layer the crepes with a thin coating of chocolate ganache. Garnish cake with powdered sugar or cocoa, if desired and chill for 2 hours before serving.
I looove crepes! I can’t even imagine how incredible this tastes! I hope I get the chance to make this someday…its beautiful!!
YUM! This looks fabulous!
Looks delicious. Wish I could have some.
Ack! I missed wishing you a Happy Birthday! It sounds as though you had a wonderful day. And I can’t think of a better way to top off the day than with a slice of this gorgeous cake.
Thanks for the belated wishes, it really was a wonderful day!
Happy Birthday!
IT looks delicious and I will try it!!!!
Thank you!
Happy belated birthday! It sounds like the perfect day! Plus, even if nothing else went right, at least you had this incredible cake….Too gorgeous.
Best birthday cake ever!! happy belated birthday 🙂
What a labor of love! I’ve always admired crepe cakes from afar, thinking I’d lose patience putting one together. But this looks so beautiful! I love the dark background in the photos and the sugar snowfall over the cake is perfect.
This cake is sooo easy! The hardest part is standing over the stove churning the crepes out, but if you have the time for that, the rest is a cinch!
What a beautiful cake! My sweet tooth is calling!
Everyone always laughs at me for making my own birthday dessert every year, so I’m glad I’m not the only one who does it!
Your crepe cake looks heavenly. And I totally agree that Nutella needs to be a thing the next time any of us makes it.
Next year, I’m totally asking Josh to make this for my birthday 🙂 It would be a fun challenge for him, right?!
This crepe cake is stunning! What a lovely way to celebrate. Happy belated Birthday!
Happy birthday! I’ve just discovered your blog and I have to say you it’s incredible! I love every single recipe you’ve posted so far! This cake, in particular, looks like heaven! A mix between cake and crepes?! Genius!
Xo, Elisa
Thank you, and welcome!
This is seriously so cool! I love the way it looks when it’s cut!
um I need you to come make this for me STAT! amazing.
Looks absolutely delicious! I reckon I could eat the whole thing on my own!
Your crepe cake looks and sounds absolutely amazing! I hope you had a great birthday, I think low-key ones are the best kind 🙂
Totally agree, thank you!
A happy happy birthday to you! What a delicious way to celebrate!
I finally made this recipe. It was delicious! I changed around the order of the steps to make it in half the time. http://lifestooshorttoskipdessert.blogspot.com/2014/04/chocolate-ganache-crepe-cake.html
I must make this someday!! Wow. Pinning for later. 🙂
Thank you for this recipe! I found your site looking for a chocolate crepe cake to make for my own birthday. I think I’m going to make this one. I am thinking about adding some raspberry puree to the ganache to make a chocolate raspberry crepe cake – I’ve made truffles from whipped ganache that way and they were delightful! I think it will work here too. Anyway – thanks again for a lovely recipe and I’m glad I found your lovely site.
Hi! Do you think the crepes can be made a few days in advance and frozen?
Yes, I think the crepes should freeze just fine. However, I wonder if you would need to put something like wax or parchment in between to keep them from sticking together and tearing when you try to pull them apart? Something to consider. Also, you can chill crepes in the fridge for several days in the fridge, perhaps that’s a better route.
can this be made glutenfree and still taste good??
I haven’t tested any gluten free options so I can’t say, sorry.