Brown Sugar Boba Crepe Cake

Thin crepes layered with milk tea whipped cream topped with soft, chewy brown sugar boba. This stunning brown sugar boba crepe cake is made to impress.

Cutting a slice of crepe cake is one of the most satisfying feelings in the world. Looking at a crepe cake you might not think it is much, but cutting it open and seeing the interior is a different story. The delicate layers of cream and crepe make the cake so unique and so beautiful. This is my take on the French classic, Mille crepe! Fragrant milk tea cream layered between thin crepes and topped with soft, chewy brown sugar pearls. Doesn't get any better than that!

The Secret to Thin Delicate Crepes

I am proud to say I have recently nailed my crepe recipe to create delicious, thin and delicate crepes each time. The secret to these crepes is cornstarch. Unlike flour, cornstarch doesn't develop gluten and therefore reduces the possibility of chewy, gummy crepes.

The Science

There are two proteins in flour, which when mixed with water form gluten. The more you mix, the more gluten forms, and the tougher and chewier your crepes will become. This is the same with anything else you bake, whether that be a cake, muffin or cookie. That's why we always want to mix until 'just combined' otherwise whatever it is we are making won't be the light texture we are after. On the other hand, when making bread we want gluten to form as that is what gives the dough structure, allowing yeast to release it gases and puff it up into what you know as bread 😁

As a food science major I get excited when it comes to the scientific details... Trust me though, now that you know the details you will be extra careful when mixing your flour based baked goods!

Why we use cornstarch

A lot of recipes will include an overnight rest time for your crepes. This is to reduce the formation of gluten and give you the same result. I don't know about you guys, but... I. am. impatient. Making crepe cakes is already such a long process and if I need to wait for my crepe batter to rest too I'm moving onto another recipe 😆. With cornstarch, not only do you not have to wait, but the result is so delicate and delicious!

Tips on Serving Brown Sugar Boba

As a boba/ bubble tea/ pearl milk tea fan I have had my fair share of tapioca pearl experimentation at home. If there is one thing you need to know about tapioca pearls, it's that they don't last. They taste their best freshly made, and the longer they sit the firmer they get. If you place them in the fridge you will be left with rock solid pearls.

What I recommend when making this recipe is serving the cake with the pearls on the side, that way when you want a slice you can gently heat some of the pearls up in the microwave or on the stove with a little water and they will retain some of their soft, chewiness. But of course they taste best when they are fresh, so eat them when you can!

The Debate: ROLL OR FORK

When it comes to eating crepe cakes there is a division in eating methods. You might laugh, but for crepe cake forkers seeing someone eat the cake layer by layer can be... infuriating. (And maybe the other way around, but I wouldn't know 😂)

Let me know! Do you guys roll each layer up and eat them one by one, or do you go straight through those delicious layers with your fork (like a cake should be eaten 😉)

Either way rolling or forking I hope you all enjoy this brown sugar boba crepe cake.

Let's Get Cooking

If you liked this recipe make sure to leave me a comment and rating down below, I would love to know how you went. Also don't forget to tag me on Instagram @catherine.desserts so I can see and share your desserts.

Follow me on facebook, pinterest, youtube and tiktok for more of my baking creations and updates! Until next time... happy caking!

📖 Recipe

Brown Sugar Boba Crepe Cake

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Thin crepes layered with milk tea whipped cream topped with soft, chewy brown sugar boba. This stunning brown sugar boba crepe cake is made to impress.

• Author: Catherine Zhang
• Prep Time: 45 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Total Time: 90 minutes
• Yield: 1 1x
• Category: Cake
• Method: Intermediate
• Cuisine: Chinese

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

Crepes

• 500 ml Milk
• 100 g Plain flour
• 60 g Cornstarch
• 60 g Sugar
• 6 Eggs
• 30 g Unsalted butter
• Vegetable oil

Milk Tea Cream

• 500 ml Thickened/Heavy cream
• 80 g Instant milk tea powder
• 50 g Sugar
• 2 tsp Black tea leaves
• 40 g Water

Brown Sugar Boba

• ½ cup Tapioca pearls
• 50 g Brown sugar
• 1 tsp Cornstarch

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Instructions

Crepes

1. Combine all the ingredients in a blender and blitz until smooth
2. Pour the batter through a fine-meshed sieve into a jug with a spout
3. Heat a medium sized pan over medium-low heat, brush lightly with vegetable oil
4. Pour approximately ¼ cup batter while swirling to coat the bottom of the pan
5. Heat gently until the surface becomes matte, then flip and cook for 10 seconds
6. Repeat with the remaining batter
7. Allow crepes to come to room temperature

See Also This Recipe:  Chocolate Tiramisu

Milk Tea Cream

1. Combine milk tea powder, sugar, black tea and water in a saucepan, heat over low heat until dissolved
2. Add a splash of thickened cream, stir to combine and set aside to cool to room temperature
3. Once cooled transfer to a large mixing bowl and add the remaining thickened cream, beat until stiff peaks
4. Place in refrigerator until needed

Brown Sugar Boba

1. Cook the tapioca pearls according to the instructions on the packet, drain
2. Place the drained pearls and brown sugar in a small saucepan, heat gently until sugar has dissolved completely
3. In a small bowl combine the cornstarch with 1 teaspoon water and mix to form a slurry
4. Add the cornstarch slurry to the brown sugar/pearl mixture and continue to cook until sugar is thickened and glossy, cool at room temperature

Assembly

1. Build the cake on a large plate or cake board (it can be difficult to move around if not)
2. Lay one crepe on the board/plate and spread a thin layer of milk tea cream on top, top with another layer of crepe
3. Continue the process until all the crepes have been used
4. Top the cake with a swirl of left over milk tea cream and the cooled brown sugar boba*

Notes

*The pearls taste best fresh and will harden after one day or in the refrigerator. Refer to the serving tips in the blog post on the best way to enjoy them!

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