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    Home » Cake » Chocolate Crepe Cake

    Chocolate Crepe Cake

    September 21, 2021 by Catherine Zhang 8 Comments

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

    Light and fluffy chocolate cream sandwiched between layers of paper thin chocolate crepes, topped with a swirl of rich chocolate ganache and a dusting of cocoa powder. This chocolate crepe cake or mille crepe requires no baking and creates a delicious and stunning cake.

    Jump to:
    • What is a crepe cake?
    • Tips on making thin crepes
    • Tips on assembling
    • Chocolate Crepe Cake
    Chocolate mille crepe cake with chocolate whipped cream and ganache

    Crepe cakes were one of those cakes that I looked at and thought, wow that is absolutely stunning. Layers of fluffy cream layered perfectly between paper thin crepes... LOTS of crepes.

    Crepe cakes may look intimidating to make but when it comes down to it there are only two components. The cream and the crepes! We've made pancakes so what stopping us from making crepes!

    This cake is perfect if you don't have any baking equipment, all you need is a frypan. No cake tin or oven needed!

    I might have said that there are only two components that make up a crepe cake, but this chocolate crepe cake has an extra touch. The swirl of chocolate ganache on top gives the cake an extra layer of texture and flavour, as well as a touch of richness to an overall light cake! Trust me you'll love it.

    What is a crepe cake?

    A crepe cake is a cake made from layers of cream and thin crepes stacked to form a tall cake. Also known as mille crepe or Gâteau de Crêpes in French this cake is absolutely stunning, and definitely the cake to make to impress all your family and friends!

    Chocolate mille crepe cake with chocolate whipped cream and ganache
    Chocolate mille crepe cake with chocolate whipped cream and ganache

    Tips on making thin crepes

    The trick to creating the best mille crepe is having consistent paper thin crepes. If the crepes are too thick they'll give your cake a gummy-like texture and if they aren't consistent you'll have crepes of differing thicknesses throughout your cake cross section. Here are a couple of tips to creating the thinnest, most delicious crepes!

    Use a blender

    While you can whisk all the ingredients together to form the batter, the blender is a foolproof way to create a fine and silky smooth crepe batter with almost no effort. Simply place all the ingredients in the blender and pulse until smooth! This way there won't be any large chunks of flour throughout your crepe.

    Pour the batter through a fine meshed sieve

    Pouring the batter through a sieve also ensures a smooth crepe batter for consistent lump free crepes. It also catches any clumps of flour the blender may have missed.

    Rest your batter overnight (optional)

    This is a tip you'll probably see over and over again when making crepes. Allowing the batter to rest overnight in the fridge allows the gluten strands in the flour to relax, resulting in a tender crepe. However, this isn't essential with my recipe. I use a little cornstarch in addition to flour which acts as a tenderiser, resulting in delicate and tender crepes regardless of rest time!

    Measure the crepe batter when making crepes

    If you want the crepes to be uniform in thickness measuring the crepe batter is essential! I use a ¼ cup measure to measure and pour the batter into the pan. This way I will always have the same amount of batter in the pan. This is a better method than using a jug to pour batter directly into the pan. For a perfectly thin crepe I find I need a touch less than a ¼ cup for each crepe. If you have a small soup ladle this could also be the perfect volume for your crepes. Play around with the first few to find the perfect measuring tool!

    Cook the crepes on medium low

    It is important to cook your crepes on a lower heat to prevent them from burning and drying out. Keep and eye your crepes and flip them as soon as the surface appears matte.

    Use gloved hands and a skewer to flip your crepes

    While you can flip your crepes with a spatula, I find the best method for flipping crepes is using my hands and a skewer. If you aren't good with heat I recommend you wear two layers of gloves, with cotton gloves on the inside and food-safe rubber gloves over them.

    When the surface of the crepe is matte use the tip of the skewer to loosen the crepe by going around the edge. Then hold your skewer horizontally close to the top of the crepe. Use your hands to pick up the edge of the crepe and fold it over your skewer. You can then hold the skewer to lift up the whole crepe and flip it over.

    If this sounds confusing I've got a video here on tiktok here which (very quickly) goes through the process. Otherwise feel free to use a spatula!

    Chocolate mille crepe cake with chocolate whipped cream and ganache

    Tips on assembling

    Once you've got your cream and crepes made, all you need to do is assemble! The process is relatively simple, but here are a couple of tips to make it even easier.

    Assemble on a cake board or your serving platter

    As the cake is made from crepes and cream it will be difficult to move around once assembled. Make sure to assemble it on your serving platter of choice to prevent disasters when moving the cake later!

    Use a turn table

    If you don't have a turntable that's okay too, but having one makes the process a lot easier. Once you've spread the cream over the crepe you can rest your spatula on top of the cream and spin the table. The weight of the spatula and the turntable will help spread the cream in an even layer across the crepe.

    Spread the cream all the way to the edge

    If you want to have a crisp-looking, tall cake it is important to spread the cream all the way to the edge of the crepe. This will give the cake an even look once fully assembled.

    You'll find that a lot of homemade crepe cakes have a curved edge, in which the cake almost looks like a dome. If that is the look you are going for then leave a border around the edge of each crepe as you assemble. However, I wanted this cake to look tall and even. Spreading the cream to the very edge of each crepe will give you that clean, tall crepe cake look.

    Chill the cake

    You might be tempted to cut into the cake as soon as you have assembled it, but if you want to have distinct layers I highly recommend you allow it to set in the fridge for at least one hour. This gives the crepes time to absorb some of the moisture from the cream and the cream to firm up. This way the cream won't ooze out of the layers as you slice!

    Chocolate mille crepe cake with chocolate whipped cream and ganache
    Chocolate mille crepe cake with chocolate whipped cream and ganache

    Let's Get Baking!

    Now you are fully equipped to create the show stopper of a cake! And you can have the leftovers for breakfast, because you're technically eating crepes...right?!

    If you make these make sure leave a comment and rating down below, I would love to know how it went. Also tag me on instagram @catherine.justdessertsau and hashtag #cattycakes so I can see and share your creations.

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

    Print

    Chocolate Crepe Cake

    Chocolate mille crepe cake with chocolate whipped cream and ganache
    Print Recipe

    ★★★★

    4 from 1 reviews

    Light and fluffy chocolate cream sandwiched between layers of paper thin chocolate crepes, topped with a swirl of rich chocolate ganache and a dusting of cocoa powder. This chocolate crepe cake or mille crepe requires no baking and creates a delicious and stunning cake.

    • Author: Catherine Zhang
    • Prep Time: 60 minutes
    • Cook Time: 30 minutes
    • Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
    • Yield: 1 x 8-inch cake 1x
    • Category: Cake
    • Method: Intermediate
    • Cuisine: French

    Ingredients

    Scale

    Crepes

    • 480 ml (2 cups) Milk
    • 90 g (¾ cup) Plain flour
    • 45 g (¼ cup 2 tbsp) Cornstarch
    • 15g (2 tbsp) Cocoa powder
    • 65 g (⅓ cup) White sugar
    • 6 Eggs
    • 30 g (2 tbsp) Unsalted butter, melted
    • Vegetable oil

    Chocolate Cream

    • 600ml (2 ½ cups) Thickened/Heavy cream
    • 30g (¼ cup) Cocoa powder
    • 10g (½ cup) White sugar

    Chocolate Ganache

    • 110g Dark chocolate (3.8oz), roughly chopped
    • 80g Thickened cream (⅓ cup)
    • Cocoa powder to dust

    Instructions

    Crepes

    1. Combine all the ingredients, except vegetable oil, in a blender and blitz until smooth
    2. Pour the batter through a fine-meshed sieve into a large bowl
    3. Heat a medium sized pan over medium-low heat, brush lightly with vegetable oil
    4. Pour a ¼ cup of 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

    Chocolate Cream

    1. Place cream and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat for 3-4 mins until soft peaks
    2. Sift in the cocoa powder and continue to whisk until stiff peaks
    3. Place in the fridge until ready to use

    Chocolate ganache

    1. Heat the cream in a small saucepan or microwave until steaming
    2. Pour the cream over the chopped chocolate and cover with a plate/lid
    3. Allow the chocolate and cream to sit for 5-10 minutes, or until the chocolate has completely melted, then stir until smooth
    4. Set aside to cool as you assemble the cake

    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 chocolate cream over the crepe, top with another layer of crepe
    3. Continue the process until all the crepes have been used
    4. Top the cake with the cooled chocolate ganache and spread by turning your turntable
    5. Place the cake in the fridge to set for a minimum of 1 hour before serving
    6. Dust with cocoa powder to serve!

     

    Keywords: crepe, cake, mille crepe, crepes, breakfast, pancake, chocolate, ganache, whipped cream

    Did you make this recipe?

    Share a photo, tag me @catherine.justdessertsau and hashtag #cattycakes

    I cannot wait to see what you make!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Christina

      December 30, 2021 at 11:49 pm

      Hi! I tried this recipe and I feel like I got about two thirds of the height you did. I used a 1/4 cup measure for the batter and used almost all the cream. I'm just wondering if you doubled the recipe when you made your cake, because mine is definitely more squat looking! Thanks! Even though it's not the prettiest it still tastes great 🙂

      Reply
      • Catherine Zhang

        January 02, 2022 at 11:20 am

        Hi Christina! Yes I did use the same amount as the recipe, I suspect your frypan might be a little larger, so you got bigger crepes? Glad it tasted delicious regardless! 🙂

        Reply
    2. kayjay

      January 21, 2022 at 5:56 pm

      Zhang goes from easy to hard...

      Reply
    3. Sofia

      February 13, 2022 at 8:51 pm

      HI! This looks absolutely delicious. If I wanted to make this the night before eating it, when is the best time to put it in the fridge overnight. Should I refrigerate it after its all assembled, or somewhere in the middle, what do you think? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Catherine Zhang

        February 22, 2022 at 5:17 am

        I would refrigerate it after it is all assembled! Hope it goes well 🙂

        Reply
    4. Gary

      February 18, 2022 at 4:17 pm

      where could you add nutella in the recipe?

      Reply
      • Catherine Zhang

        February 22, 2022 at 5:22 am

        You can add it to the chocolate cream instead of the sugar and cocoa powder for a nutella cream! 🙂

        Reply
    5. Liz S.

      May 25, 2022 at 8:27 pm

      I just made this cake, and while it was absolutely gorgeous, something was missing with the flavor. I don't know what it was, I still can't put my finger on it. Maybe it wasn't sweet enough, or it was just too dense. Anyway, I loved making it and I'll definitely try it again. I would love to send you a photo, if you would like to see it!

      ★★★★

      Reply

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    About me!

    Hi, I'm Catherine!

    My name is Catherine, a food blogger and dessert lover. If I look familiar you may have seen me on NETFLIX's Zumbo’s Just Desserts S2!

    As an Australian-Chinese pastry chef and recipe developer I share recipes and tips on desserts inspired by amazing flavours, fresh produce and of course my Asian background.

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