Tiramisu Crepe Cake

This recipe yields a 50 layer 8-inch wide crepe cake. Make sure you chill the crepe batter in the refrigerator before cooking the crepes and chill the assembled cake before serving. With the piped whipped cream on top, this cake is about 7 inches tall.

Ingredients

• 6 Tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, plus 5 more Tablespoons (71g) for the pan
• 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
• 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups (480ml) whole milk, at room temperature*
• 1/2 cup (120ml) room temperature water
• 4 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Tiramisu Filling

• 2 teaspoons espresso powder*
• 2 teaspoons warm water
• 1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) cold heavy cream
• 1 Tablespoon (15ml) rum or Grand Marnier* (optional)
• 8 ounces (1 cup) mascarpone, cold or at room temperature
• 1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup (21g) unsweetened natural or dutch-process cocoa powder (optional)

Whipped Cream Topping

• 1/2 cup (120ml) cold heavy cream
• 1 Tablespoon (15ml) rum or Grand Marnier* (optional)
• 2 Tablespoons (15g) confectioners’ sugar
• 1 teaspoon unsweetened natural or dutch-process cocoa powder (optional)

Instructions

1. If you’ve never made crepes before, I strongly recommend reviewing my How to Make Crepes tutorial post, which includes plenty of helpful success tips and a video tutorial.
2. Make the crepes batter: Melt 6 Tablespoons of butter in the microwave or on the stove. Cool for about 5 minutes before using in the next step. The remaining butter is for the skillet.
3. Add the cooled melted butter, flour, sugar, salt, milk, water, eggs, and vanilla in a blender or large food processor.  If you don’t have a blender or food processor, use a large mixing bowl and whisk by hand. Blend on medium-high speed for 20-30 seconds until everything is combined. The mixture will be silky smooth and the consistency of cream, much thinner than pancake batter. Cover the blender tightly or pour into a medium bowl, cover tightly, and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour and up to 1 day. This time in the refrigerator is imperative because it gives the flour a chance to become fully hydrated.
4. Cook the crepes: Use the remaining butter for greasing the pan between each crepe. Place an 8-inch skillet over medium heat and generously grease it with some of the reserved butter. If you don’t have a skillet this size, use a larger one but make sure you keep the crepes thin. Once the skillet is hot, pour 3-4 Tablespoons (closer to 3 is best) of batter into the center of the pan. Tilt/twirl the pan so the batter stretches as far as it will go.