A decadent cake made with layers of tender crepes topped with sweet vanilla pastry cream dripping with rich chocolate ganache. A fun twist on Boston Cream Pie.
My sweet friend Tiffany, Food Finery, invited me to her house to make crepe cakes. I thought about making the winning recipe, Truffle Crepe Cake, from the Utah’s Own Recipe Contest, but I’ve had Boston Cream Pie on my mind lately and decided it would be a fabulous flavor combination for a crepe cake.
If you haven’t made crepes before, they’re easy. I posted a picture tutorial earlier this week in my Strawberry Crepes post. You’ll want to make the pastry cream ahead of time so it has plenty of time to set up. The crepes will be more tender if you make the batter ahead of time too. Ideally, the night before you want to serve your crepe cake.
Tiffany made a luscious Hazelnut Pralines and Cream Crepe Cake with smaller crepes and more layers, so hers was taller. If you want a taller crepe cake, make 6″ crepes or make more crepe batter and pastry cream to create more layers.
I cut my Boston Cream Crepe Cake in to 12 pieces. It’s sinfully rich and a small slice is perfect. This crepe cake keeps well overnight in the refrigerator. It was irresistible the next morning for breakfast. 🙂
Boston Cream Crepe Cake
Ingredients
Crepe Batter
- 4 large eggs
- 4 tablespoons butter melted and cooled slightly
- 4 cups milk
- 2 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups all purpose flour
Pastry Cream
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups milk
- 3 egg yolks beaten
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- ½ cup whipping cream
Chocolate Ganache
- 12 oz. milk chocolate finely chopped
- ¾ cup cream
Instructions
- The day before serving the cake, make the crepe batter and the pastry cream.
- Crepe Batter
- Add ingredients to blender jar in the order listed, cover and blend until smooth. Refrigerate overnight or for 1 hour prior to cooking. (Or if you’d rather, you can strain out any lumps and use immediately.)
- Heat an 8-inch skillet or crepe pan over medium heat and lightly coat with butter or cooking spray. For each crepe, pour ¼ cup batter into the center of the skillet and immediately rotate the pan until the batter covers the bottom of the skillet in a thin layer.
- Cook until light brown and the top begins to dry out, approximately 1 minute. Flip and cook an additional 30 seconds.
- Repeating with remaining batter. Stack completed crepes on a plate. (If your crepes are sticking together, put wax paper between the crepes.)
- Pastry Cream
- In a medium saucepan combine the sugar, flour and salt. Gradually whisk in milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture starts to boil. Cook for 2 minutes until thickened.
- Remove from stove. Whisk ¼ cup of the hot mixture into the beaten egg yolks, and immediately add egg yolk mixture to the hot mixture in the saucepan. Cook for 2 more minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add butter and vanilla. Transfer pudding mixture to a medium bowl. Cover with plastic; refrigerate until well chilled, about 1 hour or overnight.
- When pudding is chilled, whip cream to form soft peaks and gentle fold in to pudding. Keep covered and chilled until ready to use.
- Assemble Crepe Cake
- Place one crepe on a large cake plate. Spread with ¼ cup pastry cream. Top with another crepe.
- Continue layering with filling and crepes, using about 24 crepes and ending with a crepe on top. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.
- Chocolate Ganache
- Place half of the chocolate in a small mixing bowl. Heat heavy cream on medium high heat until it comes to a boil. Remove from heat and immediately pour cream over chocolate and stir until chocolate is completely melted.
- Add remain chocolate and stir until chocolate is completely melted. Cool until ganache is thickened but still thin enough to drip down the sides of the cake.
- Spoon chocolate ganache on top of the cake, spreading to edges and letting the ganache drip down the sides. Refrigerate until ganache is set, about 20 minutes.
Natasha
Oh Barbara! This crepe cake looks so amazing! I love the whole pastry cream layered thing! I have to make this ASAP! 🙂
Choclette
Love the idea of a crepe cake and your flavour combination is a winning one. I will so have to try this at some point! It would be great for a dinner party.
Donna
Boston Cream Pie has always been a favorite of mine – never even thought of trying this format. Must try!
Maureen @ Orgasmic Chef
I love Boston Cream Pie so I’m sure I would love this. What a clever idea!
foodwanderings
My son’s favorite cheesecake is Boston creme I bet he owuld love the crepe cake, I better get to work he is heading back to campus mid month! 🙂
Angie@Angie's Recipes
I absolutely love the crepe cake idea! Gorgeous clicks, Barbara.
Deb
Oh my goodness, a slice for breakfast! The Boston Cream Crepe Cake would certainly be an overwhelming success for a celebration brunch! A magnificent recipe!
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar
Whoa. This cake sounds insanely delicious! Awesome idea!
Lisa
Boston Cream Pie is one of my favorite desserts..and to turn into a crepe cake is amazing. I’m in love with this, Barbara! Pinned!
Roxana | Roxana's Home Baking
My mom used to make us crepe cake, but not anywhere as pretty as yours. Haven’t had some in years since I’m not a big fan of making crepes, I just love eating them, yum!
Joy
The cake look wonderful.
Amanda
WOW Barbara, that looks so decadent and delicious! I adore Boston Cream Pie, the flavors are out of this world, so this must be outstanding!
Megan
What a beautiful cake, Wish I ha been sitting at the table with ya all! 🙂
Valérie (Franche-Comté)
Hello Barbara, quel délice cette superposition de gourmandise, je suis en mode light perte de kilos alors très difficile pour moi de voir ça 🙂
Bises
Valérie.
Rachel @ Baked by Rachel
Holy Moley! This is incredible!
RecipeNewZ
Wow, what an amazing cake! That cream must be delicious, add the fluffy crepes and the chocolate and you’re in heaven! I think you got me obsessed with this cake for the rest of the day 🙂
Amy
Oh goodness…you have me craving for some Boston Cream Crepe Cake now! Your cake is gorgeous. I love the chocolate ganache dripping all over the sides of the cake. 🙂 Gorgeous photos!
Deborah
This is so pretty, and I can only imagine how good it tastes!!
Rosa
A wonderful idea! That crepe cake must be divine.
Cheers,
Rosa
Susan
Oh my goodness, how delicious! When I first was learning how to bake and cook as a preteen, Boston Creme Pie was one of the first things I attempted. Love that creamy goodness. This is such a beautiful variation.