Valentine Mille Crêpe Cake:

If you are looking to start off Valentine’s Day (or any other celebration) on the right foot, look no further than a  Mille Crêpe Cake! Pancakes are a Sunday morning routine at our house, but when a special day rolls around, I love making crêpes: a lighter, more sophisticated version of the pancake. It is essentially a pancake batter, made thinner. A large bottomed flat pan and thin spatula will make your life easier to flip these delicate, yet, surprisingly resilient crêpes. You can get really creative filling these up. Go the savory route with chicken, broccoli and hollandaise sauce (yum!), or indulge your sweet tooth with a chocolate/Nutella spread melting in crêpe pockets. One of my favorites is the Crêpe Suzette: delicious crêpes coated in a tangy, orange flavored sauce. As you can see, this is a pretty diverse dish and a blank canvas for your imagination.

Cake for breakfast?

What could be better! I decided to try out a Mille Crêpe Cake. ‘Mille’ technically means a thousand in French. I wasn’t about to make a thousand of these. I think about a dozen should be enough! Cut with a sharp knife so you can reveal all the gorgeous layers inside, and enjoy with a generous dollop of fresh fruit and whipped cream. Sip some hot coffee along with it, and ponder on life’s many blessings as you share this with your loved ones!

Ingredients

2 eggs
¾ cup milk
1 cup flour
½ cup water
3 tablespoons melted butter
Extra butter for coating pan

1. Mix all the ingredients and make sure there are no lumps in the batter.

   

2. Set aside to rest for 30 mins- 1 hour.
3. Coat the bottom of a pan with butter or non-stick spray and pour about 2 – 3 tablespoons of the batter. The melted butter will give it a golden color.

   

4. I usually use a ladle and approximate about half a ladle per crêpe. As you pour the batter, swirl the pan around so that a thin layer of batter sticks to the pan. Use the back of the spoon to gently smooth out the crêpe. Cook on med- high heat ( about 40 seconds per side – depending on heat settings)
5. Flip once the edges are cooked. Note: this cooks fast, so don’t walk away!
6. Repeat the process and keep a stack of crêpes ready to go. The crepes can be prepared in advance, which makes this an ideal option to serve at a brunch.

   

Filling:

Fig jam ( or any other fruity preserve)
4 oz cream cheese ( about half a pack)
¼ cup whipping cream
¼ cup sour cream
4-5 tablespoons sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract

Whip the ingredients till smooth and creamy. Set aside to fill once crepes are ready.

Assembly:

Alternate layers of whipped cream cheese and fig preserves on each layer of crêpe. Leave a half inch border on the outside edge so the fillings don’t ooze out.On the last layer, pile on sweetened whipped cream and a pile of fresh berries. Drizzle some chocolate sauce for an extra sweet touch. Voilá! Your Mille Crêpe Cake is ready!! Happy Valentine’s Day!

If you want to follow up this amazing brunch dessert with a spectacular lunch/dinner idea, check out my easy Spatchcock chicken recipe! 

Or go the traditional route with these delicious chocolate covered strawberries, sure to impress your better half!