By Samantha Seneviratne
- Total Time
- 2 hours, plus 4 hours' chilling
- Rating
- 4(436)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Something magical happens when you layer crepes with cream to build a cake. The flavors intensify, you improve the cream to crepe ratio and there are more crispy edges. And then there is the dazzling moment when you present the ethereal cake and slice into it to reveal a whole world of fine rings. This cake, with light hazelnut crepes and rich chocolate cream, isn't difficult to make (though the first crepe in the pan is always a flop; don't get discouraged). It does take some time, though, to make and assemble. Just keep the image of the gorgeous final product in your mind as you work.
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Ingredients
Yield:8 to 10 servings
- 4large eggs plus 2 large egg yolks
- 2cups/473 milliliters whole milk
- ½cup/118 milliliters heavy cream
- 1cup/145 grams all-purpose flour
- 1cup/90 grams hazelnut meal
- ¼cup/50 grams sugar
- ½teaspoon kosher salt
- 1teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 4tablespoons/57 grams unsalted butter, melted, plus more butter for greasing pan
- 6ounces/170 grams high-quality chocolate, 64 percent cocoa, finely chopped
- ⅓cup/67 grams sugar
- ⅓cup/40 grams cornstarch
- ¼cup/25 grams good quality cocoa powder
- Pinch kosher salt
- 2½cups/591 milliliters whole milk
- 6large egg yolks
- 2tablespoons/29 grams unsalted butter
- 3tablespoons/45 milliliters brandy or strong coffee
- 1cup/236 milliliters heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks
- 3tablespoons/27 grams chopped, toasted hazelnuts
- Cocoa powder, for dusting
For the Crepes
For the Chocolate Cream
For Serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)
581 calories; 42 grams fat; 20 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 16 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 47 grams carbohydrates; 9 grams dietary fiber; 19 grams sugars; 16 grams protein; 208 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Prepare the crepe batter: Whisk together eggs, egg yolks, milk and cream in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, hazelnut meal, sugar and salt. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in some of the milk mixture. Gently whisk from the center of the well, making a thick, smooth batter. Then, while whisking, gradually add remaining milk mixture and whisk until smooth. Whisk in vanilla and butter. (Alternatively, combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend on low speed until smooth.) Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 48 hours.
Step
2
Prepare the chocolate cream: Place chopped chocolate in a medium bowl and set a fine mesh sieve over the bowl. In a medium saucepan, whisk together sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder and salt. Whisk in some of the milk to create a thick paste. Gradually add remaining milk while whisking until mixture is smooth and well-combined. Whisk in egg yolks and add butter.
Step
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Cook milk mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly and occasionally scraping the bottom and sides of the pan with a rubber spatula. Once the mixture comes to a boil and becomes very thick, about 5 minutes, whisk it vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes. Press hot cream mixture through the sieve into the bowl with the chocolate. Let it stand for 2 minutes, then mix it until smooth and well-combined. Add brandy or coffee and stir to combine. Use a rubber spatula to stir the mixture until it has cooled to about room temperature and is smooth and silky. Cover with plastic wrap, pressed into the surface of the custard, and chill until ready to use.
Step
4
Cook the crepes: Melt a little bit of butter in an 8-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat and let the pan get hot. Remove the pan from the heat and immediately add a scant ¼ cup (about 3 tablespoons) crepe batter to one side of the pan. (You don’t want to use too much batter or you’ll have thick crepes.) Quickly tilt and swirl the pan to spread the batter to an even thickness across the bottom of the pan and about 1 inch up the sides.
Step
5
Return the pan to the heat and cook crepe until very lightly golden and set on one side, about 45 seconds. Tuck a small offset spatula under the edge of the crepe, grab onto it with your fingers, and quickly flip it over. Cook until light golden brown on the other side, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Slip crepe onto a rack to cool. Once crepes are cool, transfer them to a baking sheet and cover with a light towel to keep them from drying out. Continue with remaining batter, occasionally wiping out the skillet with a paper towel and very lightly buttering the skillet every few crepes as needed. You should have 20 to 24. (You need 20 for the cake.)
Step
6
To assemble, stir the cream until smooth. Lay 1 crepe on a cake plate. Using an offset spatula, cover with a thin layer of chocolate cream (2 to 3 tablespoons), leaving a ¼-inch border. Cover with a crepe and repeat to make a stack of 20, with the best-looking crepe on top. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours.
Step
7
To serve, top with whipped cream, nuts and dust with cocoa.
Ratings
4
out of 5
436
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Cooking Notes
deegee
This looks amazing and I am planning on making it for Thanksgiving. My question is, the 6th step says to cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours. Should the entire cake be wrapped, or just lay plastic loosely over the top? I imagine a tight wrap and leaving it in the fridge overnight (my plan) would ruin the delicacy of the lightly crisped crepe edges. Has anyone made this, and how did you wrap it up? Thanks!
recox
The cream is cold and the crepes are room temperature. They should not slide apart. Don't build it in a ring mold; part of the beauty of the cake are the crepe edges, which would be crumpled by the mold.
Amy
How about using Almond Meal/Flour instead?
MMinNYC
I have made many breakfast crepes in an enameled cast iron omelette pan (like a LeCreuset but actually a '50s Dru Holland) with excellent results. Don't let the lack of a dedicated pan stop you from making crepes.
Abbie
I used Nutella and it was a horrible mess.
Randy
I agree. When the mixture comes to a boil the cornstarch will immediately thicken the liquids. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk for 1-2 minutes to both smooth the texture and start reducing the temperature so the eggs don't curdle. Press it through the sieve and let stand 2 minutes to melt the chopped chocolate. Do Not add the coffee/brandy until after you've stirred the mixture to incorporate the melted chocolate. Follow the instructions about cooling and covering.
Ken
this is an amazing recipe. The chocolate cream is a lot of work to get it whipped properly but well worth it. It basically becomes a pudding which is soft and easy to spread on the fragile crepes. I found that the crepe batter was too thin and I was not getting consistency as I cooked the crepes. I noticed the hazelnut flour did not pack well so I added 1/4c more plus a small scoop of flour, turned the heat down a tad, and that did the trick. A real crowd pleaser!
Suzanne F
"a scant 1⁄4 cup (about 3 tablespoons) crepe batter"-- this supposed to be a scant 1/4-cup, right?
How to make sure that the whole assemblage doesn't slide apart in the layering? Would it be a good idea to build it inside a ring mold?
pastry cream steps
1. Whisk together egg yolks and sugar2. Add cornstarch, cocoa powder, and salt and whisk until smooth3. Pour milk into pot and warm up on low heat until boil4. Pour half of hot milk over sugar/yolks while whisking 5. Pour all back into pot on low heat6. Vigorously whisk until it thickens7. When it starts to boil, whisk for 1 minute and then remove and whisk in butter8. Press through sieve into bowl with chocolate
Linda
This is a most delicious way to serve crêpes. Tweaks: I make my dough with 1 beer, 6 eggs, 1 stick of melted butter, pinch of salt, and enough flour to make a very loose pancake batter; cover and let it sit out over night on the counter. When the crêpes are being assembled, I dust their tops with powdered sugar. I also fold in 1/2 c almond or hazelnut meal into the cooled chocolate cream and increase the alcohol to 1/2 c. Yum! Not to mean to sound cheeky, but it's for an adult's taste.
Deb
Made this and decided the outcome is not worth the effort. Crepes and chocolate cream are some what flat in taste. Used high quality ingredients and followed the recipe faithfully
Amirissa
To answer a couple of the questions:-You do wrap the entire cake and chill it for a couple of hours. Because everything is cold when assemble there isn’t residual heat that ruins the edges to when it’s time to serve.- To make assembly easier, make sure to put some of the cream on the plate before the first crepe goes on, this will help stabilize. If you don’t have a cake wheel, then it can take longer to do each layer but isn’t hard.Recommend you caramelized the hazelnuts on top for texture
Sharanya
I agrée something fell flat here - the crepes were great I wasn’t a huge fan of the chocolate pudding as filling
Chris p
This was the first NYT Cooking recipe my partner and I made 7 years ago for a Friendsgiving. It was divine. Gorgeous presentation and it's not overly sweet. We did serve some bourbon whipped cream on the side. He still hates to cook but I wrangle him in sometimes!
CD
Everything about this turned out beautifully and perfectly..... except it was disappointing. It just wasn't sweet at all. It really needs more sugar all around. So sad after all that work. It just sort of left everyone's sweet tooth unsatisfied. It was just creamy textured and very mild flavored and I even used very high quality chocolate and cocoa and hazelnut meal.
CD
I made this again this week. I doubled the sugar in the crepe batter and also increaded it to 90 grams in the chocolate filling. I used a mixture of about 2/3 60% cacao and 1/3 milk chocolate Ghirardelli chocolate chips. This time it was absolutely divine and everyone loved it and couldn’t get enough!-CD
Emily
This is the first time I’ve ever been so annoyed by a recipe that I’ve been compelled to add a note. I’m a skilled cook and baker, yet this recipe is so unclear: “whisk in some of the milk.” Over what temperature? How much milk? Why doesn’t it say to warm the milk before adding it so that the chocolate-corn syrup mixture doesn’t seize? Also, a medium saucepan was way too small for me to whisk all of the chocolate cream ingredients.
Amalia
Omg this was so much work. But HEAVENLY!
Lauri
I made this using gluten-free and dairy-free ingredients. I did use eggs. I have never had a crepe cake before so I did not know what to expect but I found the flavor quite bland. It was beautiful, the chocolate cream was great, but something seemed to be missing on the palate. Hmm. I used the coffee not the brandy- maybe the brandy would help.
Janet
Served with fresh cut strawberries and bananas.
Anna
Made as advertised. Chocolate cream and assembly were easy. Crepes took quite a while to master and make. It tastes great - just not hazelnut-y in the way I love with other hazelnut-chocolate recipes. Am going to add hazelnut essence to the crepes next time.
Sally
Can just finely ground hazelnuts be used for the hazelnut meal?
The Perfect Cake
I made it for my husband's birthday and everyone loved it. Several of my friends said it was the best cake they had ever had. I trimmed the Edges of the crepes and i covered the whole cake with my homemade whipped creme and it was delicious. My only complaint it that it was too small! Next time I'm going to double the ingredients and make a cake that will last longer than a day :)
Eating On Two Wheels
Delicious, a crowd pleaser, and easier to put together than a fancy cake with a zillion components. Easier to transport, too (whip the cream and top on site).That being said, whoever makes thiswill have the good fortune to taste the crepes unadorned, and will bemoan the fact that their fantastic hazelnut flavor is largely lost in the assembled torte. My answer to this will be to use hazelnut liquor in the chocolate creme next time. (I used espresso, and it, too, was lost.)
pastry cream steps
1. Whisk together egg yolks and sugar2. Add cornstarch, cocoa powder, and salt and whisk until smooth3. Pour milk into pot and warm up on low heat until boil4. Pour half of hot milk over sugar/yolks while whisking 5. Pour all back into pot on low heat6. Vigorously whisk until it thickens7. When it starts to boil, whisk for 1 minute and then remove and whisk in butter8. Press through sieve into bowl with chocolate
Eating On Two Wheels
I found this an odd pastry cream recipe, as well, as I've always made it the way you describe. However, I gave it a try, and it works perfectly!
Amirissa
To answer a couple of the questions:-You do wrap the entire cake and chill it for a couple of hours. Because everything is cold when assemble there isn’t residual heat that ruins the edges to when it’s time to serve.- To make assembly easier, make sure to put some of the cream on the plate before the first crepe goes on, this will help stabilize. If you don’t have a cake wheel, then it can take longer to do each layer but isn’t hard.Recommend you caramelized the hazelnuts on top for texture
TRWESQ
I made this extraordinary dessert yesterday. It is time-consuming, but based on the accolades of those that partook in the cake, it was well worth it. The comments that the crepe pan should be quite hot are correct — it makes a difference. The crepes and the chocolate cream must be cool in order to avoid the crepes from sliding. I will certainly make this again and look forward to trying some flavor variations.
Deb
Made this and decided the outcome is not worth the effort. Crepes and chocolate cream are some what flat in taste. Used high quality ingredients and followed the recipe faithfully
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