[EN] Crepes Cake / كعكة الكريب - CookingWithAlia - Episode 710

For Valentine's Day, you probably want to prepare a meal for your beloved one, and without forgetting the essential course: the dessert! Today I'm sharing with you a no-bake cake recipe: The mille-crepes cake! A gourmet cake, made with crepes, pastry cream, and chocolate ganache!
RECIPE:
INGREDIENTS:
"Crepes:
500 ml (2 cups) milk
90 grams (6 tablespoons) butter
6 large eggs
25 grams (2 tablespoons) white granulated sugar
A pinch of salt
200 grams (1 3/4 cup) flour
Chocolate ganache:
170g chocolate 70%
250 ml heavy cream
Pastry Cream:
300 ml (1 1/4 cup) of milk
3 egg yolks
60g (1/4 cup) of white granulated sugar
30g (4 tablespoons) cornstarch
1 bag of vanilla sugar
A pinch of salt
Decoration:
20 raspberries
50 grams of icing sugar
DIRECTIONS:
Step 1: Prepare the chocolate ganache
1- Using a sharp knife, finely chop the dark chocolate. Place it in a large bowl.
2- In a saucepan over medium heat, pour the cream and bring it to a boiling point.
3- Pour the hot cream over the chocolate, let it sit for a minute, then mix using a spatula until you get a smooth texture!
4- Cover the chocolate cream with a plastic wrap touching the surface to avoid the creation of a crust and place in the fridge for 30 minutes until it cools down and it reaches room temperature.
Step 2: Prepare the pastry cream
1- Place the milk in a large saucepan, heat on medium-heat, and bring to a boiling point.
2- In 2 large bowls, separate the egg yolks from the egg whites. We will use the egg yolks only.
3- Add the sugar, cornstarch, and pinch of salt to the egg yolks. Using a whisk, mix well until you get a smooth texture.
4- Once the milk reaches a boiling point, add it little by little to the egg mixture while whisking. If you add the hot milk all at once or do not whisk at the same time, the eggs will cook, and you don't want that!
5- Return the mixture in the saucepan, place on medium heat and cook for 5 minutes, while continuously mixing with the whisk, until the cream thickens.
6- Place the pastry cream in a large bowl.
7- Cover the pastry cream with a plastic wrap touching the surface to avoid the creation of a crust and place in the fridge for 30 minutes until it cools down and it reaches room temperature.
Step 3: Prepare the crepes
Making the Crêpe batter:
1- Pour the milk in a saucepan and put it on medium heat.
2- Add the butter and mix until it melts, bring to a boil.
3- In a separate bowl, lightly beat the 3 eggs and the sugar with a whisk.
4- Add the salt.
4- Incorporate the flour into the eggs mixture and mix well.
5- Add the hot milk and butter to the egg mixture while mixing constantly. You will have a smooth and soft batter that has a thick liquid consistency.
Cooking the Crêpe batter:
Note: You will need a non-stick pan, about 15 centimeters in diameter to make medium sized crepes, preferably reserved for only making crêpes.
7- Heat the pan on high heat before starting to make the crêpes.
8- Once the pan is hot, spread the crêpe batter by rotating the pan in a circular motion.
9- Let the crêpe cook for one minute in one side before flipping it to the other side.
10- Cook the second side for a minute or so until the crepe can slide easily on the pan.
The crêpe should have a golden color. Beware not to overcook!
11- Cook the remaining crêpe batter.
Step 4: Assemble the cake
Once your creams and crepes are ready and at room temperature, let's assemble the cake!
1- First put a bit of the chocolate cream on the serving plate and place the first crepe so that the cake sticks to the plate.
2- Spread a thin layer of pastry cream and cover with another crepe. Spread a thin layer of chocolate ganache.
3- Keep alternating layer of crepes, layer of chocolate ganache, layer of crepes, layer of pastry cream until you run out of crepes.
4- Finally decorate with raspberries. Dust with some powdered sugar and place the cake in the fridge for 2 hours before serving.