Recipe: Tiramisu Crepe Cake

Sixteen layers of goodness. 💛

I was actually writing about our trip to Florence when I thought about the tiramisu we had there. It was one of the best desserts I've ever had - light, creamy, silky, and with just the right amount of sweetness. So because of this memory, I felt a craving brewing. The problem was I didn't have any ladyfingers and amaretto/rum/marsala (I honestly don't really have any sort of alcohol or liqueur at home because Carlo's allergic so I just keep away from it altogether).

(The culprit of my craving, Florence... you did this to me!)

I checked my pantry and I had pretty much everything to make crepes. The only ingredient I didn't have was mascarpone cheese so we did a quick extraction at the grocery. The good thing about this situation was that I made the crepes on the first day and was able to assemble it altogether the next day, once we had the mascarpone cheese. 

Tiramisu is an Italian dessert by layering coffee-soaked ladyfingers and a mascarpone and egg (almost like a custard) mixture. There have been so many versions of tiramisu and I was fortunate enough to taste the authentic kind in Italy, the motherland. We even tried out some other flavours - banana, chocolate chip, strawberry, and pistachio. But honestly, I'm happy with the original espresso/coffee flavour. It's just soooo satisfying. The traditional way of making Tiramisu is whipping up the egg yolks until they're light and fluffy then sweetening with sugar and adding the mascarpone cheese, then fold in some whisked eggs whites (almost at hard peaks). 

 

 

My version is just an easier version to satisfy my craving quick.😜

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Tiramisu Crepe Cake

The crepe recipe can make 16-18 pieces, 8-inch sized crepes. If you want to make a bigger crepes (around 9- or 10-inches) you might end up with around 12-14 pieces. This makes an 8-inch crepe cake about, 3-4 inches in height. 

You'll need the following tools and equipment: a strainer/sifter, a food processor, a whisk, a pastry brush, a non-stick skillet (or a crepe pan if you have it), an offset spatula, a hand mixer, a smaller sifter (to dust the cocoa powder), an 8-inch round cake pan, plastic wrap, a spatula, a clip, and some mixing bowls. 

Crepe Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups milk, room temperature (I used 2% milk for this but whole milk and light/skimmed milk should be fine as well.)

1 tbsp water
4 large eggs, room temperature
3 tablespoons butter, melted

1/4 cup butter, melted for brushing

Tiramisu Filling Ingredients
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup sugar
475g mascarpone cheese (This is the usual tub measurement when you buy it from the grocery.)
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tbsp espresso OR instant coffee (diluted in 2 tbsp water)

Crepe Procedure
1. Prepare all you ingredients. Sift all the dry ingredients and whisk together.

2. In a food processor, add all the wet ingredients and pulse until well-mixed. Do not over-mix. Add the dry ingredients in 3 parts between blitzes.

 

 

3. Strain the batter through a sieve cover with plastic wrap. Let this rest and chill in the fridge for 1-3 hours. It can even stay overnight. (Quick tip: you can make this batter ahead so you can be ready for the morning and whip up some great crepes for breakfast.)

 

4. Using an 8-inch non-stick skillet (or crepe pan), brush with melted butter on medium heat. Add the crepe batter (I used a little less than a 1/4 cup) and swirl around the pan for full coverage. Let this cook for 2-3 minutes and flip to cook for about 45 seconds. Repeat this process to make all the crepes.

 

 

Tiramisu Filling Procedure

1. Using the whisk attachment of a hand mixer, whip the cream and sugar until before soft peaks. Add at the mascarpone, vanilla, and coffee and continue whisking until well-incorporated. 

 

  

2. Scrape the sides of the bowl and whisk for another 30 seconds. Set aside and chill for 20 minutes.

 

Assembling the Tiramisu Crepe Cake
1. Mise-en-place! Assemble all the elements of the dish so you have a good work flow going on. (Play some romantic Italian music too in the background, you'll really feel it and your hips will eventually sway... just don't spill anything.)

2. Line an 8-inch round cake pan with plastic wrap and parchment paper cut to size.

3. Set aside some filling mixture (around 3-4 tablespoons) and chill in the fridge. Dab a small portion of the filling mixture on the parchment paper (so it doesn't move around). Place a crepe in the centre and spread a heaping spoonful of the filling mixture and using an off-set spatula (or the back of the spoon), spread the mixture to cover the whole crepe. Dust with cocoa powder. Repeat this process for all layers of the crepes.

 

4. For the last crepe (the 16th piece), do not layer with filling on top. Keep it naked. Gather the plastic wrap around and clip to seal it. Chill for 20-30 minutes.

 

5. Open the clip, transfer and flip upside down to a serving plate. With the filling mixture previously set aside, spread on top of the cake. Dust with a good helping of cocoa powder.

  

6. Revel at it's beauty and ENJOY! This is best served with an espresso, a cappuccino, or a cuppa earl grey tea.

Storage

Keep in an airtight container. This will keep in the fridge for about 4 days. But try to eat it all right away (I'm sure that won't be a problem) because the crepes will soak up moisture. If you want, you can also freeze a portion and enjoy in the future when you wake up at 3am thinking, "I'm hungry... now what?".

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*You can always add a drizzle of Nutella for added yummssssies. Also, if you wanted some crunch, you can add some crushed hazelnuts or almonds too in between the layers. Just some ideas. 

**Crepes are very versatile. Simply put, they are thin pancakes. You can set aside some crepes and make a lesser-numbered layer cake and use the crepes to make all sorts of dishes. Don't limit yourself to strawberries, cream, and Nutella. There's a whole world of crepe variations - sweet and savoury! It even makes good pizza pockets!

***This cake is very cheap to make and looks fabulous! Like you came out of an Ina Garten show or a Nigella Lawson cookbook. Try serving this in your next holiday get together or even give this as a gift. It will always generate that "wooooaaaahhh" effect from your guests.

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