30-Layer Rustic Rainbow Mille Crêpe Cake

What’s on my desk today? Something elegant, crazily delicious, and family friendly!

Mille Crêpe Cake it is. Gâteau Mille Crêpes, literally translated to "thousand crepe cake” is a classic French dessert that has been around for centuries, consisting of 20 layers of paper thin crêpes, each separated with a brush of French pastry cream.  Mille in French means “thousand” and while there really aren’t a thousand crêpes, it might seem like it. It is a cake made of stacked crêpes held together by pastry crème or jam or whatever strikes your fancy.

This cake is the signature dessert at Lady Mendl’s Tea Salon in New York.  An absolutely charming establishment tucked away inside New York City’s Inn at Irving Place. There’s a lot of Nile Crêpe Cake recipes out there, but this time I made a Rainbow Mille Crêpe Cake inspired by Eugenie Kitchen and Ellen Easton. Instead of making 20 layers, I made 30 layer rainbow crepes, 5 crêpes for each color.

The technique for making crêpes takes some getting used to, and you’ll most likely mess up the first few if you haven’t made them before and sometimes even if you have.  Yes, the Mille Crêpe Cake is labor intensive.  Made of layer upon layer of delicate crêpes and fillings.  Patience and precision are key to successfully executing this beauty.    In the end, there isn’t much that’s more satisfying than watching your thin crêpes turn into a beautifully impressive crêpes cake.

Here’s what it is: 30 (as opposed to 1,000) lacy rainbow crêpes layered with clouds of whipped cream-lightened pastry crème. The components of the Mille Crêpes Cake are plain as can be. It’s the way they are constructed, with every proportion considered and refined, that makes you think differently about cake.  The crêpes were delicate and very flat, which made spreading the pastry crème simple.

The moment of truth was when I cut into the cake and served it.  It was incredible! It was easy to slice and serve, and most importantly the taste was unbelievably delicious. Everyone loved it and I knew right then that I would be making this dessert again.  It is really 3 short recipes that can be made ahead and assembled up to 1 day before serving. 

30-Layer Rustic Rainbow Mille Crêpe Cake

For recipe in Indonesian, click HERE

Ingredients:

Crêpes:

·         6 eggs

·         60g sugar

·         45 ml vegetable oil

·         80g unsalted melted butter

·         3 cups milk (adjust the amount according to the thickness of the batter)

·         3 cups all-purpose flour

·         Pinch salt

Pastry Crème Filling:

·         1 egg

·         1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

·         2 tablespoons granulated sugar

·         1 tablespoon cornstarch

·         1 cup milk

·         1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

·         1 teaspoon hot water

·         2 tablespoon heavy cream, whipped

Whipped Cream

·         2 cups heavy cream

·         1 tablespoon sugar

Directions:

Crêpes:

1.       In a small pan, melt the butter until lightly browned.  Remove from heat and set aside.

2.       In a separate, small pan, warm the milk until steaming.  Remove from heat and set aside to allow to cool slightly.

3.       In a large bowl, using an electric mixer at a low speed, mix together the eggs, flour, sugar, and salt. Slowly add in the warm milk, browned butter, and vegetable oil.   Pour the batter into a tightly-sealed container to refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

4.       Divide the batter equally in 6 bowls and mix with food coloring to make red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple/violet.

5.       Using a nonstick or lightly oiled 8 inch crêpe pan, over medium-low heat, evenly distribute ¼ c up of crêpe batter and swirl to cover the surface of the pan.  Cook approximately 1 minute or just until the bottom of the crêpe become lightly brown. Using your clean fingers, flip it over and continue cooking for another 20-30 seconds.  Remove the cooked crêpe onto a prepared baking sheet.   Repeat this process until you have 30 perfect crêpes.

Pastry Crème Filling:

1.       In a small bowl, add egg, flour, sugar, and cornstarch.  Beat until smooth.

2.       In a saucepan over low heat, bring milk almost to a boil (simmer).  Immediately remove from heat and slowly whisk the milk into the egg mixture.  Return all ingredients to the saucepan, while constantly stirring, for about 5 minutes, until thickened and just comes to a boil.

3.       Remove from heat, add vanilla extract and hot water, stir until dissolved into the mixture.  Set aside to cool until firm.

4.       When the pastry  crème has cooled, fold in 2 tablespoons of whipped cream.  Refrigerate the mixture until thick (best if refrigerated overnight).

5.       Remove the prepared  pastry  crème filling from the refrigerator.  Whip the 2 cups of heavy cream with 1 tablespoon sugar.  Gently fold the whipped cream into the prepared chilled and thickened pastry  crème filling.

Assembly of 30-Layer Rainbow Mille Crêpe Cake:

1.       Place one prepared crepe on a large cake plate.  Start with violet layer and finish with red.

2.       With a small spatula or wide blade knife, completely cover the crêpe with a thin layer of the pastry crème mixture (approximately ¼ cup).

3.       Cover with another dry crêpe and repeat covering with the pastry crème until you have reached 30 rainbow layers. 

4.       Refrigerate the prepared cake for a minimum of 2 hours.  Allow to stand at room temperature for 15 to 30 minutes before serving.  Garnish with fresh berries.

Bahasa Indonesia

Bahan:

Crêpes:

·         6 butir telur

·         60g gula pasir

·         45 ml minyak sayur

·         80g mentega tawar, lelehkan

·         3 cups susu cair (sesuaikan jumlah susu dengan kekentalan yang diinginkan)

·         3 cups tepung terigu serbaguna

·         Sedikit garam

Pastry Crème Filling:

·         1 butir telur

·         1 sdm tepung terigu serbaguna

·         2 sdm gula pasir

·         1 sdm tepung jagung (bisa diganti dengan maizena)

·         1 cup susu cair

·         1 sdt ekstrak vanila

·         1 sdt air panas

·         2 sdm heavy cream, kocok kaku

·         2 cups heavy cream

·         1 sdm gula pasir

Cara:

Crêpes:

1.       Lelehkan mentega sampai sedikit kecoklatan.  Sisihkan.

2.       Panaskan susu dalam panci kecil sampai hamper mendidih. Sisihkan dan biarkan hangat.

3.       Dalam mangkuk besar, menggunakan mikser listrik dengan kecepatan rendah, kocok telur, terigu, gula, dan garam. Perlahan tambahkan susu hangat, mentega leleh, dan minyak sayur.   Tuang adonan ke dalam wadah, tutup rapat, dinginkan selama beberapa jam atau semalaman.

4.       Bagi adonan sama banyak ke dalam 6 mangkuk.  Beri 3-5 tetes pewarna makanan (merah, jingga, kuning, hijau, biru, ungu) ke dalam masing-masing adonan.   

5.      Dengan menggunakan pan datar antilengket yang telah diolesi sedikit minyak, api sedang-kecil, tuang ¼ cup adonan. Angkat pan menjauhi api dan putar-putar pan sehingga  adonan mengalir memenuhi permukaan pan. Masak selama sekitar 1 menit atau sampai permukaan  crêpe terlihat mengeras dan tidak ada lagi bagian yang masih basah.  Lepaskan pinggiran crêpe dengan bantuan spatula, lalu balikkan dengan menggunakan jari tangan dan masak selama 10-20 detik. Angkat   crêpe dan letakkan di piring datar.  Ulangi proses ini sampai didapat 30 lembar crêpe (5 lembar untuk masing-masing warna). 

Pastry Crème Filling:

1.       Dalam mangkuk kecil, kocok telur, terigu, gula, dan maizena hingga halus.

2.       Dalam panci kecil, panaskan susu hanya hingga hampir mendidih. Angkat, biarkan sedikit hangat, dan perlahan tuang ke dalam campuran telur sambil diaduk. Tuang kembali ke dalam panci, dan panaskan sambil terus diaduk, selama sekitar 5 menit, sampai kental (jaga jangan sampai mendidih).

3.       Angkat, tambahkan ekstrak vanilla dan air panas.  Aduk sampai larut.  Sisihkan hingga dingin.

4.       Ketika pastry  crème sudah dingin, tambahkan 2 sendok makan whipped cream.  Dinginkan dalam lemari pendingin (untuk hasil terbaik, dinginkan semalaman)

5.       Keluarkan  pastry  crème filling dari lemari pendingin, tuang ke dalam mangkuk besar.  Kocok 2 cups heavy cream dan 1 sdm gula hingga mengembang dan kaku.  Jangan mengocok krim terlalu lama karena krim akan pecah. Sedikit demi sedikit masukkan whipped crem ke dalam adonan pastry  crème.  Aduk perlahan dengan spatula menggunakan teknik aduk lipat (folding).

Menyusun 30-Layer Rainbow Mille Crêpe Cake:

1.       Siapkan piring datar ukuran besar. Letakkan satu lembar crêpe di tengah-tengah piring. Dimulai dengan crêpe warna ungu dan diakhiri dengan  crêpe warna merah.   

2.       Dengan menggunakan spatula, olesi seluruh permukaan crêpe dengan lapisan tipis pastry crème (sekitar ¼ cup untuk setiap lembar crêpe. 

3.       Tutup permukaan krim dengan selembar crêpe dan ulangi pelapisan krim sampai semua  crêpe dan adonan pastry crème habis.   

4.       Dinginkan dalam lemari pendingin sedikitnya selama 2 jam.  Biarkan pada suhu ruang selama 15-30 menit sebelum disajikan. Hias dengan buah berries segar.

Semur Ayam (Chicken Stew in Sweet Soy Sauce)

Semur /se-mur/ is an Indonesian dish made from boiled meat or chicken in thick brown gravy which made from sweet soy sauce.  The word ‘semur’ itself derives from the Dutch word ‘smoor’  meaning ‘smothered’ or  it could also mean the technique of cooking by boiling for a long time using a low heat until the meat is tender.  Indonesia was colonized by the Dutch over three centuries, so there-are many Dutch-derived words in bahasa Indonesia.  The chicken stew here is smothered in sweet soy sauce, which later gives the distinctive dark color. In other word, sweet soy sauce is a must-add ingredient.

In Indonesia, soy sauce is known as kecap (also ketjap), which is a catch-all term for fermented sauces. It’s used either within cooking process or as condiment. They are 3 varieties of Indonesian soy-based kecap.  (1) Kecap asin (salty soy sauce), which is very similar to Chinese light soy sauce, but usually somewhat thicker and has a stronger flavor.  (2) Kecap manis (sweet soy sauce), which has a thick,almost syrupy consistency and a unique, pronounced, sweet somewhat treacle-like flavor due to the generous addition of palm sugar.  (3) Kecap manis sedang (medium sweet soy sauce), which has less thick consistency, less sweet, and has a saltier taste than kecap manis.   The term kecap is also used to describe other non soy-based sauces, such as kecap ikan (fish sauce) and kecap inggris (Worcestershire sauce).

Sweet soy sauce or kecap manis is probably the most commonly used and well-liked Indonesian food condiment.  It is an important sauce in Indonesian signature dishes, such as nasi goreng (fried rice), mie goreng (fried noddles), satay, and meat or chicken stew. When you see kecap in Indonesian recipes, or when someone asks for kecap in Indonesia, they will always mean kecap manis. The sauce can be found easily in Asian grocery stores.  However,  if you can’t find sweet soy sauce everywhere, you can use regular soy sauce and then add some palm sugar or dark muscovado sugar.

Semur Ayam (Chicken Stew in Sweet Soy Sauce)

For recipe in Indonesian, click HERE

Ingredients:

·         1 chicken, cut into 8-10 pieces (I use chicken wings)

·         ½ tsp lime juice

·         1 tsp salt

·         ½ tsp ground black pepper

·         3 potatoes (about 300g), peeled and cut into small wedges

·         1 small onion, thinly sliced

·         1 liter of water

·         150 ml sweet soy sauce

·         1 lemongrass, bruised and knotted

·         2 inch galangal

·         1 tsp ground nutmeg

·         ½ tbsp ground white pepper

·         1 tbsp sugar

·         3 tsp salt

·         Oil for frying

Grind the following into spice paste:

·         12 Shallots

·         8 cloves garlic

·         8 candlenuts

·         4 tsp coriander

·         1 inch ginger

Garnish:

·         Deep fried shallot flakes

Directions:

1.       Marinate the chicken with lime juice, salt and pepper. Let stand for 15 minutes.

2.       Fry the chicken in the heated oil over medium heat until lightly golden brown. Remove and drain. Do the same for potato wedges.

3.       Saute grinded spices with lemongrass and galangal until fragrant.

4.       Add fried chicken pieces, stir until well coated. Add water, sweet soy sauce, salt, white pepper, and ground nutmeg. Bring to a boil. Add potatoes and onion. Reduce heat and simmer until chicken are cooked and tender and the sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Adjust with salt and sugar as needed.

5.       Transfer to a serving bowl, garnish with shallot flakes.  Serve immediately with steamed white rice.

Bahasa Indonesia

Bahan:

·         1 ekor ayam, potong 8-10 bagian (saya menggunakan sayap ayam)

·         ½ sdt air perasan jeruk nipis

·         1 sdt garam

·         ½ sdt merica hitam

·         3 buah kentang (sekitar 300g), kupas dan potong menjadi beberapa bagian

·         1 buah bawang bombay, iris tipis

·         1 liter air

·         150 ml kecap manis

·         1 serai, memarkan

·         2 inch lengkuas, memarkan

·         1 sdt pala bubuk

·         ½ sdm merica bubuk

·         1 sdm gula pasir (optional)

·         3 sdt garam

·         Minyak untuk menggoreng

Bumbu halus:

·         12 butir bawang merah

·         8 siung bawang putih

·         8 butir kemiri

·         4 sdt ketumbar

·         1 inch jahe

Bahan taburan:

·         Bawang goreng

Cara:

1.       Lumuri  ayam dengan sedikit garam dan merica. Diamkan 15 menit.

2.       Goreng  ayam di dalam m inyak yang sudah dipanaskan di atas api sedang hingga berwarna kuning kecoklatan. Angkat dan tiriskan. Lakukan hal yang sama untuk kentang.

3.       Tumis bumbu halus serta serai dan lengkuas hingga harum.

4.       Masukkan potongan ayam yang sudah digoreng. Aduk sampai terbalut dengan bumbu.  Masukkan bawang bombay. Tuang air,  tambahkan kecap manis, garam. gula, merica, dan bubuk pala. Terakhir masukkan kentang yang sudah digoreng.  Masak dengan api kecil hingga bumbu meresap dan kuahnya mengental. Tambahkan gula dan garam bila perlu.

5.       Taburi dengan bawang goreng dan sajikan.