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.

Gemblong (Indonesian Caramel-coated Sticky Rice Cake)

Gemblong  /gem-blong/ is a kind of traditional Indonesian cake that belongs to the group of ‘market munchies’ (Indonesian = jajanan pasar). It is made from glutinous rice flour, which is kneaded until smooth and then shaped into an oval shape and flattened.  Then the shaped dough is deep-fried and coated with palm sugar caramel. This caramel is used to coat the fried cakes and mix them well until all the sugar in the caramel becomes cooled, which then gives crusted textured coat on the cakes.

This cake is very popular among the people of Sundanese, Javanese, and Betawi (Jakarta today). However, it is not known clearly from which area the cake is originated.  In the area of ​​East Java and Central Java, gemblong is known as “getas”.  Although the taste is quite similar, getas is made from black rice flour with white sugar coating, while gemblong is made of white sticky rice flour with palm sugar coating. Fried sticky rice cake that has not been coated with palm sugar can also be eaten right away. It's savory and tasty. I even ate 3-4 plain cakes during the process of making this gemblong.

Traditional cakes like gemblong are usually made from fresh ingredients.  Gemblong itself is quite favored by many because of its good taste, the ingredients are easy to find, as well as the making process.  You can find gemblong in any traditional markets, and you know what? It’s very cheap. With only Rp 2,000 you can already buy this cake and enjoy the sweet-savory sensation while eating it.

Gemblong (Indonesian Caramel-coated Sticky Rice Cake)

For recipe in Indonesian, click HERE

Ingredients:

·         200g glutinous/sticky rice flour

·         100g grated fresh coconut (long thread is fine) (I use 50g)

·         125 ml warm thin coconut milk

·         ½ teaspoon salt

·         Vegetable oil for frying

Caramel coating:

·         150g Javanese palm sugar

·         50g sugar

·         25 ml water

·         2 screwpine leaves, tied

Directions:

1.       Combine glutinous rice, flour, grated coconut, and salt in a mixing bowl. Stir in the warm coconut milk gradually and mix with your hand to get fairly soft, pliable dough.

2.       Knead for a few minutes until smooth.  Take about 30g of dough, roll it to make an oval shape and put it to flatten about ½ inch thickness. Continue until all the dough have been shaped.

3.       Deep fry the dough on medium-low heat for about 3-4 minutes, flip once. Remove and drain the excess oil on absorbent paper. Set aside and let cool.

4.       In a non-stick pan,  combine all sugar, water, and screwpine leaves. Bring to a boil and continue stirring until thick and the surface is full of large bubbles.  Lower the heat and add in the fried cakes and toss them fast until the sugar mixture caramelized on cakes. Transfer cakes onto a plate and let them cool until the caramel coating is set.

Bahasa Indonesia

Bahan:

·         200g tepung ketan putih

·         100g kelapa parut (saya memakai 50g)

·         125 ml santan encer hangat

·         ½ sdt garam

·         Minyak

Besta:

·         150g gula Jawa (gula merah)

·         50g gula pasir

·         25 ml air

·         2 lembar daun pandan, simpulkan

Cara:

1.       Campur tepung ketan putih, kelapa parut, dan garam. Aduk rata. Tuangkan santan sedikit demi sedikit sambil diuleni dengan tangan sampai membentuk adonan yang bisa dipulung.

2.       Ambil sedikit adonan (sekitar 30 g), bentuk oval dan pipihkan setebal 1 cm. Lakukan sampai semua adonan habis.

3.       Goreng dalam minyak yang banyak dengan api kecil-sedang sekitar 3-4 menit sampai matang. Angkat dan tiriskan untuk menghilangkan kelebihan minyak.

4.       Untuk membuat besta: panaskan gula merah, gula pasir, air dan daun pandan dengan api kecil sambil terus diaduk sampai kental, berbusa, dan berserabut.  Masukkan gemblong yang sudah digoreng.  Aduk cepat sampai gemblong terbalur besta gula. Angkat dan biarkan dingin sampai gula mengering.

Dulce de Leche Lava Cake

I was looking for something that I wouldn’t have to spend a lot of time in the kitchen preparing for  guests last night. Something sweet with chocolate in it.  Chocolate lava cake!  But I  didn’t want a regular chocolate lava cake, I wanted something more and better.

What is better than chocolate lava cakes? Chocolate lava cakes oozing with dulce de leche!  Really, what’s not to like about a chocolate cake with a molten interior of rich dulce de leche?  If you love lava cake and dulce de leche, I’m sure you will love this dulce de leche lava cake.

It took trying several different recipes for me before finding this one, which is perfect.  Ridiculously easy and dangerously delicious.  Make sure you have the dulce de leche—either homemade or store-bought—on hand before you start making the cake batter.  You can find my tutorial on how to make your dulce de leche here.

This recipe was extremely easy with simple ingredients. It came out perfectly on the first try and the chocolate lovers in the family were very happy. These cakes really hit the spot.  You just have to make sure your oven is calibrated to the correct temperature.  If your oven runs hot, it obviously will just be a hot chocolate cake, no dulce de leche molten, which is the best part.  If you don’t have an oven-safe thermometer, just cut a few minutes off the time, and check with a toothpick.  If it comes out molten and the sides are slightly pulling away from the ramekin, then it’s done.  I liked to underbake some of them a bit, so there were tons of ‘lava’ in my cake. 

Dulce de Leche Lava Cake (adapted from Stefano Paita)

For recipe in Indonesian click HERE

Ingredients:

·         Dulce de leche, cold or frozen

·         Butter, for greasing the pans

·         Flour, for coating the ramekin

·         4 ounces milk chocolate

·         4 ounces dark chocolate

·         Pinch of salt, for chocolate

·         1/3 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

·         1/3 cup sugar

·         1/3 cup all-purpose flour

·         3 eggs

·         1 teaspoon vanilla extract

·         Powdered sugar for dusting

Directions:

1.       Use a small spoon to scoop 6 (1 to 1 ½ tsp) dulce de leche balls on a parchment lined plate or tray.  Sprinkle each with a little sea salt.  Transfer to freezer to chill completely, about 3 to 4 hours.

2.       Preheat oven 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).  Grease six ( ½ cup) ramekins with butter and coat with flour.  Set aside.

3.       Melt the butter,  dark and milk chocolate in double boiler (or in the microwave).  Stir  in a pinch of salt.  Set aside.

4.       Using an electric mixer, whisk together eggs and sugar until light, foamy, and lemon colored.

5.       Stir in melted chocolate mixture until combined, then add the vanilla.

6.       Sift flour into the mixture, stir just to combine into a batter.

7.       Using 2 spoons or an ice cream scoop, fill batter 1/3 way up prepared ramekins.  Add one dulce de leche ball and spoon more batter on top so each ramekin is about ¾ full.

8.       Bake until cakes are set around the edges, but still a little soft in the center, about 14 to 18 minutes.  Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes.  With paring knife, loosen cake around the edges and invert directly onto serving plate. Dust with powdered sugar, or serve with whip cream and ice cream.

Bahasa Indonesia

Bahan:

·         Dulce de leche, dingin dan bekukan

·         Mentega untuk mengoles

·         Tepung untuk melapisi ramekin

·         4 ons (115 gran) milk chocolate

·         4 ons (115 gram) dark chocolate

·         Sedikit  garam untuk coklat leleh

·         1/3 cup mentega tawar, suhu ruang

·         1/3 cup gula pasir

·         1/3 cup tepung terigu serbaguna

·         3 butir telur

·         1 sdt ekstrak vanila

·         Gula bubuk untuk hiasan

Cara:

1.       Gunakan sendok kecil untuk mengambil 6 bola-bola (masing-masing setara dengan 1 sampai 1 ½ sdt) dulce de leche dan letakkan pada piring yang telah dialasi kertas roti. Taburi sedikit dengan garam. Bekukan/dinginkan dalam freezer selama 3 sampai 4 jam.   

2.       Panaskan oven dengan suhu 400 derajat F (200 derajat C).  Olesi 6 buah ramekin dengan mentaga dan lapisi dengan tepung.  Sisihkan.

3.       Lelehkan mentega bersama coklat dengan menggunakan double boiler (atau dengan microwave).  Beri sedikit garam.  Sisihkan  dan biarkan dingin.

4.       Dengan menggunakan mikser listrik, kocok telur dan gula hingga berbusa, ringan, dan berwarna kuning pucat. 

5.       Tuang coklat leleh ke dalam adona telur dan aduk hingga bercampur, gunakan whisk atau spatula.  Tambahkan vanila dan aduk.

6.       Tambahkan tepung terigu yang sudah diayak, aduk hanya hingga bercampur rata.

7.       Isi  1/3 ramekin dengan adonan sebanyak 2-3  sendok makan atau 2 sendok es krim.  Masukkan bola dulce de leche di tengah adonan.  Tutup kembali dengan adonan  hingga ¾ ramekin penuh.  

8.       Panggang sampai  pinggirannya matang tetapi bagian tengahnya masih sedikit lunak, sekitar 14-18 menit.  Biarkan dingin selama 5 sampai 10 menit.  Dengan bantuan pisau untuk melapaskan pinggiran cake,   keluarkan cake dan letakkan langsung di atas piring.  Taburkan gula bubuk di atasnya atau hias dengan whipped cream.