Revisited the chocolate mille crepe cake for one of our chinese new year dinners. I’ve attempted it a few times before here: Green Tea Mille Crepe, Tiramisu Crepe Cake, and Houjicha Mille Crepe Cake, and have experimented with a few methods of assembly. In general, the crepe cake recipe is the same, and the cream filling is up to your preference as well. The part that took some experimentation was the assembly. In my first attempt, I free-formed the crepe layers, in a second attempt, I cut out circles with my cake ring, and then assembled it on a cake spin board. In my third attempt, I did the same, and also assembled the whole cake inside a springform pan. Surprisingly the springform pan method did not work too well as it created very uneven layers. Using a spinning cake stand, and then allowing your spatula to glide the cream onto the layers, provided much more even layers.
One trick I found with this attempt when cooking the crepes: to create even edges, after pouring the batter on the cake pan, use the spatula to manipulate the edges, so that it is not too thin around the edges. It makes it much easier to flip the crepe as well.
I was quite happy with the way the chocolate whipped cream turned out. Spice n Flavors’s method to stabilize the whipped cream was the use of cream cheese. Not only does it provide structure, it makes our icing thicker, smoother and provides a rich, non-only and not too milky, flavor. The mild tangy flavour of the cream cheese provides an interesting kick to the dark chocolate. With the addition of gelatin you can stabilize the whipped cream frosting even more. (I like about 1 teaspoon gelatin: 1 tablespoon water, in every 1 cup of heavy cream frosting), without any change in flavor. I stabilized the cream in two methods haha, just in case our weather is too warm. Make sure you turn on your AC when assembling the cake as well, to ensure the cream doesn’t melt.
In terms of recipe adjustment, I made a 1.5x portion of both original recipe. The original recipe makes a 15cm (6 inch) cake, whereas I wanted a 25cm (10 inch) cake for more guests. Feel free to adjust based on the size of your pan as well!
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Dark Chocolate Mille Crepe Cake 6 Eggs Stabilized Chocolate Whipped Cream Frosting 600g Whipping Cream |
To make Chocolate Crepe cake layers In a blender, place sugar, salt and sift in cake flour flour, cocoa powder, and almond powder. Add 100g of milk and blend. Add the remaining milk, vanilla extract, melted unsalted butter and blend. Place the mixture through a sieve and let it rest in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes Put the pan over low heat, and coat with butter. Pour the batter and swirl to achieve a thin spread. When bubbles appear, turn over, cook a little more, and remove from the pan to cool. Repeat to get 28 crepes. If you wish, you may cut rounds using a cake ring. To make Chocolate Whipped Cream Frosting Dissolve the cocoa powder in 10ml strong black coffee to get a paste. Set aside. Place gelatin in 1.5 tablespoon cold water and let stand for 5 minutes, until bloomed (in general I like to use 1 teaspoon gelatin for every cup, or 230g, heavy cream). Place 1.5 tablespoon boiling water to the mixture, still until it is liquid consistency and gelatin is dissolved. You may also use a double boiler or microwave for around 7-10 seconds. In a bowl, cream the cream cheese (room temperature) until smooth and lump free. Whisking continuously, add the cold whipping cream little by little until combined. Add in the icing sugar (sifted) and the cocoa powder paste gradually and whipped until thick but not quite to the soft peak stage. While still beating constantly, pour the liquid gelatin into the cream in a thin stream (if the gelatin has thickened again, heat again for a few seconds, just until liquid). Continue beating until soft or stiff peaks form, as desired. To assemble Put one crepe on a cake board, and apply a layer of chocolate cream. Place another crepe on top and repeat. Wrap in cling film and place in the fridge to set for at least 1-2 hours. Decorate with shaved chocolate the next day! |
My Dose of Sugar 