Coffee Mille Crepe Cake

Celebrate 2015 with a memorable cake.

Coffee Mille Crepe Cake is a classic French cake, and I love the classics. Since I bought the Bouchon Bakery book, my dream is to bake it from the first to the last recipe. I like this book so much that last year when the chef Sebastien Rouxel came to Houston to do a tasting and cooking class, I signed up immediately and this is how I got the book autographed :).

One of the recipes we tasted that day was an orange crepe cake. For this coffee version, I made some adjustments, but it stays true to the classic French style.

Maybe you will also like this recipe: Thousand Layer Cake with Dulce de Leche

1- 8″ cake
Ingredients:
for the crepes,

2 cups whole milk
4 large eggs
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons bourbon
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
20 grams of melted unsalted butter, warm

Place the milk, eggs, flour, sugar, salt, and bourbon in the blender. Process for 15 seconds. With a spatula, clean the sides of the jar to ensure that all the flour mixes. With the blender on low speed add the butter. Blend for 10 seconds. Refrigerate overnight.

Let the batter return to room temperature. Heat over medium heat in an oiled 8″ non-stick pan. Once hot add 1/4 cup batter, move to cover the entire bottom of the pan. Cook 30 seconds to 1 minute, until the crepe, is golden brown, lift the edges with a knife or spatula and using your fingers turn the crepe and cook 30 seconds to 1 minute on the other side.

Stack on a plate and let cool completely before using.

For the coffee cream,
yield: 2 cups

3 egg yolks
1 egg
70 grams of granulated sugar
40 grams of cornstarch
475 ml of whole milk
50 grams unsalted butter, cubed
70 grams of granulated sugar
pinch of salt
2 teaspoons coffee extract
2 cups fresh heavy whipping cream

In a bowl with a whisk, mix the yolks and the egg until they are foamy, add the sugar (70 grams) and cornstarch and mix until it is all incorporated.
In a medium saucepan heat the milk with the butter, remaining sugar, (70 grams) and salt, stir to dissolve the sugar. Just as it begins to boil, remove from heat and add slowly to the yolk mixture, whisking all the time.
Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium heat until it gets thick, stirring all the time. Remove from heat, add the coffee extract and pass through a sieve if you see lumps. Cool the custard over a bowl with water and ice. Cover with plastic wrap pressed directly into the custard. Refrigerate until ready to use. You may make it 2-3 days before use.
Whip the cream using a cold bowl, beat until hard peaks forms.
Mix with gently with the coffee custard.

Fill the cake, alternating pancakes and coffee cream, place a thin layer of cream over the middle and thicker at the edges. Decorate. Keep in the refrigerator.