Coconut-Lemon Crepe Cake

There’s never a bad time for a crepe cake. It’s a light and sophisticated dessert that will impress even the most experienced bakers at the table. In this version, we layer coconut-lemon crepes with a rich filling of mascarpone and whipped coconut cream. Both festive and homey at once, we promise you won’t be able to have just one slice.

Crepe making is all about timing, and having two pans going will help speed up the process. Stagger adding the batter to your pans by a minute or two, so you can continue to work back and forth without feeling overwhelmed. If you’re really looking for a challenge, feel free to add a third pan to the mix to get done even faster.

INGREDIENTS:

For the Crepes:

2 cups whole milk

1½ cups all-purpose flour

¼ cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 teaspoon coconut extract

4 eggs, plus 4 yolks

1 stick unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing

For the Filling:

One 14-ounce can coconut cream

2 cups mascarpone

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 teaspoon kosher salt

For the Garnish:

Confectioners’ sugar

Toasted coconut flakes

Lemon zest

DIRECTIONS:

1. Make the crepe batter: In a blender, combine all of the crepe ingredients and blend until smooth. Transfer to a bowl and chill for 1 hour.

2. After chilling, grease two 10-inch nonstick skillets and heat over medium heat. Staggering about 1 minute apart, add ¼ cup of the crepe batter to each pan and quickly swirl to coat the entire pan surface with a thin layer of batter. Cook until the crepe just begins to change color, 1 to 2 minutes, then flip and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer to a plate to cool.

3. Continue the process, working between the 2 pans and stacking the cooked crepes on a plate to cool until you have 18 crepes total. Place the crepes in the refrigerator and chill for 1 hour.

4. Meanwhile, make the filling: In a large bowl, beat the coconut cream with an electric hand mixer until soft peaks form. Add the remaining filling ingredients and mix until smooth.

5. Assemble the cake: Once the crepes have chilled, grease a 9-inch springform pan with butter. Lay one crepe down on the bottom, then top with ¼ cup of the filling. Using a mini offset spatula, spread the filling into an even layer. Continue this process until all the crepes have been used. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours until the filling has set.

6. Use a paring knife to release the crepe cake from the springform pan. Garnish with confectioners’ sugar, toasted coconut and lemon zest, then serve.


Source:tastingtable.com