Chocolate Crêpe Cake Food

DECADENT CHOCOLATE CREPE CAKE

Steps:

• In a microwave, melt butter and chocolate; stir until smooth. Set aside to cool. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, vanilla and cooled chocolate mixture. Combine the flour, sugar and salt; add to egg mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. (Batter will appear curdled.), For buttercream, in a microwave, melt white chocolate with cream; stir until smooth. Set aside to cool. In a small bowl, combine sugar and cream of tartar., Place egg whites in a double boiler or metal bowl over simmering water; stir in the sugar mixture. Constantly whisk until mixture reaches 120-130° (do not overheat). Stirring gently, keep at 120-130° for 2 minutes. Immediately transfer to a mixing bowl., With a whisk attachment, beat on high speed for 5 minutes. Reduce speed and beat for 5 additional minutes or until cool and stiff. Transfer to a large bowl., In the same mixing bowl with the whisk attachment, beat butter and vanilla until light and fluffy. Beat in cooled white chocolate mixture. With a spatula, stir a fourth of the meringue into butter mixture until no white streaks remain. Fold in remaining meringue. Cover and refrigerate., Heat a lightly greased 8-in. nonstick skillet over medium heat; pour 2 tablespoons crepe batter into center of skillet. Lift and tilt pan to coat bottom evenly. Cook until top appears dry, about 2 minutes; turn and cook 15-20 seconds longer. Remove to a wire rack. Repeat with remaining batter, greasing skillet as needed., When cool, stack crepes with waxed paper or paper towels in between., To assemble, place one crepe on a cake plate. Spread with 3 tablespoons buttercream. Repeat layers until 10 crepes are used. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Repeat layering and chilling until 30 crepes are used, ending layers with a crepe. (Save remaining crepes for another use.) Refrigerate., For ganache, place chocolate in a small bowl. In a small saucepan, bring the cream, corn syrup and salt just to a boil. Pour over chocolate; whisk until smooth. Cool, stirring occasionally, until ganache reaches a spreading consistency. Spread over top and sides of cake. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT CREPE CAKE

Steps:

• Prepare the crepe batter: Whisk together eggs, egg yolks, milk and cream in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, hazelnut meal, sugar and salt. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in some of the milk mixture. Gently whisk from the center of the well, making a thick, smooth batter. Then, while whisking, gradually add remaining milk mixture and whisk until smooth. Whisk in vanilla and butter. (Alternatively, combine all the ingredients in a blender and blend on low speed until smooth.) Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 48 hours.
• Prepare the chocolate cream: Place chopped chocolate in a medium bowl and set a fine mesh sieve over the bowl. In a medium saucepan, whisk together sugar, cornstarch, cocoa powder and salt. Whisk in some of the milk to create a thick paste. Gradually add remaining milk while whisking until mixture is smooth and well-combined. Whisk in egg yolks and add butter.
• Cook milk mixture over medium heat, whisking constantly and occasionally scraping the bottom and sides of the pan with a rubber spatula. Once the mixture comes to a boil and becomes very thick, about 5 minutes, whisk it vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes. Press hot cream mixture through the sieve into the bowl with the chocolate. Let it stand for 2 minutes, then mix it until smooth and well-combined. Add brandy or coffee and stir to combine. Use a rubber spatula to stir the mixture until it has cooled to about room temperature and is smooth and silky. Cover with plastic wrap, pressed into the surface of the custard, and chill until ready to use.
• Cook the crepes: Melt a little bit of butter in an 8-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat and let the pan get hot. Remove the pan from the heat and immediately add a scant 1/4 cup (about 3 tablespoons) crepe batter to one side of the pan. (You don't want to use too much batter or you'll have thick crepes.) Quickly tilt and swirl the pan to spread the batter to an even thickness across the bottom of the pan and about 1 inch up the sides.
• Return the pan to the heat and cook crepe until very lightly golden and set on one side, about 45 seconds. Tuck a small offset spatula under the edge of the crepe, grab onto it with your fingers, and quickly flip it over. Cook until light golden brown on the other side, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Slip crepe onto a rack to cool. Once crepes are cool, transfer them to a baking sheet and cover with a light towel to keep them from drying out. Continue with remaining batter, occasionally wiping out the skillet with a paper towel and very lightly buttering the skillet every few crepes as needed. You should have 20 to 24. (You need 20 for the cake.)
• To assemble, stir the cream until smooth. Lay 1 crepe on a cake plate. Using an offset spatula, cover with a thin layer of chocolate cream (2 to 3 tablespoons), leaving a 1/4-inch border. Cover with a crepe and repeat to make a stack of 20, with the best-looking crepe on top. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours.
• To serve, top with whipped cream, nuts and dust with cocoa.

CHOCOLATE CRêPE CAKE

Steps:

• Beat pudding mixes and milk in medium bowl with whisk 2 min. Stir in 1-1/2 cups COOL WHIP.
• Place 1 crêpe on serving plate; spread with 1/4 cup pudding mixture, completely covering crêpe with pudding mixture. Repeat layers with remaining pudding mixture and all but 1 of the remaining crépes. Cover with remaining crépe.
• Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm.
• Microwave chocolate and remaining COOL WHIP in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1 to 1-1/2 min. or until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring every 30 sec. Cool 5 min.
• Pour chocolate mixture over dessert. Refrigerate 20 min. or until chocolate mixture is firm.

DARKEST CHOCOLATE CREPE CAKE

Steps:

• Bring 1/4 cup water to a rolling boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add butter, 1 piece at a time, whisking to combine after each addition. Remove from heat; stir in chocolate until completely melted. Set aside.
• Whisk together flour, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk together milk, eggs, and vanilla in another medium bowl. Gradually add milk mixture to flour mixture, whisking until smooth. Add chocolate-butter mixture, whisking until smooth. Pour through a fine sieve into an airtight container; discard lumps. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
• Lightly coat an 8-inch crepe pan or nonstick skillet with melted butter. Heat over medium heat until just starting to smoke. Remove pan from heat; pour about 2 tablespoons batter into pan, swirling to cover bottom. Reduce heat to medium-low; return pan to heat. Cook, flipping once, until edges are golden and center is dry, about 30 seconds per side.
• Slide crepe onto a plate. Repeat process with remaining batter, coating pan with butter as needed. Crepes can be refrigerated, covered, up to 1 day.
• Place a crepe on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet. Spread with about 3 tablespoons hazelnut filling. Top with another crepe. Continue layering with hazelnut filling and crepes, using about 32 crepes and ending with a crepe on top. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.
• Spoon 1/2 cup glaze on top of the cake, spreading to edges. Spread remaining glaze around sides of cake, coating completely. Refrigerate until glaze is firm and set, about 20 minutes. Cake can be refrigerated up to 3 days. Garnish with toasted and candied hazelnuts.

FROZEN CHOCOLATE-STRAWBERRY CRêPE CAKE

Steps:

• Melt 2 oz. chocolate. Blend eggs, milk, flour and 2 Tbsp. sugar in blender until smooth. Add melted chocolate; mix well. Pour into bowl. Let stand 30 min.
• Blend 1-1/2 cups strawberries in clean blender container until smooth. (You should have about 3/4 cup strawberry purée.) Beat cream cheese and remaining sugar in large bowl with mixer until blended. Add strawberry purée; mix well. Gently stir in COOL WHIP just until blended.
• Heat 10-inch skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium-high heat. Add 1/4 cup chocolate batter; tilt skillet to evenly cover bottom of skillet with batter. Cook 10 to 15 sec. or until bottom of crêpe is lightly browned. Run spatula around edge of crêpe to loosen from skillet; turn crêpe. Cook 10 sec. or until bottom of crêpe is lightly browned. Repeat with remaining batter to make 8 more crêpes, spraying skillet with additional cooking spray after cooking each crêpe.
• Spread heaping 1/2 cup cream cheese mixture onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan; place 1 crêpe over center of cream cheese layer in pan. Repeat layers 8 times with remaining cream cheese mixture and crêpes, spreading cream cheese mixture evenly all the way to edge of pan. Spread remaining cream cheese mixture over top of dessert. Freeze 6 hours or until firm.
• Cover large plate with waxed paper about 30 min. before serving dessert. Melt remaining chocolate. Dip remaining strawberries, 1 at a time, into chocolate, turning to evenly coat each strawberry; place on prepared plate. Refrigerate until chocolate is firm. Meanwhile, remove dessert from freezer. Run knife around rim of pan to loosen dessert. Let stand at room temperature until slightly softened. Garnish with chocolate-dipped strawberries before serving.

CHOCOLATE ECLAIR CREPE CAKE

Steps:

• Using a blender, mix 2 cups flour, 2 cups milk, 4 eggs, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon salt until smooth; refrigerate.
• In a medium saucepan, whisk together the 1 cup heavy cream, remaining 1-1/4 cups milk, 1/2 cup sugar and 1 pinch salt.
• Cook over medium heat until steaming, 2 minutes.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining 2 eggs and 1/2 cup sugar.
• Whisk in the remaining 2/3 cup flour until smooth.
• Gradually whisk half of the hot cream mixture into the flour-egg mixture, then whisk into the remaining cream mixture.
• Cook, whisking, over medium heat until thick, about 2 minutes; stir in the rum and the remaining 1 teaspoon vanilla.
• Scrape the pastry cream into a bowl and refrigerate, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes.
• In an 8-inch crêpe pan or nonstick skillet, melt 1 teaspoon butter over medium-high heat.
• Add 1/3 cup chilled crêpe batter and swirl to coat the pan.
• Cook until set on the bottom, about 1 minute; flip and cook for about 30 seconds more.
• Turn out onto a rack to cool.
• Repeat with the butter and remaining batter to make 10 crêpes.
• Place a crêpe on a cake stand or flat plate; spread 1/3 cup pastry cream on top.
• Repeat with the remaining crêpes and pastry cream, ending with a crêpe.
• Refrigerate.
• In a medium saucepan, whisk the chocolate, 3 tablespoons water, the corn syrup and remaining 2 teaspoons butter over medium-low heat until smooth.
• Let cool for 5 minutes; spread on top of the cake, letting it drip down the sides.
• Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days before slicing.