Maple Mille Crpes Cake

Gteau Mille Crpes, a classic French cake that translates to Thousand Crpe
Cake.
Its the perfect dessert for people who have a rancorous relationship with their
ovens because its made entirely on the stove.

Basic Techniques
Layering

Yield
1 cake

Ingredients:
For crpes
4 tbs. unsalted butter,
melted & slightly
cooled
4 large eggs
1 cup bread flour
1 cup milk
cup grade B maple
syrup
ts. sea salt
Butter for the pan

For pastry cream

1 cups whole milk
3 whole eggs
cup grade B maple
syrup
cup corn starch
1 tbs. Scotch Whiskey
cup whipping cream
tbs. powdered sugar

To finish
2 tbs. granulated sugar

Directions:
1.

Put the melted butter and eggs into a blender and blend until emulsified. Add the flour, milk,
maple syrup and salt to the blender and blend until smooth. Refrigerate overnight.

2.

Heat a heavy bottomed 9 non-stick pan over medium low-heat until hot. Butter the pan, then
use a paper towel to wipe out the extra butter. The surface of the pan should be slick but there
shouldnt be any pools of butter.

3.

Add 2 tablespoons of batter to the center of the pan, and then quickly swirl the batter around
to make a crpe the size of the bottom of the pan. If the batter solidifies before youre able to
spread the batter out, your pan might be too hot. Try keeping the pan off the heat for a few
second before you add the batter.

4.

When the crpe no longer appears wet on top it's ready to flip. Use the corner of a spatula to
peel up an edge, and then carefully use your fingers and spatula to peel away and flip the
crpe. The edge of the crpe should be dry enough that it shouldn't be too hot, but be careful
not to burn yourself on the pan.

5.

The crpe should only need 15-20 seconds on the second side to cook through. Transfer the
cooked crpe to a plate (stack the crpes on top of each other to prevent them from drying
out), and then continue making the rest of the crpes. If the non-stick coating on your pan isnt
damaged you shouldnt need to butter the pan again, but if the crpes start sticking to the
pan, keep buttering the pan.

6.

Make the custard while you wait for the crpe to cool completely. Add the milk, eggs, maple
syrup and cornstarch into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture into a heavy
bottomed pot and heat over medium low heat while stirring constantly until it thickens (160
degrees F or 71 degrees C). Immediately remove the custard from the heat and then stir in the
Scotch.

7.

Let the custard cool completely. You can speed this up by placing the pot in a bowl of ice water
and stirring the custard.

8.

Whip the cream, and then add the powdered sugar when the cream starts holding soft peaks.
Continue whipping until it holds firm peaks, but be careful not to over whip the cream or the fat
will start to separate.

9.

Gently fold the whipped cream into the cooled custard using a spatula. If the pastry cream is
loose, place it in the fridge to firm up.

10. To assemble the cake, put a crpe down on a flat plate or serving platter, then spread an even
layer of cream about the thickness of the crpe. If you make the layer too thin, there won't be
enough cream in the cake. If you make it too thick, the cake won't hold its shape when you go
to cut it. There should be plenty of pastry cream, so dont worry about running out, but dont
try to use it all.
11. Continue layering, saving the best-looking crpe for the top layer. Once your cake is
assembled, cover and refrigerate it for at least 4 hours or overnight to allow the moisture from
the pastry cream to redistribute into the crpes.
12. To finish the cake, sprinkle 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar on top of the cake in an even
layer (passing it through a wire sieve makes this easier). Use a kitchen torch to brle the
sugar. Its important that you do this quickly otherwise the cream below will start melting. Hold
the torch at a 90 degree angle to the top of the cake, then use a small circular motion working
your way around the cake to evenly caramelize the sugar without burning the cake.
13. Slice and serve immediately.