Crepe Cake with Chocolate-Rum Mousse
If you want to learn how to do something well, do it over and over and over again. That’s what I took away from today’s lesson. I wanted to learn how to make crepes, so I threw myself to the wolves and made thousands of them. Okay, it wasn’t thousands of crepes, more like 24, and I made them into a crepe cake with chocolate-rum mousse! This is a delicious, substantial cake. There is just enough chocolate, creamy mousse in every bite. The crepes are not sweet, but add a lovely, light base for the mousse. And the rum teases just a bit, bringing out more of the dark chocolate flavor. Oh, and that delightful, sweet whipped cream… I used Reddi Whip.
Crepe Cake with Chocolate-Rum Mousse
Crepes are thin, unleavened pancakes. They are cooked in a very hot saute pan, or crepe pan for about a minute to a minute and a half on one side and a minute on the other. Here are a couple of tips to keep in mind when making crepes:
- Allow the batter to rest in the fridge for at least an hour, or as long as overnight before cooking. This helps the gluten relax, which will make for a more delicate texture.
- Crepes cook fast, but make sure that you cook them long enough. They should have a light, golden brown on either side. They are easier to flip when cooked properly too.
- Crepes can be made in advance. Stack them with parchment in between, wrap well, and refrigerate until ready to use. If you’d like, you can reheat them in a 300 degree F. oven until they are warmed through.
- Crepes are meant to be filled, and you can fill them with anything you want! Sweet or savory, it’s your choice.
Crepe Cake with Chocolate-Rum Mousse
To make the crepes, sift your dry ingredients into a large bowl. Add your eggs, and mix until combined. Then pour in the milk, and a little rum. Mix until it has the consistency of heavy cream. Then cover and let rest in the fridge.
Set a crepe pan over medium-high heat and spray it with nonstick cooking spray. Once the pan seems hot enough, pour about 4 tablespoons worth of the crepe batter in. Cook for 1 and 1/2 minutes, then flip the crepe over and cook for an additional minute. Slide it off, spray the pan, and begin again. 23 times more.
To make the chocolate mousse, whisk the egg yolks, cream and sugar in a saucepan over medium-low heat. When the mixture has thickened, take it off of the stove and add it to the bowl with melted chocolate, vanilla extract, and rum.
Mix and then strain into another bowl. Let chocolate mixture cool in the fridge.
In a large bowl, whip cream and sugar until stiff peaks form. Stir a third of the whipped cream into the cooled chocolate mixture, then gently fold in the rest of the whipped cream.
folding
Once the crepes are cool, and the chocolate mousse has chilled for at least an hour, the layering of the cake can begin. Center the first crepe on a cake plate. Spoon about 2 tablespoons worth of chocolate mousse on top, and with an off-set spatula smooth the mousse all around. Leave a little space to the edge.
Repeat this process until you’ve run out of crepes and mousse. If the mousse starts to warm and get a little runny, chill the cake, and bowl of mousse in the fridge for 20 minutes. When you’ve completed the task, chill the cake for at least 30 minutes. Right before serving decorate the cake with whipped cream. Enjoy every bite!
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- 1 1/2 cups (187.5 g) All-Purpose Flour
- 1 1/2 cups (187.5 g) Cake Flour
- 1/4 tsp. Sugar
- 1/4 tsp. Salt
- 4 Large Eggs
- 4 cups Milk
- 2 TBS Rum
- Nonstick Cooking Spray
- 4 Large Egg Yolks
- 4 TBS (50 g) Sugar
- 2 cups Heavy Cream
- 8 oz. (227 g) Bittersweet Chocolate, melted
- 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
- 2 TBS Rum
- Whipped Cream
- Sift the flours, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Make a well in the center and crack in the eggs. Gradually mix the ingredients together, adding the rum and enough milk for the batter to have the consistency of heavy cream. Don't overmix as this will make rubbery crepes.
- Refrigerate for a minimum of an hour, or overnight. Before using, stir the batter and add more milk if necessary to give it the consistency of heavy cream (it may have thickened while resting).
- Heat a 6-7-inch crepe pan and cooking spray. Pour 4 tablespoons of the batter into the pan and quickly swirl the pan so the batter covers the entire bottom of the pan. Cook for 1 1/2 minutes, loosen around the edge with a spatula, then turn over and cook for another minute. Slide out of the pan, then repeat to make 24 altogether, greasing the pan with cooking spray in between each one.
- In a medium saucepan, whisk together egg yolks, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and 3/4 cup heavy cream. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring, until mixture coats back of spoon, 3 to 4 minutes (do not boil). Remove from heat; whisk in melted chocolate, vanilla, and rum. Strain into a bowl; chill until cool.
- With an electric mixer, beat remaining 1 1/4 cups heavy cream with remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar until stiff peaks form. Stir 1/3 of whipped cream into cooled custard mixture, then gently fold in the rest with a rubber spatula.
- Chill mousse in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 days.
- Place a crepe on a cake plate, centering it. Take about 2 tablespoons of mousse and smear it on top of crepe with an off-set spatula. Leave a 1/2 inch space from the edge. Repeat the layering process until you've used up all of your ingredients. Refrigerate for 20 minutes if mousse warms and becomes runny. When finished stacking the layers, chill the cake for at least 30 minutes. Serve with whipped cream.
- Crepe or saute pan
- Electric mixer
- Off-set spatula
- Rubber spatula
- The crepe cake, or leftovers of the cake should be lightly covered and refrigerated.
