Roasted Plum Crepe Cake

Here’s the thing. There’s no time to waste.  We’re here. We’re here and we’re making our own dreams come true.  We’re not waiting. From here on out – we’re just going for it.

I’ve been at it for a few years now. Doggedly. Rather unapologetically.  I bought a house. I made it a Bakehouse. This summer I ran around the country teaching workshops to you.

Earlier this year I met Dorie Greenspan. DREAM.

I’m really getting these Delta Medallion points up, sitting in the window seat of every airplane, daydreaming the next dreams.

I made a good gumbo – dream, check!  I made this crepe cake. I made this crepe cake, and had a slice for breakfast every morning for three days.

Dreams large and small, ya know?  But the idea is, we’re out here makin’ em come true.

This crepe cake, and it’s million layers layered filled with cream and dotted with sweet plum is part dream-weaving. One crepe at a time.

What do they say?  “The dream is free but the hustle is sold separately.”  That’s true for everything including paying a mortgage, earning airline miles, and standing at the stove as a crepe-maker.

This recipes comes together in stages.

• Make crepe batter. It will rest in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight.

• Roast the plums to soft and juicy.  Let them cool and blend to mostly smooth.

• Whip mascarpone and cream.  Blend in the plums and marvel at the plum pink filling you’ve created.

• Cook the crepes, one at a time. Think of it as a meditation. Cool.

• Stack crepes and spread with filling over and over, as high as it goes.

To start:

We’ll start by making the crepe batter in a blender and allowing it to rest in the refrigerator overnight. The rest allows the small amount of flour in the crepe batter to hydrate with the milk and eggs.

Slice up the plum and sprinkle with a few tablespoons of sugar.

Drizzle with a splash of olive oil and roast until softened through and bubbling.

Have you made crepes before?  It’s actually super simple.

The key: an 8-inch lightly greased non-stick skillet. That’s it! That’s what you need!

Find a consistent heat (medium-low) and use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to measure the batter for each crepe.

If you want to watch the process, Martha Stewart has a helpful video!

Making a stack of crepes takes 20 minutes or so. But cooking the crepes on the stove is like baking the cake – you’re just active in it.

While the crepes cool bring together the mascarpone filling.

Stir together mascarpone cheese, heavy cream, powdered sugar, and lemon zest.

In a separate bowl, softly whip the remaining heavy cream.

Blend the roasted plums to mostly smooth and whip into the mascarpone mixture.

I saved a few tablespoons of roasted plum puree to streak the remaining whipped cream to dollop the top.

Fold in the whipped cream to lighten the filling to easily spreadable.

And let it begin.

Place one crepe in the center of a plate or cake stand and spread a few tablespoons of filling onto the first crepe.

Crepe by crepe, layer and spread.

Just up to the edges.

Halfway stir the remaining roasted plums into the remaining whipped cream and dollop on top of the last crepe.

Add a few fresh plums.

Let it set in the fridge for at least an hour. All that stacking action needs to settle.

Slice and wonder!

This cake is actually a stack of perfect pancakes filled with fruit cream.  Because it’s a stack of pancakes I would suggest having a hearty slice of this cake for breakfast.  With coffee. It’s nothing but pure satisfaction.

This cake isn’t overly sweet, is soft and creamy. It’s classy and fun. It’s one of my darling little dreams, come true.

This recipe was shot with my dear Jon Melendez and lightly adapted from Food & Wine.

Roasted Plum Crepe Cake

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Ingredients

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For the Plums:

• 4 plums, pitted and sliced for roasting
• 1 plum, pitted and sliced for topping
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

For the Crepes:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 6 large eggs
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted plus more for the pan

For the Mascarpone Whipped Cream:

• 1 (8-ounce) container mascarpone cheese
• 1 pint plus 1/4 cup heavy cream, divided
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar, divided
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest

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Instructions

1. To roast the plums, place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Place slice plums on a rimmed baking sheet, sprinkle with sugar and drizzle with olive oil. Toss to coat. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes or until plums are softened through and juices are bubbling. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to mostly room temperature. Once cool, blend the roasted plums in a food processor.
2. To start the crepes, whisk together flour, sugar, lemon zest, and salt in a large bowl. Place eggs, milk, and heavy cream in a blender and whirl until well combined, about 30 seconds. Add flour mixture to egg mixture; process until smooth and frothy, about 1 minute, stopping to scrape down sides of blender as needed. Transfer batter to a container with a tight-fitting lid; seal and chill at least 4 hours or up to overnight.
3. When you’re ready to make the crepes, remove batter from refrigerator; gently whisk to reincorporate any bubbles or separation.
4. Brush an 8-inch nonstick skillet with some of the melted butter, evenly coating bottom of skillet. Cook over medium or medium-low until butter is hot, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Using a 1/4-cup measuring cup, immediately add a scant 1/4 cup batter to one side of skillet. Swirl skillet to spread batter in a thin, even layer.
5. Return skillet to heat; cook over medium until crêpe edges are light golden and set, about 1 minute. Using a small offset spatula, gently lift one edge of the crêpe; using your fingertips, quickly flip crêpe. Cook until other side of crêpe is pale golden and a few spots begin to appear on bottom, 30 to 45 seconds. Transfer crêpe to a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet to cool; cover with a clean, dry lightweight towel.
6. Repeat steps 3 and 4 with remaining butter and batter, wiping skillet clean and lightly brushing with butter every few crêpes, or as needed. (You should have 20 crêpes to use for cake. Reserve any extra crêpes for another use.) Chill crêpes, covered, until ready to use.
7. To make the mascarpone filling, combine mascarpone, 1/4 cup heavy cream, 1/4 cup powdered sugar, and lemon zest in bowl; gently whisk by hand until incorporated. Stir in most of the plum puree, reserving 3 or 4 tablespoons for the topping.
8. In a medium bowl place 1 pint heavy cream and use an electric hand beater to start to whip into soft peaks. Beat mixture on medium-high speed, gradually adding remaining 1/4 cup powdered sugar, until stiff peaks form, 1 to 2 minutes.
9. Stir 2/3rds of the whipped cream into the mascarpone and plum filling. Stir until thoroughly combined. Reserve the remaining whipped cream to top the cake.
10. To assemble, remove crêpes from refrigerator. Place 1 crêpe on a cake platter or flat serving dish. Using a small offset spatula, gently spread a thin layer of plum filling. Top with 1 crêpe and again spread with plum filling. Repeat process with remaining 18 crêpes. Spoon the remaining plum puree to the remaining whipped cream so fruit streaks remain. Dollop on the top crepe. Chill cake at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours.

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