When an occasion requires a decadent dessert, this recipe is spot on. Layered crepes alternating with a Nutella-Frangelico cream makes for a rich, but surprisingly easy cake.
By Jane Poretsky
Layered high with whatever filling your heart so chooses, be it creamy mushrooms and onions or thinly sliced apricots and whipped mascarpone {you should be taking notes people…), this towering beauty is fairly simple to make, despite the often-finnicky process of making crepes yourself. Between the dough I layer silky homemade whipped cream that has been tinted ever so slightly with Frangelico and everyone’s favorite spread: Nutella. 
Be sure to purchase high-quality everything, but especially hazelnuts. They are pricy but your squirrely-senses will immediately detect when and if you have shelled out.
Lastly, there are some food stores (mainly Russian ones) that sell crepes (otherwise known as naliskniki) by the pound. If you want to take another shortcut, please feel free. I won’t tell.
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Hazelnut Crêpe Cake
Description
When an occasion requires a decadent dessert, this recipe is spot on. Layered crepes alternating with a Nutella-Frangelico cream makes for a rich, but surprisingly easy cake. adapted from the Smitten Kitchen Cookbook
Ingredients
For the crepes
- 6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 2 1/3 cups whole milk, do not use skim or 1% (2% is okay)
- 6 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- extra melted butter for brushing the pan (3-4 tbs)
For the mousse
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup Nutella or your favorite chocolate hazelnut spread
For decor+crepe brushing
- 1 cup of chopped hazelnuts, toasted at 350 degrees for 2–3 minutes
- 1/4 cup frangelico liquor (you can also use Gran Marnier for an orange flavor) mixed with 2 tbs melted butter
Instructions
- Allow the melted butter come to room temperature. Then, in a blender, combine all the liquid ingredients for the crepes. Blend until smooth and combined. Add dry ingredients and blend again. Let the crepe batter rest in the fridge for 1 hour.
- In the meantime, whisk your 3 cups of heavy cream until you achieve stiff peaks. You know what I mean, the stuff clouds are made of. Fold in nutella, a few tablespoons at a time. Don’t dump it all in or your cream will fall and lose it’s lightness.
- Preheat a 9-inch skillet (non-stick works best) or a crepe pan to a medium heat. Use a pastry brush to coat the pan with a bit of butter. Add 1/4 cup of batter and tilt the pan so it covers every surface. Cook for 2-3 minutes per side, and then carefully flip. I usually flip with my hand but that’s dangerous so I recommend using a very thin crepe spatula. Don’t be alarmed if the first few don’t come out as beautiful as you hoped. The first crepes are like the first slice of pie; for the chef.
- Continue to cook crepes until all your batter has been used up.
- Let them cool completely. Place your first crepe down on your plate or desired serving platter. Smear it with a little cream (don’t overdo it, you have so many layers to work with). Every 3-4 layers, brush the crepe very lighty with Frangelico butter. Then smear more cream, and sprinkle a tbs of chopped hazelnuts. Then continue as usual. Eventually, you’ll have a miraculously tall tower of crepes and creme.
- Once you make it to the top, use an offset spatula to smooth out the top. I sprinkle more nuts over everything, and finally drizzled a little bit of melted dark chocolate (not necessary unless you want to do that). I like to let it sit overnight because I think that allows the crepes time to absorb the cream.
Notes
To get the topping, I just melted semi-sweet chocolate (55%) over a double boiler. I put the chilled cake in the freezer for 20 mintues, then using a spoon, dribbled the melted chocolate over the cake in concentric circles. Then I just put it back in the fridge until the chocolate set.
- Category: Dessert
