Black Forest-Style Crêpe Cake

DIFFICULTY
Average Average
COOK TIME
Under 2 hr. Under 2 hr.
SERVES
8-10 8-10
Black Forest-Style Crêpe Cake
An alternative dessert to a retro Black Forest Gateau, this layered pancake stack is a definite crowd-pleaser.
Main ingredients
  • Chocolate
FOR THIS RECIPE WE LOVE TO USE
Ingredients
Method

Ingredients

For the batter
  • 70g butter
  • 650ml whole milk
  • 6 eggs
  • 200g plain flour
  • 80g cocoa powder
  • 100g sugar
For the filling & decoration
  • 1 x 400g jar sour cherries
  • 2 tablespoons cornflour
  • 100g fresh cherries
  • 300ml double cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 x 400g jar sour cherry jam
  • 20ml Kirsch
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 3 tablespoons caster sugar
  • Method

  • 1
    For the crêpes:
  • 2
    Slowly melt the butter in a small saucepan for approximately 5 minutes and let it brown slightly. Leave to cool for 10 minutes and then whisk in the milk and eggs.
  • 3
    Mix together the flour, cocoa powder and sugar. Combine with the butter mixture and whisk until there are no lumps and a smooth batter has formed. Chill the batter for 30 minutes.
  • 4
    Heat the Le Creuset Toughened Non-Stick 24cm Crêpe Pan over a medium heat.
  • 5
    Pour 1/6 of the batter into the crêpe pan and cook gently until a layer of bubbles form, turn the pancake over and cook the other side until a light golden.
  • 6
    Repeat to make 6 pancakes in total.
  • 7
    Cook each pancake for 10-15 minutes and let the pancakes cool completely.
  • 8
    For the filling:
  • 9
    Drain the jar of cherries, collecting the juice. Mix 200ml of the cherry juice with 2 tablespoons of cornflour and bring to the boil in a small saucepan. Stir continuously and as soon as the juice thickens, remove the saucepan from the heat and fold in the whole cherries and Kirsch. Leave to cool.
  • 10
    Whip the cream and vanilla extract until stiff, then fill into a large piping bag with a star nozzle.
  • 11
    Assembling the cake:Place a pancake onto a flat cake platter.
  • 12
    Spread a third of the jar of sour cherry jam over the pancake and place another pancake on top.
  • 13
    Spread another third of the jam over the pancake and then put another pancake on top.
  • 14
    Using the piping bag, apply a ring of cream to the edge of the pancake. Fill the ring with half the thickened cherry mixture and cover with another pancake.
  • 15
    Repeat stage 4.
  • 16
    Spread the remaining third of cherry jam over the pancake and place the final pancake on top.
  • 17
    Sprinkle the top pancake with cinnamon sugar (simply mix the cinnamon with the sugar). Finally, garnish with cherries.
 
The pancakes can be made the day ahead and assembled the next day and if crêpes are preferred then 12 crêpes can be made to create thinner layers- in this case the filling ingredients will need to be doubled.
 
 
Le Creuset