This crepe cake recipe is rich, creamy, and so luxurious. It’s full of mascarpone and whipped cream and topped with luscious fresh berries.
I’ve never met a person that doesn’t love cake. It’s a universally adored dessert. But not all cakes are created equal. In fact, this crepe cake is probably unlike anything you’ve ever had before. Crepe cake is exactly what it sounds like. Instead of being made out of cake batter, it’s a cake that’s made by stacking tons of crepes on top of each other. The crepes have a thin layer of mascarpone and whipped cream in between them, adding to the richness and decadence of the dessert. But they also have lemon zest and are topped with fresh berries, which make the cake light and refreshing.
Simply put, this is one of the most fancy and luxurious cakes I’ve ever made. But even more importantly, it’s one of the most delicious cakes I’ve ever made. The buttery crepes go so well with the creamy filling and fresh fruit. It’s as if your favorite breakfast was turned into an upscale dessert. The next time you need a fun and impressive sweet treat to make, you’ve got to try out this recipe.
Why You’ll Love This Decadent Mascarpone Crepe Cake
I loved this recipe the moment I made it, and I still make it all the time. Here’s why you need to try it out.
- Impressive. There’s something so enjoyable about making a dessert that impresses. That’s exactly what this crepe cake does. Whether you’re making it for a big party or just for your family on a Friday night, everyone will be blown away by this recipe. It’s one-of-a-kind, super fancy, and most people won’t believe that it’s homemade!
- Customizable. Unlike most desserts, this recipe is really easy to tailor to different diets. If you don’t eat dairy, you can replace the milk, butter, whipping cream, and mascarpone with vegan options. If you’re on a gluten-free diet, you can eliminate the all-purpose flour from this recipe. You can even customize what you put on top of the cake, instead of just using berries.
- Lasts well. A lot of cakes don’t store very well, because they tend to dry out as soon as you cut into them. This crepe cake is not one of those recipes. The crepes are so buttery, and absorb all the cream from the rich and decadent filling. As a result, the cake is just as good after three days as it is fresh.
What You’ll Need
Here are all the ingredients that you’ll need if you want to try making this crowd-pleasing crepe cake. Make sure to check out the recipe card at the bottom of the article to see the exact amounts for each of the ingredients.
For the Crepes:
- Eggs – You want to use large eggs for this recipe.
- All-purpose flour – If you’re gluten-free, you can replace the all-purpose flour with 1-to-1 gluten-free flour.
- Milk – I think whole milk is best for this recipe, but you can also use full-fat oat milk.
- Warm water
- Granulated sugar
- Vanilla extract – Make sure to always use 100% pure vanilla.
- Sea salt
- Unsalted butter – If you don’t eat dairy, you can replace this ingredient with dairy-free butter.
For the Filling:
- Heavy whipping cream – You can replace the whipping cream with coconut cream.
- Powdered sugar
- Vanilla extract
- Mascarpone – If you’re trying to make this recipe dairy-free, you can use vegan cream cheese.
- Red food coloring – This is optional, but really makes the cake much more gorgeous.
- Lemon zest – Always use freshly-grated zest.
- Fresh berries
How to Make Crepe Cake
Here’s how to make this rich, creamy cake.
- Make the crepe batter. Add the eggs, flour, milk, water, sugar, vanilla, salt, and butter to a blender, and blend until smooth.
- Chill. Put the crepe batter in a covered bowl, and let it sit in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- Prepare a plate. Put a piece of wax paper on a dinner plate.
- Grease a pan. Add unsalted butter to a frying pan and heat over medium-high heat.
- Add crepe batter. Pour ¼ cup of the crepe batter into the center of the heated pan.
- Swivel the pan. Slowly swivel the pan in circles so that the batter evenly spreads out in a large circle.
- Cook. Cook the crepe until it no longer appears to be wet, which should take about 1 ½ minutes. Then flip the crepe and cook for another minute. When the crepe is done, place it on top of the wax paper, then add another layer of wax paper on top of the crepe.
- Repeat. Continue cooking crepes until you’ve used all of the batter. Then let them cool to room temperature.
- Whip the cream. While the crepes are cooking, add the whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla to a bowl. Beat until they form stiff peaks.
- Finish the filling. Add the mascarpone, lemon zest, and food coloring, and beat until the mixture is smooth.
- Assemble. Place a piece of wax paper on a serving platter, and put a crepe on top of it. Gently spread some of the filling evenly over the crepe. Add another crepe on top, and repeat until you run out of crepes and filling.
- Finish. Top the crepe cake with fresh berries, then serve.
Tips for Success
Here are a few of my go-to tricks to help you make this cake perfectly every time.
- Use room-temperature eggs. Whenever I’m baking, I use room-temperature eggs. When eggs are cold, they don’t mix as well with other ingredients, which keeps them from becoming smooth. Take your eggs out of the fridge about 30 minutes before making this recipe, and the crepes will be much smoother and more luxurious.
- Don’t over-blend. When making the crepe batter, be sure to not over-blend. Only run the blender until the mixture is smooth. If you blend the batter much longer, it will begin to break down. Also be sure not to over-beat the filling when you add the mascarpone, as you don’t want to deflate the whipped cream.
- Be careful with the temperature. Make sure to pay close attention to the temperature of the pan when you cook the crepes. It can be easy for a pan to get too hot or too cold, and you want to adjust for that. The crepes should not burn or smoke, but you do want to get a little bit of color on them. If they’re burning, turn down the heat and let the pan rest for a while. If they’re not getting any color, turn up the heat a little bit.
What to Serve it With
This is a delicious option to serve after dinner with a nice cocktail or a shot of espresso. But my favorite way to eat crepe cake is as an afternoon treat with one of my favorite daytime drinks. Here’s what I like to drink when eating crepe cake.
- Vegan and Caffeine-Free Maca Latte
- Vegan Whipped Matcha Latte
- Pumpkin Spice Matcha Latte
- Energizing Matcha Latte
- Soothing Green Tea Latte
How to Store Leftover Crepe Cake
Crepe cake will last in the fridge for up to 4 days as long as you store it in an airtight container. To keep it from drying out, I recommend wrapping it in plastic wrap and then storing it in an airtight container.
Can I Freeze This Recipe?
Definitely! To keep this cake in the freezer, wrap it thoroughly in plastic wrap, then store it in an airtight plastic bag. It will last in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight before eating.
More Fancy Dessert Recipes
Need more luxurious desserts to make? Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered!
- 5-Ingredient Chocolate Strawberry Truffles
- Mini Raspberry No-Bake Cheesecake
- Flourless Dark Chocolate Cake
- Black Raspberry Ice Cream (Dairy-Free)
- Gluten-Free Fig Cake
Crepe Cake
Ingredients
For the Crepes:
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, OR your favorite 1:1 gluten free flour
- ¾ cup whole milk, OR full-fat oat milk
- ½ cup warm water
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- A pinch of sea salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, OR dairy-free butter such as Earth Balance Original Buttery Spread
- Unsalted butter or canola oil to grease the pan
For the Filling:
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream, OR 1 14-ounce can coconut cream
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 12 ounces mascarpone, OR your favorite vegan cream cheese
- 2 drops red food coloring
- 2 tablespoons lemon zest
- Fresh berries
Instructions
Make the Crepes:
- Add the eggs, flour, whole milk, warm water, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, sea salt, and melted butter to a blender. Blend on medium speed just until smooth. Do not over-blend.
- Place in a covered bowl and let sit in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- Line a dinner plate with wax paper and set it aside.
- Lightly grease a frying pan with unsalted butter and heat to medium-high heat.
- Pour ¼ cup of crepe batter into the center of the pan.
- Swivel the pan in slow circles, allowing the batter to spread into a much larger circle.
- Cook until the top of the crepe no longer appears wet (about 1 ½ minutes) and flip.
- Cook for an additional 1 minute.
- Place the crepe on the prepared dinner plate and cover with a layer of wax paper (you will stack the next crepe on top of the wax paper. This will keep the crepes from sticking together).
- Repeat steps 6-11 with the remainder of the crepe batter.
- Allow the crepes to cool to room temperature.
Make the Filling:
- While the crepes are cooling, add the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract to a bowl. Beat until stiff peaks form.
- Beat in the mascarpone, food coloring, and lemon zest until smooth.
Assemble the Cake:
- Place a crepe on top of a piece of wax paper on a serving platter.
- Gently spread about ¼-inch of filling evenly over the crepe.
- Stack another crepe on top of the filling.
- Repeat until you have run out of ingredients.
- Top with fresh berries and serve.
Notes
- To store, wrap the cake in plastic wrap and then place it in an airtight container or bag. It will last for 4 days in the fridge or for 3 months in the freezer.
- You can make this recipe gluten-free or dairy-free by using substitutions.
Nutrition
