Growing up, my family did not make cakes. One or two aunts, just on special occasions, and that was it. But crêpes? Quite frequently, to my absolute delight.
Crêpes are one of those sweet treats that are endlessly tailored and honestly, quite delicious all on their own, if you love sweet doughs as much as I do. But they are the best with a lush filling, that goes without saying.
This is a very indulgent cake, with a gorgeously creamy walnut filling that simply melts on every bite. Toasted walnuts do give this cake a very unique depth that can only be experienced, not described.
My heartfelt recommendation is to serve it in thin slices, with strong coffee, as it is very rich. Not overly sweet, but rich indeed, and it does need something to balance it out.
Ingredients
For the crêpes
300 grams plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
200 grams ripe plums, weighed pitted
600 millilitres carbonated water
60 grams granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
For the walnut filling
500 millilitres soy milk, cold
200 grams granulated sugar
50 grams plain flour
40 grams cornflour
150 grams vegan block butter, diced
10 grams vanilla bean paste
250 grams toasted walnuts, ground
Preparation
Start by making the crêpes. Purée the plums completely, and pass them through a sieve to remove all the skins. Weigh out the purée and add 120 grams into a large bowl. Pour in half of the carbonated water, add the sugar, and the vanilla, and mix very well.
You cannot overmix this part, so take your time and let the sugar dissolve.
Sift in the flour and the baking powder, and mix to form a thick batter. Add in the rest of the carbonated water, and whisk until just smooth.
The batter will be quite runny and there may be a few tiny lumps, and that is fine.
Take a large crêpe pan, 20-22 cm in diameter, lightly oil or spray it with a cooking spray just once. Place it over medium high heat and let it heat up. Once ready, take about 80 millilitres of batter, and pour it onto the heated pan, quickly swirling so the batter covers the whole surface.
You can also use a crêpe spreader to ensure the crêpes stay thin, which is what is needed.
Cook on medium high heat until the surface looks set, flip it over gently, and cook for 15-20 seconds more. Repeat with the rest of the batter, until all of it is used up. Set them aside to cool down completely.
You should have 12 crêpes, but it's fine if you get more, even better.
To make the filling, pour the soy milk into a large saucepan, add in the plain flour, cornflour, sugar, and vanilla, blend well, and place it over medium-high heat. As soon as it comes to a boil, start stirring vigorously, and cook for 2-3 minutes, until it cooks into a glossy custard. Remove from the heat, pour it into a large bowl, and add in the cubed vegan block butter.
Let it stand for a minute, and then whip it well using an electric mixer on high. Mix until everything blends together, cover the top with a piece of cling film, and let it cool down to room temperature. Once the custard is almost cool to the touch, whip it with an electric mixer on high, add in the ground walnuts, and blend very well. Place it in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes.
Once the filling is firm and the crêpes are cool, proceed to assemble the cake.
Reserve about a fourth of the filling for frosting the cake, and divide the remaining filling in 11 equal parts if you have 12 crêpes. If you have more, divide accordingly.
This is best done by weight, using a digital scale for precision, as there are many layers, and it is preferable they are all evenly stacked.
Place the first crêpe on a serving platter, top it with a portion of the filling, spread it all the way out to the edges, top with another crêpe, then with filling, and continue stacking until all of the crêpes are used up. Frost the entire cake with the reserved filling and place it into the refrigerator for at least 8 hours. Serve with fresh seasonal fruit and strong coffee. Yields 20 rich servings.