Raspberry Fool Crepe Cake

I’m a fool for complicated desserts. When I was thinking of what to make for Valentine’s Day I knew it had to be something festive but not cheesy (no chocolate covered strawberries or molten lava cakes). And then I thought of the fabulous Lady M crepe cakes I’ve been dying to replicate–with their 800 layers of delicate beauty.

Meanwhile, I’ve never made a crepe in my entire life. So here was a great opportunity to make this 20 crepe cake and really put my skills to the test. My first 8 crepes were thick and a bit too browned, but I used them on the bottom layers. As the crepe making continued, I got better and better, finally mastering a technique that ended in thin, perfectly golden crepes.

And the raspberry fool idea came from the stark contrast of white cream and red berries–classic Valentine’s Day colors. The tartness of the raspberries cuts the sweetness of the cream and crepes. The final product is really fantastic.

And although the crepe making process is time consuming and takes a lot of attention to detail, it’s one of the fastest cakes I’ve ever assembled. You don’t have to deal with baking multiple cakes, cooling, slicing, frosting and decorating. Next time I make a crepe cake, I’m excited to fill it with an untraditional cream flavor, like passion fruit, tahini or chocolate chili.

When you finally gain the courage to make this, remember, not every crepe is going to be perfect. But covered in whipped cream, berries and powdered sugar, anything tastes (and looks) totally delectable.

Raspberry Fool Crepe Cake

Crepes (makes around 18-20 crepes)

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon coarse salt
2 ¼ cups whole milk
6 large eggs
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 ½ sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted, plus more for pan

Raspberry Fool

1 1/2 pints of raspberries (other 1/2 for garnish)
1/2 cup of sugar
1/4 cup water

4 cups heavy cream
3 tbsp powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

For Crepes:
Combine all crepe batter ingredients in a blender. Blend on high until no lumps remain. Refrigerate in blender jar for 2 hours or overnight.

Process batter in blender before making crepes. Heat a 10 inch crepe pan over medium heat and swirl with butter. Right when the pan starts to smoke, remove from heat and pour around 3 tablespoons (or half of a large ladle) into the middle of the pan. Swirl the pan to cover the bottom. Reduce heat to medium low and return pan to heat. Cook until the edges are golden and the center is dry, about 40 seconds. Flip crepe. Cook 15-20 seconds more. Slide onto parchment lined baking sheet. Stack and repeat. Let them cool completely.

For Fool:
Rinse raspberries, add sugar and water. Stir to combine and allow raspberries to macerate.

Add cream, powdered sugar and vanilla to stand mixer with whisk attachment. Whip the cream on medium until it forms stiff peaks. Remove from stand mixer, add raspberries and fold in lightly

Assembly:
Stack the cake one crepe at a time, spreading 1/4 inch of raspberry fool between each layer. Once you reach the top crepe, cover with the last of the cream and garnish with raspberries and powdered sugar. Refrigerate cake for at least 2 hours, slice and try not to eat the whole thing in one sitting.