Chocolate Amaretto Crepe Cake

I promised hubby I'd make one of these for his birthday. That was in March...Oops! So, I made it for Father's Day.

This cake is straightforward to make, but does take time. I'll tell you now, that the crepes take ages to make! My batch took me about 1.5 hours. I cleaned up around the house at the same time, so it's not like you're chained to the stove and you do get the chef's perks of eating a couple of crepes on the way.

The crepes can be made up to 2 days ahead and stored in the fridge, or they can be frozen. Just defrost them before putting the cake together. You can also make up the crepe batter the night before and leave it in the fridge to rest. Bring it to room temperature before using and give it a stir.

The whole cake can be made 2 days ahead and kept in the fridge until ready to serve.

This recipe is inspired by the Chocolate Amaretto Crepe Cake on Sprinkle Bakes, although I've changed it quite a bit from the original. The crepe recipe below is from Stephanie Alexander.

If almond is not your thing, simply substitute the Amaretto for your favourite liqueur and substitute or leave out the almond extract.

Chocolate Amaretto Crepe Cake
Makes one 9-inch cake

For the crepes:

300g (2 cups) plain (all purpose) flour

4 large eggs
60g butter

1/8 tsp salt

3 cups milk

This recipe makes about 20 8-inch crepes. Enough for you to throw the first one out (why is the first one always like rubber?) and eat one...or two. 

Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre with a whisk and crack in the eggs.

Warm butter, salt and about one cup of the milk together gently over low heat until the butter has melted. Add the rest of the milk. 

With the whisk, work some of the flour into the eggs. Add the warm milk mixture and whisk until smooth. Refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. If leaving overnight, cover with cling wrap.

The batter should be the consistency of thin cream. If it's a bit thick, add a splash of milk to thin. 

Heat a non-stick frying pan (preferably one meant for crepes as they make flipping easy) over medium heat. Wipe the pan with a piece of buttered paper and pour 1/4 cup of batter into the pan, swirling the pan as you pour in the batter to coat the pan evenly. Put the pan back on the heat. After a minute, lift a side of the crepe to check the bottom. When it's just golden, flip the crepe and cook for a further 30 seconds. Move the crepe to a plate and repeat with the rest of the mixture. 

Stack the crepes on top of one another as you go. Allow the crepes to cool completely. Try not to eat too many. ;)

Chocolate-Amaretto Filling:

2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup icing sugar (confectioners sugar)

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tbsp Amaretto liqueur

1/2 tsp almond extract

The quantity of filling given here is more than what I used, but I think it needed a little bit more, so your cream layers would look more generous than you can see in my photo.

Whip cream in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment or using a hand mixer on medium-high speed. As the cream starts to thicken, add the sifted icing sugar. Once the sugar has been incorporated, add the sifted cocoa and beat until smooth. Fold in the Amaretto and then taste. If you think it could have a bit more almond, add the extract. The mixture should be fairly stiff. Set aside and make the ganache.

Chocolate-Amaretto Ganache:
140g dark chocolate
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp Amaretto liqueur

Roughly chop the chocolate and place in a medium sized mixing bowl. Heat the cream over medium heat in a small saucepan until it's just about to boil and little bubbles start coming to the surface. Immediately pour the cream over the chocolate and stir gently until the chocolate has all melted and the mixture is smooth and glossy. Stir in the Amaretto. Give it a little taste and add a tiny bit more Amaretto if you think it needs it. Now, get straight to constructing the cake.

To make up the Crepe Cake: 
Put a crepe in the centre of your serving plate. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat the crepe with the warm chocolate ganache. If the ganache begins to harden, reheat gently in the microwave for 15 seconds or over a double boiler. 

Next, spread a thin layer of the whipped cream filling over the top of the ganache. Top with another crepe and repeat the ganache, whipped filling and crepe stacking until you finish with one crepe on the top. 

You should have just enough ganache to cover the top of the cake. Run a spatula around the side of the cake to smooth out the filling and give it a more even look. Chill until ready to serve.