Crepe cake, otherwise known as “mille crepe” or “gateau de crepes” is made of thin layers of crepes sandwiched between a creamy filling. It can be prepared with various kinds of fillings but this pandan coconut version is our family favourite. It combines our love of French crepes and South East Asian flavours. 

Here we have layers of pandan infused crepes, filled with pandan and coconut cream.

This cake is always requested by Anne for her birthday and has had many iterations over the years. I’ve experimented with so many recipes, to finally settle on a version of my own. It is actually based on Adam Liaw’s recipe for mango pancakes, only tweaked to make it pandan coconut-ey. 

Typically, a mille crepe cake will have a minimum of 20 layers of crepes. My recipe makes 12-15 crepes and serves 8-12 people ( unless one gets greedy and devours a quarter of the cake, it’s happened!). Feel free to double the crepes recipe for a bigger/taller cake. The filing recipe makes enough to assemble the crepe layers. You will need to double it should you wish to frost/ice the entire cake. 

While the cake and and the filling remain unchanged, the frosting and decoration are always different. I’ll add flowers in season ( sometime edible, sometimes not ), extra toasted coconut, or even fruits.  

It is an easy cake to make, though a little time consuming. Best to start the day before as the batter needs to rest overnight in the fridge ( or at least 2 hours ). Then allow time to cook the individual crepes, let them cool, assemble the layers and chill the cake till serving time. I realise it sounds daunting, but it is a cake for a special occasion after all. The making  is part of the birthday ritual, as is the eating! 

Pandan Coconut Crepe Cake

Serving Size:

12-15

Time:

15mn prep/2hours stand/30mn cook

Difficulty:

Easy

• Crepes
• 6 eggs
• 4 tbsp caster sugar
• 3/4 cup coconut milk
• 1/4 cup full cream milk
• 1 cup plain flour
• 1/4 cup corn flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2-3 tsp pandan extract ( I use the Koepe Koepe Pandan Extract from any Asian grocer )
• 4 tbsp coconut oil
• Creamy filling
• 4 tbsp icing sugar
• 300ml thickened cream
• 50ml coconut milk
• 4 tbsp moist coconut flakes

Directions

1. For the  batter. In a food processor, add all ingredients and blend/whizz until all smooth and combined. The mixture should be thin and lump free ( you can push it thru a sieve if necessary ).
   Pour into a bowl, cover and let stand at room temperature for at least 2 hours ( if refrigerating overnight, allow the batter to come back to room temperature ).
2. To make the crepes. Using a 22cm/9in non stick crepe pan, heat over medium heat. Pour in 1/4 cup of the batter and tilt over the pan to form a thin crepe over the base of the pan. Cook for 1minute or until the bottom starts to firm up, then flip the crepe and cook for another minute. Transfer the crepe onto a plate and repeat with the rest of the batter. Cover with cling film and set aside to cool.   
3. For the filing. Add the icing sugar, thickened cream and coconut milk in a large bowl. Whip until the cream holds its peak. Add the moist coconut flakes and fold in gently.
4. To assemble. Lay one crepe on a cake plate. Spread a thin layer of creamy filling over the crepe. Cover with another crepe. Repeat to make a stack. Best to start with the “worst” crepe and save the best looking crepes to place on top ( though it won’t matter if you’re icing the cake anyway )
   Chill the cake for at least 2 hours.
5. To serve. Sprinkle decorations of choice. Edible flowers look striking. Extra toasted coconut add crunchiness and more coconuty flavour!!