Crepe Cake with Almond Whip Cream and Cherries

Due to a busy and crazy rehearsal schedule this week, I have 10 minutes to write this post. Let's go!

I wanted to make a dessert for the July 4th cast party. I also wanted to try my hand at another crepe cake since the first one was so delicious.

I decided to take part of the amazing black forest trifle recipe and make it into the filling for this crepe cake.

It was a HUGE hit at cast party. The mixture of almond whip cream and cherries amidst buttery crepes was scrumptious!

And as I said in my last crepe cake post, I wanted to make a smaller version. So I did that, too.

Isn't it cute?! Ok, I'm off to sing!

Crepe Cake with Almond Whip Cream and Cherries
Ingredients for crepes:

6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter

3 cups (710 ml) whole milk

6 large eggs

1 1/2 cups (188 grams) all-purpose flour

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (75 grams) sugar

Pinch of salt

 

Ingredients for filling:

8 ounces cream cheese

1 cup confectioner’s sugar

1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract

2 cups heavy cream

3/4 cup cherries (cut and without pits)

 

To make the crepes:

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium low heat. Continue to cook, while stirring occasionally, until browned. Set aside and let cool slightly. Meanwhile, heat the milk in another saucepan until steaming and small bubbles appear at the edges. Set aside and let cool slightly. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment or with a hand-held mixer, mix the eggs, flour, sugar, and salt until combined. While mixing on low speed, add the butter and milk slowly until incorporated. Heat a 9-inch skillet over medium heat and grease with a small amount of butter. Add approximately 1/3 cup of batter to the skillet and swirl to coat the pan evenly. Cook for a few minutes until edges begin to brown. Flip and cook for an additional minute. (Erika's Extras: I found it easiest to shake the pan a little and then flip in air, but feel free to use a spatula to turn it.) Repeat until the batter is gone, stacking crepes and letting them cool to room temperature.

 

To make the filling:

In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, and almond extract with an electric mixer. Beat until smooth. Add in heavy cream, incorporating a little at a time to prevent splattering. When all the cream has been added, turn the mixer to high, and beat until soft peaks form.

 

To make the cake:

Spread whip cream in between each crepe. In between every other layer of crepes, add cut cherries. Sprinkle powdered sugar and some whole cherries on top of the stack when complete.

Bake well and prosper!

Cherry Poppy Seed Cake

The second I saw this photo/recipe on foodgawker I knew I had to make it. I saw the post on Tuesday and then made the cake on Saturday. That's a very quick turn around for me.

It helped that I had an occasion to bake for: friends' engagement/album release/going away party. That's a lot going on at once, isn't it? All those things guaranteed a good party.

 

It was such a lovely night that I barely had time to snap an iPhone shot of the last piece of cake before handing it to my roomie.

This cake is so lovely, especially for summer seeing it's somewhat light in consistency and uses cherries. I added a nice whipped cream that helped bring out the flavors of the poppy seeds and the cherries.

 

I highly recommend making this cake. Or, if anything, if you see it at a party, make sure to get a slice!

Cherry Poppy Seed Cake (adapted from Eat Me!)

Ingredients:

150 g butter (room temperature) (around 11 Tablespoons)

150 g brown sugar

250 g flour

10 g baking powder

4 eggs

100 g poppy seeds

1 t vanilla extract

50 ml milk

pinch of salt

1 kg cherries (pitted) (Erika's Extras: I used cherries from the produce aisle, not from a jar. Also, I found that I would have preferred more than the 3 cups worth of cherries.)

To serve: 

1. Preheat oven to 180C/260 F. Lightly butter a spring form pan.  

2. In a bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Separately sift flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt and gradually add to the batter. Add vanilla, poppy seeds and milk. Combine until completely mixed. 

3. Pour the batter into the pan. Cover with cherries. Firmly press the cherries into the top of the batter. 

4. Transfer to the oven for 30-45 minutes or until an inserted toothpick (etc) comes out clean. Serve a cake with a dollop of whipped cream.

Vanilla  Whipped Cream (from Black Forest Trifle)

8 ounces cream cheese

1 cup confectioner’s sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups heavy cream

 

In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, and almond extract with an electric mixer. Beat until smooth. Add in heavy cream, incorporating a little at a time to prevent splattering. When all the cream has been added, turn the mixer to high, and beat until soft peaks form.

Bake well and prosper!

Amazing Black Forest Trifle

When I come across blog posts with desserts that look amazing, I store the recipe in an email folder. This weekend I was perusing the folder and decided upon this recipe. Sure, it might not be cherry season. Sure, I had to wait 5 minutes for the helpful Whole Foods worker to find a jar of sour cherries in the stock room. Sure, I couldn't open the jar when I got home and had to wait for my friend to arrive to open it. But man, oh man was all of it worth it!

There were a few lucky coworkers who got to sample this divine creation. Their reviews are in: "Tastes so good! Could be used for a fancy dinner party." "Wowzers!" "This is so professional. Are you sure you didn't buy it and put it in the glass? No? Well then, will you marry me?" "I will salute you and this dessert by naming my first born after you...even if it is a boy."

So what are you waiting for? Cherry season? Tsk tsk. Go make this dessert now!

Black Forest Trifle (found on sophistimom.com)

1 pound tart cherries (I used a jar of sour cherries instead)

3 tablespoons sugar

chocolate buttermilk cake or your favorite chocolate cake or brownies (I used the never fail Super Natural Brownies recipe)

almond whipped cream (recipe follows)

1. Mix cherries with sugar and let sit for several hours, or until the cherries become juicy. Cut cake or brownies into thick slices and layer in the bottom of a large trifle dish or 4 individual dishes. Pour on some of the cherries with their juices and top with almond whipped cream. Repeat the three layers.

2. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving for the best flavor.

Almond Whipped Cream

8 ounces cream cheese

1 cup confectioner’s sugar

1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract

2 cups heavy cream

In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, and almond extract with an electric mixer. Beat until smooth. Add in heavy cream, incorporating a little at a time to prevent splattering. When all the cream has been added, turn the mixer to high, and beat until soft peaks form.

Back well and prosper!