Mango Mille Crepe Cake – Recipe

I really, really wanted to make a durian mille crepe cake like the one I had in Malaysia, but nobody else wanted the house to stink... so I settled for making a mango version.

And before you ask, it's got 20 layers.

Mille crepes have been around for so long, it's about time I made one. It's also the first time I've made/ worked with gel paste as a decorating medium. I guess it could have gone worse. I'm a little out of piping practice too (the cakes I've been making over the last few months haven't required any intricate piping work, I'll need to crack out the dehydrated mashed potato and polish up my skills a bit when I have a moment).

You're going to need a bit of patience with this cake, as it takes time to make all the pancakes and layer them up, and some setting time for the cream too. Other than the time it takes, this is a pretty easy cake to make.

Remember, the size/ height of this cake will depend on the size of your frying pan. I used a relatively small one (about 6-7" in diameter).

Ready? Let's go.

Ingredients for Crepes:

-3 eggs
-3tbsp caster sugar
-300ml milk
-1tsp vanilla
-2tbsp oil
-225g plain flour
-Pinch of salt

Ingredients for Mango Cream:

-300ml double cream, whipped until soft peaks form
-200ml fresh mango purée (rough, so there are still small chunks)

Ingredients for Piping Gel:

-2tbsp cornflour
-2tbsp cold water
-4tbsp glucose syrup
-2tbsp mango purée (smooth)
-Extra water for thinning out

To Cover:

-200ml double cream, whipped until soft peaks form with:
-2tbsp caster sugar
-1tsp vanilla

Method:

1) Make the crepes first: whisk all the wet ingredients together in a jug and sift the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Gradually whisk wet intro dry until you have a smooth, runny batter.

2) Very lightly oil a small frying pan (I brush oil on with a bit of kitchen paper), and preheat on a low to medium heat (not too high, as you don't want to brown the crepes too much).

3) Pour in a little batter and swirl until the bottom of the pan is thinly coated (this takes a little practice to figure out the right amount for your pan). Cook for just a minute or two until dry, flip over, cook for another minute and put the crepe on a plate.

You really don't want it to brown much at all.

4) Repeat this until you have a stack of crepes (I had 20 perfect ones and three dodgy ones from the first few attempts).

5) Leave your crepe stack to cool completely. In the meantime, make the piping gel: stir the cornflour and water together until combined, then dissolve the syrup into the mixture. Microwave for a minute, stir, and if it's not completely translucent zap it again for another 30 seconds (mine just needed a minute).

6) Stir and let it cool for a bit, then add your mango purée, or any colours and flavours you like. Let cool completely, stirring every so often so it doesn't form a skin.

7) To make the filling, fold the mango purée into the cream. Assemble your crepe cake by taking a crepe and placing it on a serving plate, spreading 1tbsp mango cream thinly over it, covering it with another crepe, and continuing until all your crepes have been used up. Cover the top and sides with the remaining mango cream and smooth down the sides.

Aww you're so ugly, but I still love you.

8) Refrigerate the cake for two hours to set the mango cream. When it's ready to cover again, take it out and smooth the vanilla cream over the top and sides evenly.

9) Decorate, and pop in the fridge for another hour to set the 'top' cream.

You might also want to label it. You know, in case anyone forgets what flavour it is.

10) Slice, serve and enjoy.

Have fun!