Sharing is caring!

This Roasted Strawberry Crepe Cake is the perfect centerpiece for a party. I created it for my Royal Wedding Watch Party, but it would be perfect for a birthday celebration. It looks so beautiful that people instantly get excited about it.

My Roasted Strawberry Crepe Cake is made with 25 layers of crepes with roasted strawberry custard spread between each individual layer. The result is a slightly sweet cake that can easily serve 14-16 people. (But maybe less because it is so delicious that people might want seconds).

The roasted strawberries give this cake a fresh strawberry taste. Roasting the strawberries intensifies their flavor, and they really take this crepe cake to the next level.

I want to be upfront. Making a roasted strawberry crepe cake from scratch does require a serious time commitment. The crepe batter should be made the night before and kept in the fridge. Then you need to individually cook 25 crepes, a process that takes about 90 minutes. Those cooked crepes go into the fridge to chill.

Then there is the process of roasting the strawberries, pureeing them, and straining out the seeds. Next, you prepare the custard, and let it chill completely, which will take about 3 hours.

It is really important to let everything cool completely before assembling the roasted strawberry crepe cake. Otherwise, the layers of crepe might slide apart and your cake could topple over. Even with chilled ingredients, I recommend assembling half of the Roasted Strawberry Crepe Cake, and then returning it to the fridge to chill and to let the custard get ahold of those crepe layers. I let the half crepe cake chill for 30 minutes before assembling the rest of the cake and it seemed to help the cake hold together.

Like I said, making a crepe cake is a time commitment. But! You could take some shortcuts. Usually, a nicer grocery store (like a Whole Foods) sells pre-made crepes. This would significantly reduce the cooking time.

This post is part of a weeklong series of posts sharing how to host a Royal Wedding Watch Party! Here is a post sharing tips for hosting a watch party and Royal Wedding Bingo Cards, and here are instructions for making Crown Cookies!

Notes: If you want, you could use the same process to make a roasted raspberry crepe cake, you would just need to replace the strawberries with raspberries. You can prepare the crepes and the custard a day in advance.

How to make a Roasted Strawberry Crepe Cake:

Print

Roasted Strawberry Crepe Cake

My Roasted Strawberry Crepe Cake is made with 25 layers of crepes with roasted strawberry custard spread between each individual layer. The result is a slightly sweet cake that can easily serve 14-16 people. (But maybe less because it is so delicious that people might want seconds).

Course Dessert

Cuisine French

Prep Time 2 hours

Cook Time 40 minutes

Resting Time 2 hours

Total Time 2 hours 40 minutes

Servings 14

Ingredients

For the Crepes:

• 4 Large Eggs
• 4 cups Whole Milk
• 2/3 cup Granulated Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• 2 1/3 cups All Purpose Flour
• 1/4 teaspoon Sea Salt
• 3-4 tablespoons Melted Butter

For the Roasted Strawberry Custard:

• 2 cups of Strawberries hulled and loosely chopped
• 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon Sugar
• 4 cups Whole Milk
• 2 1/2 Heavy Cream
• 5 tablespoons Butter
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• 10 Large Egg Yolks
• 1/4 cup Cornstarch

Instructions

1. First, you want to prepare the batter for the crepes. It is best to do this the night before. Regardless, make sure that you chill it for at least an hour before preparing the crepes.
2. Combine the eggs, milk, 1 cup granulated sugar, and vanilla in an electric mixer until frothy. With the mixer running, add the flour and salt. Mix until completely incorporated. Cover and chill. I like to let the batter chill overnight. *You will need an electric mixer to prepare the custard, so you may want to transfer the batter to another bowl.
3. Next prepare the custard - you can do this the night before. Place the strawberries on a parchment lined baking sheet, dust them with 1 tablespoon of sugar, and place in a 350 degree oven to roast. The roasting time depends on how ripe and juicy the berries are. Roast the berries until they are soft and fragrant and just starting to release their juices. This will take 20 minutes for really fresh juicy strawberries, and about 30 minutes for less ripe berries.
4. Once the strawberries are roasted, place them in a blender and puree. Then pour through a fine mesh strainer to remove the seeds. Set aside.
5. Pour the milk, cream, vanilla, and salt into a large saucepan. Cut up the butter and add it to the saucepan. Heat over medium heat, until the butter is melted and the mixture is warm. Stir occasionally.
6. While the milk mixture is heating, pour the egg yolks and remaining sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on a medium speed for 3 minutes, until it reaches a very light yellow color. Add the cornstarch and mix until it is completely incorporated.
7. With the mixer running on a low speed, slowly add the milk mixture, and then the roasted strawberry puree. As soon as everthing is mixed together, return the mixture to the large saucepan. Heat over medium heat while whisking constantly. Bring to a slow bubble and continue to whisk for 6 minutes while the mixture thickens. If you suspect any lumps, run the custard through a fine mesh strainer. (Mine wasn't lumpy and running the custard through a strainer seemed like an unnecessary step).
8. Pour the custard into a bowl, cover the surface of the custard with plastic wrap, and place in the oven to chill completely. If you want to speed up this process, pour the custard into a few smaller containers, instead of into one large container. You need to let the custard chill completely before you assemble the crepe cake.
9. To prepare the crepes, find a skillet, spatula, whisk, a 1/4 cup measuring cup, a small bowl, and pastry brush. You want to create a little assembly station. On one side place the batter, with the whisk in it so you can whisk the batter up as necessary. Melt the butter, and place the pastry brush beside it. Lastly, find two plates where you can stack the crepes.
10. Heat the skillet over medium heat. Once hot, brush a very thin layer of butter over the skillet. Pour 1/4 cup of batter into the center of the skillet. Hold the skillet with your dominant hand and slowly tilt the skillet in a circular motion lettting the batter spread out forming the crepe. After about 45 seconds or so the first side of the crepe should be a very light golden brown. Use the spatula to flip the crepe. The crepes are not as delicate as you may expect, none of mine tore. Let the second side of the crepe cook for about 30 seconds until lightly golden brown. Place on a plate and let the crepe cool.
11. Follow this same process of adding butter, adding batter, spreading the batter out, letting the first side become lightly browned, flipping the crepe, and letting the second side brown until you have used all of the batter. You should end up with 25 crepes. Let the crepes cool until they are no longer steaming and then loosely wrap with plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill for an hour or so.
12. Now that you have chilled the crepes and the roasted strawberry custard, it is time to assemble the crepe cake! Finally! Gather a cake plate, or any plate large enough to hold the crepes, a 1/4 cup measuring cup, a knife or an offset spatula, the crepes and the custard. Place the first crepe on the plate. Top with 1/4 cup of custard and spread the custard out in an even layer until it is an inch from the edge of the crepe. Top with another crepe.
13. Follow this process of adding crepes and 1/4 cup of custard and spreading it out until you have used all of your crepes. You can decorate with strawberries and mint, or freshly whipped cream.
14. Important notes regarding assembling the crepe cake: Again, you need all of the ingredients to be completely chilled before assembling, otherwise the cake may slide apart or fall over. Don't use more than 1/4 cup of custard, too much custard can also cause the layers of the crepe to slide apart. If the cake is trying to fall apart at any point, place it in the fridge for 30 minutes. Chilling the cake helps the layers stick together. After letting the cake chill, resume assembly.

Recipe Notes

Notes: If you want, you could use the same process to make a roasted raspberry crepe cake, you would just need to replace the strawberries with raspberries. You can prepare the crepes and the custard a day in advance.

Adapted from Bon Appetite.

Want to save this Roasted Strawberry Crepe Cake recipe for later? Here is an image for you to pin: