Crepe cake

To be prepared on the same day

• Reserve ¼ of the cold milk and bring the rest of the milk and the butter to a boil.
• Meanwhile, sift together the flour and cocoa powder, then add the cold milk and egg yolks.
• Gradually add the warm milk to the egg yolks and the dry ingredients (40g of sugar, flour and cocoa powder). Mix well to obtain a smooth batter.
• Return everything to the saucepan and cook over low heat until the mixture thickens to a texture similar to a béchamel cream (approximately 65°C).
• Transfer the cream to a mixing bowl.
• Whisk the egg whites and a small amount of sugar until stiff peaks form, then gently fold into the previous mixture.
• Cook in a pan or in the oven.

Prepare the day before

• Gently rinse the clementines under running water.
• Cut into 1 cm cubes and remove any seeds if necessary (leave the peel on). Place the clementine pieces in a saucepan. Cover with cold water.
• Add the sugar. Bring to a boil, covered.
• Cook for 15 minutes over very low heat (simmering).
• Remove the lid and continue cooking over very low heat until the water has evaporated (approximately 45 minutes of cooking time).
• If the clementines are bitter, add clementine juice halfway up and cook again until completely evaporated.
• Allow to cool. Blend finely.
• Refrigerate overnight ideally or for a minimum of 1 hour.

 To be prepared on the same day:    

• Gently mix the egg yolks and sugar.
• Bring the milk and cream to a boil.
• Pour the milk and cream over the yolks and cook the mixture to 85°C until it coats the back of a spoon*. Filter and cool.

* Cooking to a coating involves simmering the mixture in a saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly with a spatula. The mixture will gradually thicken and coat the spatula.

Prepare the day before:    

• When the custard is hot and strained, emulsify with a spatula by gradually pouring it over the melted chocolate.
• Blend as soon as possible to perfect the emulsion.
• Allow to crystallize in the refrigerator for 2 hours or ideally overnight .

Prepare the day before

• In a lightly oiled, preheated 22cm diameter crepe pan, spread 180g of crepe batter and cook over low heat. Flip the crepe and finish cooking. Repeat for the remaining crepes.
• For the top layer of crepe, spread 180g of crepe batter in a crepe pan and bake at 180°C (350°F) for about 10 minutes, until golden brown. Once cooked, slide it off the pan without flipping it to keep the top intact. Refrigerate for one hour.
• If necessary, lightly trim each crepe with a knife. Reserve the prettiest crepe for the top of the cake.
• Spread 100g of clementine compote on the first crepe. Using a piping bag fitted with an 8mm nozzle, pipe 100g of crystallized Manjari 64% cream, starting by making a ring on the outside of the crepe.
• Add the next crepe on top and repeat until all the crepes and creamy filling are used up. Add the last crepe to the cake and decorate. Refrigerate for 30 minutes until set.