Breakfast Veggie Crinkle Cake
Posted on: April 18, 2024. Updated on: April 19, 2024.
by Carolina Gelen
Table of Contents
Popularized by @RaminaSaidWow on TikTok a few years ago, crinkle cake has seen lots and lots of takes and twists from online creators. I wanted to explore the savory side of this typically sugar-drenched treat, so I decided to put my spin on in and make it for breakfast. I packed my crinkled phyllo pastry with freshly sliced veggies and drowned it in a rich, spiced egg yolk custard.
The resulting veggie crinkle cake turned out to be irresistible: soft and tender pastry on the inside, sweet, deliciously roasted veggies in each bite, with an invitingly flaky exterior, brushed with fragrant garlic and parsley. SIGN ME UPPPP!!!
This veggie crinkle cake is the perfect thing to serve at your next breakfast gathering and a guaranteed crowd pleaser!
How to make the veggie crinkle cake
Step 1: Crinkle the store-bought pastry in a circular motion and pack it in a skillet.
Step 2: Pack the crinkled phyllo pastry with a mix of thinly sliced veggies. In the picture, you’ll notice a mix of leeks, red bell peppers, carrots, summer squash and Yukon gold potatoes. That said, this is the step of this recipe you can really have fun with, so make it your own and use whichever veggies you prefer—think cauliflower, onions, shallots, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, butternut squash, jalapeños, beets, radishes, eggplant, cabbage leaves, turnips, and more. Have fun with it!
Step 3: Brush the pastry with a quarter cup of extra-virgin olive oil and season the veggie-packed pastry with a hefty pinch of salt on top. Bake until the pastry looks golden brown on top and feels hard and crusty to the touch.
Make the spiced custard mixture: egg yolks, whole milk, spices and a hefty pinch of salt, then pour that mixture all over the baked pastry. Return the skillet in the oven and bake it at a lower temperature, until most of the custard has been absorbed and cooked in the pastry, while the top is crusty and flaky to the touch.
Step 4: As soon as the pastry comes out the oven, brush the top with garlic and parsley oil for some extra flavor in each bite. Using a serrated knife, slice the cake into wedges and serve warm.
How to serve the veggie crinkle cake
You can serve the cake warm, as soon as it comes out the oven, as is—similar to how you would serve a croissant for breakfast, or another morning pastry. If you want to step things up a notch, top the pastry with a soft boiled or poached egg and let the yolk flood those veggie-packed crinkles. A dollop of cold crème fraîche, sour cream, cream cheese, or some room temperature butter righty on top will also do!
Looking for more breakfast recipes?
Try my spicy everything cheddar biscuits for an inviting morning treat, my soft and tender banana bliss pancakes for a sweet breakfast, the very best crepes with a homemade chocolate hazelnut spread, or my super fun breakfast egg rolls.
Breakfast Veggie Crinkle Cake
Servings: 6 to 8
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 1 hour 20 minutes
Total: 1 hour 40 minutes
Ingredients
- 8 ounces (226g) store-bought phyllo pastry, thawed in the fridge overnight
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing and topping
- Kosher salt
- 2 cups thinly sliced mixed vegetables
- 1/2 small red bell pepper
- 1/2 small Yukon gold potato
- 1/2 small carrot
- 1/2 small zucchini
- 1/2 small leek
- other veggies you could use: onion, shallots, cherry tomatoes, spinach, cauliflower, broccoli, etc.
- 1 1/4 cups whole milk
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, roughly crushed
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Black pepper
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- 1/3 cup finely chopped parsley
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Make the veggie crinkle cake: Brush a 12-inch cast-iron skillet or round baking dish with oil on the bottom.
- Open the phyllo package and lay the phyllo sheets flat on your work surface. Working with 2 phyllo sheets at a time, crinkle the sheets together and arrange them in a circular motion in the skillet. Repeat with the remaining phyllo sheets until the base of the skillet is completely covered in crinkled phyllo.
- Stuff the sliced veggies in between the phyllo sheets.
- Drizzle 1/4 cup of olive oil on top and season with a pinch of salt all over the top. Place in the oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden on top and hard to the touch.
- Remove the cake from the oven and reduce the heat in the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- In a medium bowl, combine the yolks, milk, fennel, paprika, garlic, a few cracks of black pepper and a hefty pinch of salt.
- Pour the mixture over the baked crinkled phyllo and veggies.
- Return the skillet to the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the garlic, parsley, and 2 tablespoons olive oil.
- Brush the garlic and parsley using a pastry brush all over the top of the veggie crinkle cake as soon as it comes out of the oven.
- Slice the veggie crinkle cake into wedges and serve warm.
