Chocolate Custard Raspberry Crêpe Cake

Instructions

Make the custard:

1. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add 2 cups of milk. Bring the milk to a simmer, stirring occasionally to prevent the milk from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, add the egg yolks, sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch and mix until clumpy. Stream in the remaining 1 cup cold milk as you’re whisking everything together. The mixture should look like a batter.
3. Slowly stream in the hot, simmering milk into the cocoa mixture while constantly whisking. Once all the milk has been incorporated, return the cocoa mixture to the saucepan over medium heat.
4. Constantly whisk as the mixture reaches a simmer: first, the mixture will have a thin, liquid consistency, then after 3 to 4 minutes, it’ll slowly start to foam up and after 2 to 3 more minutes, thicken. Once thickened, allow the mixture to bubble for 2 minutes and remove off the heat.
5. Add the chocolate, butter and whisk until incorporated.
6. Transfer the custard to a container, pouring it through a mesh sieve to catch any overcooked egg or cornstarch bits. Cover with plastic wrap, making sure the wrap touches the custard to prevent it from forming a skin.
7. Refridgerate for at least 2 hours.

Make the raspberry filling:

1. Combine the cornstarch with 4 tablespoons of water and set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine 3 cups of raspberries, water and sugar. Bring to a simmer and simmer for 10 minutes. Pour in the cornstarch mixture while vigorously mixing. Continue mixing until thickened, about 3 minutes.
3. Remove the pan off the heat and add the butter. Mix until the butter has been incorporated.
4. Transfer the raspberry filling to a container and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Make the crêpes:

1. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, milk, wate, flour, sugar, a pinch of salt and vanilla. Vigorously whisk until you’re left with a smooth batter.
2. In a 10-inch nonstick pan over medium heat, add a drop of oil. Brush the oil around the pan using a brush or paper towel.
3. Pour a small ladle of the crêpe batter in the pan, swirling it around to coat the bottom of the pan. Cook for about a minute, or until the edges of the crêpe are darker in color. Carefully flip and continue cooking for a minute or so. Transfer the crêpe to a large plate.
4. Reduce the heat to medium-low as needed.
5. Repeat this step with the remaining crêpe batter, stacking the crêpes on top of each other after cooking. You should be left with 20 to 22 crêpes.
6. Allow the crêpes to cool completely, about 15 minutes at room temperature should be enough.

Assemble the cake:

1. When you’re ready to stack the crêpe cake, place a flat serving platter/plate on your work surface.
2. Layer a crêpe on the platter. Add a small dollop (you can use a 3 tablespoon ice cream scoop for this) of custard in the center of the crêpe. Using an offset spatula, spread the custard almost all the way to the edge of the crêpe, in a thin layer, leaving about a 1-cm space in between the custard and edge. Leaving that little bit of space will help us achieve a dome shape.
3. Layer a crêpe on top of the custard, and top with a small dollop of the raspberry filling. Spread the filling almost all the way to the edge. Get 3 fresh raspberries in your hand and break them all in half. Scatter the raspberry halves over the raspberry filling.
4. Repeat the process until you’ve stacked the last crêpe on top. You should have used most of the raspberry filling, but have a few dollops of custard leftover. Pile the custard on top of the cake and swirl to create a well on the center. Pile a bunch of fresh raspberries on top.
5. Slice the cake and serve right away or chill for up to 3 days in the fridge.