Friday, March 22, 2013

Banana Crepe Cake with Butterscotch

All I want to do all day is eat, sleep, and... eat. Don't you? So when I walked down the stairs and into the kitchen this morning, I thought, just another day I have to cook breakfast, instead of having it already made for you. Well, I stuck my head in the fridge, looked up and down, grabbed some Chinese sausages, fried it, microwaved some leftovers, and  sat down and finally ate. I did this for a couple mornings, and thought that I needed something sweeter, maybe something other than rice, something fancy, something pretty, something unhealthy. =)
So one night, I thought of making some crepe batter and cooking it the next morning. But then I remembered that smitten kitchen had a banana bread crepe cake thing lookin' all fancy there, so I made that. Knowing me, I'm slow at everything, so I ended up taking about 2 hours(not including making the crepe batter and chilling) until I got to eat it. Oh well.






 


Makes 11 to 12 9-inch crepes, or a 1 1/2-inch cake.


INGREDIENTS:

for the banana crepes:
4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled slightly, plus extra for greasing pan
1 large speckly ripe banana (should yield a scant 1/2 cup peeled, pureed)
1 cup (235 ml) milk
3/4 cup (95 grams) all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
2 tablespoons (25 grams) light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Pinch of ground cloves

Blend the banana in a food processor until smooth. Add melted butter and blend again. Add remaining ingredients and blend until they are combined. Transfer batter, which will look pretty thin, to a bowl (even easier later if it has a spout), cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour, preferably overnight, and up to two days. When you remove the batter, it will seem surprisingly thick. Stir it to redistribute the ingredients before using it.

Heat a medium skillet or crepe pan over medium-high heat. Once heated, brush pan thinly with melted butter. Pour 1/4 cup batter into skillet, swirling it until it evenly coats the bottom and cook, undisturbed, until the bottom is golden and the top is set, about 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the crepe and cook it for 30 seconds on the other side, before transferring it to a plate to cool. Repeat with remaining batter. You can stack your crepes and they should not stick together. Let crepes cool completely before assembling.

for the cream cheese yogurt filling:
8 ounces (225 grams) cream cheese, well-softened
1 1/2 cups (345 grams) plain Greek-style yogurt
1/3 cup (65 grams) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Whip cream cheese until fluffy, then beat in yogurt, 1/2 cup at a time. When fully combined, add sugar and vanilla then beat until rich and fluffy, just another minute.

Lay first crepe on a cake plate or serving platter. Spread with 1/4 cup of the yogurt-cream cheese filling. Repeat with all but the last remaining crepe, which should be stacked but have no filling on top, as it is the lid.

for the walnut butterscotch topping:
1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup (50 grams) packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon (15 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup (about 50 grams) chopped walnuts, toasted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon flaky sea salt, or to taste


Combine the cream, brown sugar and butter in the bottom of a medium, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally in the beginning and more frequently as it reduces and thickens. You’ll know it’s done when it becomes thick and smells toasty. Stir in the vanilla and salt, then walnuts. Immediately pour over stack of filled crepes, nudging the butterscotch to the edges with your spoon — if it goes over the edge, so be it.

Serve immediately, or keep in fridge until ready to serve. Crepe cake keeps for up to 3 days, possibly longer, but good luck with that. If you’d like to pass the walnut butterscotch alongside cake servings, rather than drizzling it over the top of the cake, I recommend you double the yield, and keep it warm so it stays pourable. If it still seems too thick, a little extra cream will thin it. The butterscotch sauce can also make do without the walnuts. 

Bon appétit!

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