Banana Bread Crepe Cake

I did a very impulsive thing today. I’m not usually very impulsive – unless it has to do with shoes or dresses. I mean, who has self-control when it comes to those? If you do, well, it is not normal. But I do envy you.

I can’t decide if it is the lack of sleep or the sheer disbelieve that I’ve actually finally completed my assignment. But whichever it is, it resulted in a banana bread crepe cake.

I am not familiar with crepe except that it is French, The one and only time in my life that I had crepe was back in 2006. I believe it was served with strawberry compote and cream cheese. I remember quite enjoying it. The word that springs to my head when I try to recall the moment is delightful. Anything with cream cheese is usually delightful.

Admittedly, I became slightly obsessed with mille crepe after seeing a picture of it on someone’s Facebook page. Oh hello, can we be friends? The crepe, not the person. Actually, I stalked the hell out of it. I’ve spent hours looking at pictures of beautiful Mille crêpe. I think I may be fixated with the perfect crêpe layers. Note, OCD on the loose!

If I am to be honest, making this crepe cake has been testing. No matter how hard I tried, it was near impossible to make perfectly round crepes. In fact, the one crepe, only one, that was near to a perfect circle was the final one. Flipping the crepe is another story on its own. I trimmed the edges to give the crepes a tidier look, spread the yogurt-cream cheese filling and stack, spread and stack and it goes on for a bit until the very last crepe. I remember muttering under my breath, “Never. Again.”

But when it is finally done, when the hot butterscotch sauce is poured and spread all over the top crepe and over it, the effort was well worth it.

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Banana Crepe Cake with Yogurt and Walnut Butterscotch

Recipe from Smitten Kitchen

Banana crepes
4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled slightly, plus extra for greasing pan
1 large (will weigh 6 ounces/170 grams be about 6 inches long when unpeeled) 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

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

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

Make the crepe batter: Using a food processor, blend banana until totally smooth. Add melted butter and blend again. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until combined. Transfer the batter to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside in the refrigerator to chill for at least an hour, preferably overnight, and up to two days. The batter will be runny at first but after some chilling time, it will thicken. Stir to redistribute the ingredients before using.

Cook the crepes: Heat a medium skillet or crepe pan over medium-high heat. Once heated, brush the pan thinly with melted butter. Pour ¼ cup batter into skillet (adjust according to the size of skillet) and swirl it until it evenly coats the bottom and cook, undisturbed, for 2 to 3 minutes – the bottom should be golden and top is set. Flip the crepe and cook it for 30 seconds. Transfer to a plate to cool. Repeat with remaining batter. Let crepes cook completely.

Make filling: Using a mixer, whip cream cheese until fluffy. Add yogurt, ½ cup at time, and continue whipping until fully combined. Add sugar and vanilla then beat for another minute until rich and fluffy.

Assemble crepe cake: On a plate or a serving platter, lay the first crepe. Coat it with ¼ cup of yogurt-cream cheese filling. Repeat with all but the last remaining crepe.

Make walnut butterscotch sauce: Using a heavy saucepan, heat cream, brown sugar and butter together over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, and then reduce the heat to low. Let it simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally as it thickens. Stir in the vanilla and salt, then walnuts. Immediate pour over stack of filled crepes.

Serve immediately or keep in the fridge until ready to serve. Crepe cake keeps for up to 3 days.