Chocolate Crêpe Cake

No other dessert has wowed family and friends the way this stunning crêpe cake did the first time I made it. A showstopper in every sense of the word, it features layers of tender chocolate crêpes and rich white chocolate buttercream frosting draped in a semi-sweet chocolate ganache.

Chocolate Crêpes:
¾ cup unsalted butter, cubed
8 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
6 large eggs
2½ cups whole milk
3 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1½ cups all-purpose flour, unbleached
⅓ cup sugar
⅛ tsp. sea salt

White Chocolate Buttercream:
8 oz white baking chocolate, chopped
½ cup heavy whipping cream
2¼ cups sugar
1 tsp. cream of tartar
8 large egg whites
2 cups unsalted butter, softened
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Semi-Sweet Chocolate Ganache:
6 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
¾ cup heavy whipping cream
2½ tsp. corn syrup
⅛ tsp. sea salt

For the Chocolate Crêpes:
Melt butter and chocolate; stir until smooth. Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, vanilla and cooled chocolate mixture. Combine the flour, sugar and salt; add to egg mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. (Batter will appear curdled.)

For the White Chocolate Buttercream:
Melt white chocolate with cream; stir until smooth. Set aside to cool. In a small bowl, combine sugar and cream of tartar.

Place egg whites in a double boiler or metal bowl over simmering water; stir in the sugar mixture. Constantly whisk until mixture reaches 120-130°F (do not overheat). Stirring gently, keep at 120-130°F for 2 minutes. Immediately transfer to a mixing bowl.

With a whisk attachment, beat on high speed for 5 minutes. Reduce speed and beat for 5 additional minutes or until cool and stiff. Transfer to a large bowl.

In the same mixing bowl with the whisk attachment, beat butter and vanilla until light and fluffy. Beat in cooled white chocolate mixture. With a spatula, stir a fourth of the meringue into butter mixture until no white streaks remain. Fold in remaining meringue. Cover and refrigerate.

Heat a lightly greased 8" nonstick skillet over medium heat; pour 2 Tbsp. crêpe batter into center of skillet. Lift and tilt pan to coat bottom evenly. Cook until top appears dry, about 2 minutes; turn and cook 15-20 seconds longer. Remove to a wire rack. Repeat with remaining batter, greasing skillet as needed.

When cool, stack crêpes with waxed paper or paper towels in between.

Assembly:
Place one crêpe on a cake plate. Spread with 3 Tbsp. buttercream. Repeat layers until 10 crêpes are used. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Repeat layering and chilling until 30 crêpes are used, ending layers with a crepe. (Save remaining crêpes for another use.) Refrigerate.

For the Ganache:
Place chocolate in a small bowl. In a small saucepan, bring the cream, corn syrup and salt just to a boil. Pour over chocolate; whisk until smooth. Cool, stirring occasionally, until ganache reaches a spreading consistency. Spread over top and sides of cake. Refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

Makes 8 servings.

Nutritional Information:
1 piece: 781 calories, 56g fat (31g saturated fat), 179mg cholesterol, 192mg sodium, 66g carbohydrate (53g sugars, 2g fiber), 10g protein.