Lady M Confections gives new meaning to the term “layered cake.” Their famous creation, Mille Crêpes, stacks crepes, custard and whipped cream 20 layers high, complete with a layer of caramelized sugar on top (similar to Crème Brûlée.) As a recent New York Times article pointed out, the secret to this cake is not so much the individual components, but the way that Lady M artfully combines it all. The layers come together so well it seems like the cake is one complex creation instead of individual components stacked on top of each other. It reminds me of the way a croissant melts together after baking. In both cases you’re left with a perfectly soft inside, complimented by a crisp, flaky crust.
If you’re feeling artistic you can try making this creation yourself with a recipe provided by the New York Times, or you can stop in at Lady M and pay $65 for them to put it all together for you.
Recipe from The New York Times
The Way We Eat: Building a Modern, Multistoried Dessert
By Amanda Hesser
May 15, 2005
Gâteau de Crêpes
For the crepe batter:
6 tablespoons butter
3 cups milk
6 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
7 tablespoons sugar
Pinch saltFor the vanilla pastry cream:
2 cups milk
1 vanilla bean, halved and scraped
6 egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch, sifted
3 1/2 tablespoons butterFor the assembly:
Corn oil
2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon sugar or more
3 tablespoons Kirsch
Confectioners’ sugar.Directions:
1. The day before, make the crepe batter and the pastry cream. Batter: In a small pan, cook the butter until brown like hazelnuts. Set aside. In another small pan, heat the milk until steaming; allow to cool for 10 minutes. In a mixer on medium-low speed, beat together the eggs, flour, sugar and salt. Slowly add the hot milk and browned butter. Pour into a container with a spout, cover and refrigerate overnight.2. Pastry cream: Bring the milk with the vanilla bean (and scrapings) to a boil, then set aside for 10 minutes; remove bean. Fill a large bowl with ice and set aside a small bowl that can hold the finished pastry cream and be placed in this ice bath.
3. In a medium heavy-bottomed pan, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch. Gradually whisk in the hot milk, then place pan over high heat and bring to a boil, whisking vigorously for 1 to 2 minutes. Press the pastry cream through a fine-meshed sieve into the small bowl. Set the bowl in the ice bath and stir until the temperature reaches 140 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Stir in the butter. When completely cool, cover and refrigerate.
4. Assemble the cake the next day: Bring the batter to room temperature. Place a nonstick or seasoned 9-inch crepe pan over medium heat. Swab the surface with the oil, then add about 3 tablespoons batter and swirl to cover the surface. Cook until the bottom just begins to brown, about 1 minute, then carefully lift an edge and flip the crepe with your fingers. Cook on the other side for no longer than 5 seconds. Flip the crepe onto a baking sheet lined with parchment. Repeat until you have 20 perfect crepes.
5. Pass the pastry cream through a sieve once more. Whip the heavy cream with the tablespoon sugar and the Kirsch. It won’t hold peaks. Fold it into the pastry cream.
6. Lay 1 crepe on a cake plate. Using an icing spatula, completely cover with a thin layer of pastry cream (about 1/4 cup). Cover with a crepe and repeat to make a stack of 20, with the best-looking crepe on top. Chill for at least 2 hours. Set out for 30 minutes before serving. If you have a blowtorch for creme brulee, sprinkle the top crepe with 2 tablespoons sugar and caramelize with the torch; otherwise, dust with confectioners’ sugar. Slice like a cake. Batter adapted from ”Joy of Cooking.” Pastry cream adapted from ”Desserts,” by Pierre Herme and Dorie Greenspan. Serves 10.
Lady M Cake Boutique
41 East 78th Street (bet. Madison Ave & Park Ave)
New York, NY 10021
(212)452-2222
www.ladymconfections.com
the cake looks yummy… I would love to try it at home -are there further directions for making the creme and final assembly?
I’m sorry — I left off half the instructions! It should be complete now. Thanks for catching that.
That looks SO good! I am now drooling at my desk. Seriously, I need to find some napkins.
Ohmygosh, that looks delicious.
is there any way to just get a slice of the cake? the nytimes article mentioned they have a green tea version at a restaurant, but does the bakery serve slices? thanks,
Liza
Hmm, did you make it? I once made a crepe cake by layering the stacks with chocolate sauce and and raspberry jam. It didn’t look so good (I didn’t have a crepe pan, so my layers were ragged and unevenly sized), but all the flavors melded together beautifully! Incidentally, I got the idea from the Joy of Cooking.
Hi Liza — Lady M does sell it by the slice for $6.50
Hi Jessica — I haven’t made it yet myself, but the woman who wrote the NY Times article seemed to have the same problem herself (she was also inspired by the Joy of Cooking!). Maybe we’ll have to invest in a crepe pan.
I had the cake last night- my cousin bought it for dessert for my uncle’s birthday and it was insanely good. Probably one of the best cakes I’ve ever had. It literally melts in your mouth.
Just saw this cake today in Food TV’s new program Sugar Rush and immediately searched for Lady M and the recipe. Found it and sometime soon I have to make this. Looks stunningly delicious and I’m just drooling over the picture
Thanks for such a wonderful cake and now I need to visit Lady M Confections in NY…someday…
-vmsiyer from Dallas
OHMYGOSH!!! I SAW THIS “WORK OF ART” AN THE FOODNETWORK SHOW EARLY AM 11-3-05! I have been searching the web for about 5 hours!!! THANK YOU!!
can’t wait to buy a crepe pan and make one myself!!!!
Saw this on Food Network and would love to try this. Can you make other fillings for this cake or should it be the cream filling. I am so excited about trying this. Thank you for such a great creation!!!
I saw your segment on the Food network. Anxously awaiting the monent to attempt these scrumptious recipes.
I found a recipe for something similar YEARS ago that used chocolate pudding for the filling. It was yummie! Can’t wait to try this. This Lady M recipe is much more sophisticated that my box of Jell-O pudding!
I am so amazed by this cake. I recently saw the show Sugar Rush and all of Lady M’s cakes look so tasty that I could not help but to lick my lips. But this one particular cake stood out from the rest. I have made crepes suzettes before and it took hours for me to be able to get the swirl down pack. Needless to say I am happy I did because this must be the reason I was tortured to get it right. I can not wait to try this recipe.
I just made the cake on Saturday! It was sooooooo goood. wow! :]
Sushiden in midtown (49th and 6th) has the green tea version. I think they have the strawberry version too but I only had the green tea. It’s simply delicious! If you are going, make sure you call ahead to see if they are serving it for dessert since it’s not offered on their daily dessert menu.
Holy COW! Me, the hubby and the kids have decided to buy a crepe pan and start practicing! We are going to get it right by Christmas Eve and start a new tradition….Crepe Cake and Cocoa after coming home from the church Christmas Pageant.
Finally I made this cake yesterday and shared with some my friends on our weekly gettogether dinner. The cake came out really well. I used the exact measurement, but I felt it is not very sweet, may be I missed something. Now i need to try Lady M’s original cake in my next trip to NY and compare it with mine. Enjoyed the experience of making and putting everything together and sharing it with my friends.
Thanks Lady M and Thanks Warren Brown from let us know a wonderful cake.
I saw this cake on Sugar Rush and didn’t even look up the recipe (I thought maybe it was a secret), so my sister and I made crepes, and made Pana Cotta as the filling for a Thanksgiving dessert. We also topped it with a little caramel. It was SO delicious and unique, and something I plan to make every Thanksgiving. It isn’t a real sweet dessert but something it very special about it. I am sure this is something you can play with and come up with different variations. My sister now wants us to come up with a way to have it as her wedding cake.
Hi all, I know this is probably a little late, but I wanted to respond to some who thought the Mille Crepe cake wasn’t sweet enough. If you look under ‘For the assembly’, it shows 2 cups of heavy cream plus 1 T. of sugar (and now the key words) OR MORE. When I made this, I whipped the cream with 1/4 cup of sugar, along with the Kirsch. 1 T of sugar to 2 cups of heavy cream, is akin to a gigantic plate of pasta and ragu, with a mere 1/2 tsp of pecorino or romano sprinkled on top..LOL. Try it with a 1/4 cup or more, depending on your sweet tooth. God, everyone raved about this one.
Hi all
I just wanted to respond to those of you who thought the Milles Crepe cake wasn’t sweet enough. If you look under ‘ For the assembly’, it says to whipe 2 cups of heavy cream with 1 T (OK, here comes the key words) OR MORE. I whipped 1/4 cup of sugar with the heavy cream and Framboise instead of Kirsch, and the finished product was definitely sweet enough. 1 T of sugar to 2 cups of heavy cream is akin to a huge plate of pasta and ragu, with a mere 1/2 tsp freshly grated parm on top. LOL. The mark of a true chef is being able to take a recipe and make it your own..so try more sugar, depending on your sweet tooth. This dessert is so versatile, you can have a blast with it. After bruleeing the top, I made and placed a sugar cage over it (Grease a 10 inch steel bowl with vagetable or canola oil spray, then swirl strings of hard crack stage (golden) melted sugar all around the inside. Once it hardens, gently ease it out, but be careful, as it’s very delicate!) It made quite the presentation, and looked ’sinfully’ angelic. LOL Everyone raved about this one.
i just stumbled upon this conversation, and i know this is a late response, but Gyu-kaku (a fabulous japanese bbq restaurant) serves specially made mille crepes from Lady M with ice cream. it’s located in midtown at 50th and 3rd ave or in east village at i think 6th street and cooper square.s
I made this with a few variations and it was one of the best deserts I have ever eaten. We still talk about it.