Milo Crepe Cake for Milo and chocolate lovers
Baking a classic pound cake can be a daunting task. Even before baking, you’ll have to stock your kitchen cupboard with large and clunky cake pans. You’ll then have to nail the right texture and taste for the cake’s sponge, which tends to require a bit of trial and error. While not technically a classic-style cake, crepe cakes have been quite popular over the last few years. They look great and most importantly, they taste great as well. Another plus point for crepe cakes is how you can customise them to any flavour you want. For this recipe, I’ve made a Triple Milo Crepe Cake. Milo is a well-loved beverage by Singaporeans, and it’s hard to come across someone who doesn’t like a taste of this rich malty beverage.
Looking just as impressive as regular cakes, crepe cakes also do not require a whole ton of fancy equipment. Just loads of patience, time, and the desire to make a great-tasting cake for your loved ones.
I’ve incorporated as much Milo as possible in this recipe, putting it in the crepe batter, cream filling, and in the ganache. Surprisingly, the cake remains light on the palate and isn’t overly rich with chocolate and malt flavours. This could possibly be due to the fluffy texture of the crepes that nicely holds the cream.
As usual, scroll to the bottom of this article for the full recipe.
The process
The crepe batter uses two types of mix: wet and dry. Prepare the wet mix by whisking eggs, Milo packet drink, melted butter, and vanilla extract. The wet mix is responsible for flavouring the crepe, giving it a rich buttery flavour.
On the other hand, the dry mix is responsible for giving the crepe its pillowy-soft texture. The secret is to sieve the dry ingredients through a fine sieve, and into a separate mixing bowl. This loosens up the dry ingredients, making it easier to combine with the wet mix.
Pour the wet mix into the dry mix and whisk thoroughly. There’s no need to worry if you see lumps in the batter. Sieve everything through a fine strainer again and the lumps ought to disappear. Let the batter rest in the fridge for at least an hour. This relaxes the gluten in the flour and helps give the crepes a fluffier texture.
Cooking the crepes individually is a tedious task, but it’s also my most favourite step of this recipe. Start by heating up a frying pan on medium-low heat and pour a ¼ cup of crepe batter into it. Swirl the batter around the hot pan to spread it around and let it cook for a minute.
The crepe is ready to be flipped when it has developed some browning at the bottom. Give it a good flip and continue to cook for another minute until everything is cooked fully. The batter in this recipe will give you around 24 thin pancakes. You might mess a few up during the cooking process, but there should be enough to make a decent-sized cake.
It’s important to let the crepe cool before stacking them up. This prevents them from clumping up together, which would cause it to turn soggy. Leave them to cool on a wire rack for a few minutes before stacking them on a clean plate.
Once you’re done with the crepes, chill them in the fridge while you prepare the Milo cream. In a clean mixing bowl, whip the heavy whipping cream using a hand mixer until soft peaks are formed.
Add in the sugar and Milo powder, and continue to beat until the cream develops a medium peak consistency. They’re ready when they begin to hold their own shape. Of course, you can always opt for the classic taste test to see if it’s thick and light.
Now that you’ve got the cream and crepes ready, you can begin stacking them. Start by placing a single layer of crepe on a cake stand or large plate, and scoop a generous amount of Milo cream onto the crepe. Repeat this for every layer until there are no crepes remaining. There’s no need to apply the cream on the top as we’ll be adding a thick layer of ganache instead.
You’ll need to make sure that the amount of Milo cream is consistent for each layer; this gives the final product an even and beautiful look when it’s sliced apart. There’s also no need to spread the cream all the way to the edges. We’ll be cutting them off in the end to give it a uniform and beautiful appearance.
It’s difficult to cook the crepes such that they all appear the same. We’ll make the cake look neater by placing a large plate or bowl on top of it and running a sharp knife around its edges. Let the crepe cake firm up by chilling it in the fridge as you work on the Milo ganache.
In a saucepan, heat up the cream and condensed milk until they’re barely simmering. Pour the heated cream mixture into the chocolate and wait for a minute before stirring. This helps to soften the chocolate and makes it easier to work with.
Add in the Milo powder and stir the ganache with a whisk until it gets nice and smooth. If the mixture looks too clumpy, feel free to add a bit more heated cream or milk.
Continue to mix the ganache with a whisk until its slightly cooled. This should take around five minutes or so. You’ll know that it’s ready for pouring on the cake when it thickens up slightly.
Place the crepe cake on a wire rack with a tray resting underneath and pour the Milo ganache all over the cake. Spread the ganache all around the cake, making sure to cover all the edges.
Let the glazed cake cool in the fridge for another 30 minutes to let the ganache firm up.
As a final touch, finish the cake by sprinkling Milo powder on top of it using a fine strainer. This step is inspired by Milo Dinosaur, and also helps to give it a final boost of rich Milo flavour.
Preparing this Triple Milo Crepe cake took up almost an entire afternoon, and it’s definitely no easy task. However, slicing it up and looking at all the pretty layers more than makes up for the hard work put into it.
Plus, you’ll also get extra bragging rights by telling your friends and family that you made this cake layer by layer.
If you’re still looking for dishes to accompany this decadent crepe cake, be sure to check out our Indomie Pizza and easy cornflakes recipes that can be prepared in minutes.
Milo Crepe Cake recipe
Yield: Serves 16
Cooking time: 2.5 hours
Ingredients:
Wet mix for crepe batter:
6 eggs, room temperature
3 boxes, 200ml Milo UHT packet drink, room temperature
100g unsalted butter, melted
½ tsp vanilla extract
Dry mix for crepe batter:
½ tsp salt
160g cake flour
20g sugar
Milo cream:
240ml heavy whipping cream
2 tbsp sugar
½ cup Milo powder
Milo ganache:
70g semi-sweet chocolate
100ml heavy whipping cream
1 tbsp condensed milk
½ cup Milo powder
Garnish:
2 tbsp Milo powder
- To prepare the wet mix, whisk the eggs, melted butter, and vanilla extract.
- To prepare the dry mix, sift the flour, sugar, and salt together in a separate mixing bowl. Beat with a whisk until everything is well combined.
- Pour the wet mix into the dry mix and whisk thoroughly. Strain the crepe batter using a fine strainer before transferring to another clean container. Cover with cling wrap and chill for at least an hour.
- Heat a 10” frying pan on medium-low heat and pour a ¼ cup of crepe batter into it. Cook the crepes for one minute on both sides until they are slightly brown but not crispy.
- Transfer the cooked crepes to a wire rack and let them cool. The batter should give around 23 to 24 crepes. Once you’re done with cooking all of them, cover with cling wrap and chill in the fridge.
- To prepare the Milo cream, whisk the whipping cream with a hand mixer until they develop soft peaks. Add the sugar and Milo powder, and continue to beat until medium peaks form.
- Layer the cake by placing a piece of crepe at the bottom of a cake stand or large plate, layer on a scoop of whipped cream, and continue this process until there are no crepes remaining. There’s no need to apply whipped cream on the top of the final layer.
- Place a round plate on the top of the cake and run a knife around the plate to trim off the edges. Place the cake in the fridge to firm up for at least 30 minutes.
- Prepare the Milo ganache by heating up the cream and condensed milk in a saucepan until it’s almost simmering. In a mixing bowl, pour the heated cream mixture into the chocolate and let it sit for a minute before adding in the Milo powder. Stir the mixture with a whisk until it is thick and smooth.
- Place the chilled cake on top of a wire rack and pour the Milo ganache over the cake and spread evenly. Chill for at least 30 minutes to let the ganache firm up.
- Decorate the cake by sprinkling Milo powder through a fine sieve. You may choose to serve it immediately, but it’s best to chill for at least an hour before serving. Keep the cake covered and you’ll be able to store it in the fridge for at least two days.
Photos taken by Lim An.
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