Intro:
Method:
Matcha crepes
1. Let’s start by making the batter mix for the crepes. A light flour is best to use i.e cake flour but as this is quite difficult to find we can create a light cake flour by adding cornflour. In a large mixing bowl sieve 125g plain flour, 25g cornflour, 2g salt and 6g of matcha powder. When sieved into the bowl add 80g of sugar and mix all the dry ingredients together well. Now add 4 whole eggs and whisk until smooth.
2. When smooth gradually add 500ml of milk in 3 stages whisking constantly. When all the milk is combined add 40g of melted butter and mix well. Pass the batter through a sieve when ready into a fresh bowl and we now have a crepe batter. Clingfilm and chill in the fridge for 45 – 60 minutes to rest.
Pistachio Cream
3. While we are waiting on the batter to chill we can make the pistachio cream. Prepare approximately 60g of pistachios by removing the outer shell then place into a pestle and mortar or food blender. Grind until slightly ground then place the ground pistachios to one side. You want a little texture in the pistachios so take care not to grind too fine.
4. To make the cream, use a whisk and start to whip 400ml heavy cream. When the cream starts to foam add 60g of sugar then continue to whisk until stiff peaks are formed. When ready add 1tsp vanilla extract and the ground pistachios then fold all together. Now are have our cream, store in the fridge for now.
5. By now the batter for the crepes should be ready to use. To make the crepes, place a medium sized frying pan onto a medium heat. Add a tiny drizzle of oil into the pan then add approximately 1/2 of a regular sized ladle of the batter to the pan. Make sure the batter coats the whole of the pan then fry on a medium heat for 2-3 minutes until the crepe sets on one side. When ready carefully flip the crepe over and fry the other side for an additional 30 seconds. When cooked place the crepe onto a wire cooling rack. You don’t want too much colour on the crepes so best keep an eye that the pan does not get too hot.
6. When the crepe is cooked wipe the pan clean with kitchen paper then if needed add another drizzle of oil and repeat the crepe process again until all the batter has finished. I managed to get 16 thin crepes from this recipe although anywhere close to that will be fine. Layer all the crepes onto the wire rack to cool.
7. This next stage is totally optional to be honest, if you want to tidy around the edge of the crepes then place something round Into the centre of the crepes. Cut around the object carefully with a knife to make the crepes nice and round. This stage is great if you want to make them smaller or a cleaner finish. Again you can skip this if you want.
8. Now everything is ready we can build up the cake, start by placing 1 crepe onto a serving plate or cake board. Place a small amount of the pistachio cream into the centre of the crepe and use a pallet knife to spread the cream evenly. Leave a small gap around the edge to make it neat and take care not too add too much pistachio cream as you want a thin layer of cream.
9. Repeat this process and layer up the cake until there are no more crepes left. Save some of the pistachio cream to finish the cakes final layer. When the cake is built tidy around the sides of the cake and top by using a pallet knife and the pistachio cream. The final stage of decorating the cake can be fairly rough although you don’t want the final layer of pistachio cream to be too thick. Best tip I can give here is to keep the pallet knife clean and slightly wet to make spreading the cream easy. When the cake is finished place in the fridge for 1-2 hours to slightly firm up.
10. Now the cake is ready to serve, Finally dust the top of the cake with matcha powder and cut into slices…I definitely recommend a fresh cup of green tea with this one! Hope you like this recipe!
Additional notes
Instead of matcha in this recipe, you could alternatively use chocolate powder to make different crepes. Another way to finish this cake is to make 1 larger crepe as well as, then place it over the tier of crepes. Instead of incorporating the matcha into the crepes, you could add to the cream instead of leaving the crepes plain to give a slightly different end result. If you have a nut allergy then simply leave out the pistachios. Have fun with this one!
