When I was a child, crêpes were the absolute epitome of indulgent dessert for me. I didn’t grow up in a family that made a lot of cakes, so they were the joy of joys, especially with homemade jam or just plain granulated sugar. Or, to be completely frank, just on their own, without any filling. To this day, I still find them equally delightful, to make and enjoy.
Keep in mind that these crêpes may lightly stick to the pan despite the oil coating, as they have the pumpkin puree in them. But all that is needed is a bit of patience and carefulness when flipping them over, and they will be great.
They may come out with imperfect edges, so if you wish, you can take a cake ring and remove them, but that is not necessary at all. I find them frilly and quite beautiful that way.
The cake is best served after about 30 minutes at room temperature, so it does need a bit of planning. But it is indeed gorgeous, full of triple chocolate mousse and a bit of rum, for good measure.
Ingredients
For the pumpkin crêpes
250 grams plain flour
50 grams bread flour
10 grams baking powder
120 grams pumpkin purée
600 grams carbonated water
60 grams granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
For the chocolate mousse filling
200 grams dark chocolate
120 grams vegan milk chocolate
400 grams plant double cream
30 grams vegan block butter
30 grams unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons dark rum extract
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla bean paste
Preparation
Start by making the mousse filling. Chop up both types of chocolate finely, add them to a heavy bottomed pot, and pour in the double cream. Place the pot over medium high heat and let everything heat up and melt together nicely, without coming to a boil. Barely a simmer will be best. Once melted, remove it from the heat, and add in the butter, rum extract, and the vanilla, and blend well. Cover the top with a piece of cling film, let it cool down to room temperature, and then place it into the refrigerator for at least 6 hours.
To make the crepes, take a large bowl, and add in the pumpkin puree, half of the carbonated water, sugar, and the vanilla, and mix well. Sift in the flour and the baking powder, and mix to form a thick batter. Add in the rest of the carbonated water, and whisk until smooth. The batter will be quite runny, and that is fine.
Take a large crepe pan, 20-22 cm in diameter, and lightly oil it, or spray it with a cooking spray once. Place the pan over medium high heat, and let it heat up. Once ready, take a small ladle, about 80 millilitres of batter, and pour it onto the heated pan, quickly swirling it around so the batter covers the whole surface. This will make sure the crepes are thin, which is what is needed.
Cook it on medium high heat until the surface looks set, flip it over gently, and cook for 15-20 seconds more. Repeat with the rest of the batter, until all of it is used up. You should have 12 or 13 pancakes. Set them aside to cool down completely.
Once the filling is firm and the crepes are cool, proceed to assemble the cake. Transfer the filling into a large bowl, sift in the cocoa powder, and whip with an electric mixer on high until a luscious mousse is formed. It will be a tad soft, but that is fine, as it will firm up once refrigerated. Reserve about a fourth of the filling for frosting the cake, and divide the remaining filling in 12 equal parts. This is best done by weight, using a digital scale for precision, as there are many layers, and it is preferable they are all evenly stacked.
Place the first crepe on a serving platter, top it with a portion of the filling, spread it all the way out to the edges, top with another crepe, then with filling, and continue stacking until all of the crepes are used up. Frost the entire cake with the reserved filling and place it into the refrigerator for at least 8 hours. Serve with fresh seasonal fruit and strong coffee. Yields 16 rich servings.
