As an Ambassador with Cost Plus World Market, I love getting to share my favorite Cost Plus World Market products and recipes with you. Thank you to Cost Plus World Market for sponsoring this post and giving me a chance to make this amazing cake for Mardi Gras!
This twist on a Mardi Gras classic takes layers of crepes and praline cream cheese frosting to make a King Cake inspired Crepe Cake.
Laissez les bon temps rouler! It means “let the good times roll” and since Mardi Gras is right around the corner we’re going to do just that. Lucky for us the parades, culture, and Mardi Gras food can be found all through the Houston area. One of our traditions is to buy a King Cake to eat for breakfast through the days of Carnival. If you’re unfamiliar a King Cake is a Mardi Gras classic. It’s French sweet dough rolled into a ring that is filled with a variety of different flavors and topped with a sugar sanded glaze. Within the inside of the cake is a hidden plastic baby or bean. The person lucky enough to get the slice with the baby or bean in it, buys the cake the next year. In our house the baby means you get to pick the flavor the following year. My personal favorite is praline or cream cheese.
Since Fat Tuesday is the week of my birthday I wanted to mix up this classic with one of my birthday favorites. This Crepe King Cake takes light crepes and gives them a King Cake inspired feel. Using dyed crepes in purple, yellow, and green I’ve layered them between sweet and crunchy layers of Praline Cream Cheese Frosting. Ya’ll are not going to want to miss the frosting on this Crepe King Cake. It’s not only a tasty treat but a gorgeous cake to behold. While there is no baby in this French dessert, it won’t stick around long enough for anyone to notice. Though, we wouldn’t judge you if you add one in!
HOW TO MAKE A CREPE KING CAKE
The thing I love about crepe cakes is that they are always an eye catcher. From the ruffled edges to the mesmerizing layers being exposed, they are WOW. With any good show stopping dessert, it takes a bit of time. So grab your apron and your favorite Big Band mix because this cake is going to be worth the effort.
I break this up into 3 sections. The crepes, the frosting, and the assembly. I start with making the crepes that way they have enough time to come down to room temperature before assembly. For this recipe I’m using Cost Plus World Market’s My Favorite Crepe Mix as my dry ingredients. Since we’re making 15 crepes, I’ve doubled & a half the recipe on the back of the box.
Crepe Recipe
You’ll start by whisking the My Favorite Crepe Mix, eggs, vanilla, water, and cooled melted butter together. You want to whisk until you have a really smooth and thin batter. You can even use a blender or immersion blender to help quicken this process. After that you’ll divide your batter into thirds and dye it purple, yellow, and green.
To the stove top you’ll grease a crepe ( or 11″ non-stick skillet) on medium low to low heat with butter. The hardest part about crepes is getting the batter to form all the way around the pan without holes. I made this recipe, A LOT. The key is being prepped and using low heat. I know the back of the box says medium high but trust me when I say, medium-low is the way to go. Add 1/3 cup of batter to the pan as your rotate your wrist in a swirling motion. Moving the batter around to coat the the pan. Let cook for 1 minute and carefully flip the crepe over with a thin spatula. Let cook for another 30 seconds. Remove and let cool off to the side. Repeat until you have made 15 crepes!
Praline Cream Cheese Frosting
Next up is that yummy frosting filling. This frosting is a mix of my favorite two King Cake flavors, praline and cream cheese. I use these premade Jack Daniel’s praline from World Market that I chop up finely. To start the frosting you’ll make a whipped cream by just whipping heavy cream and sugar together. This is going to lighten the frosting up later.
In a stand mixer you’ll beat together softened cream cheese and butter until they are light and pale in color. Slowly add in 1/2 cup of confectioners sugar at a time. Else wise you’ll end up with a giant sugar cloud. Do this until you’ve added all the confectioners sugar in and it’s been beat smooth. Remembering to scrape down the sides of your bowl every now and then. For some flavor you’ll add in vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon juice and beat it on low until combined. Using a spatula fold in your whipped cream and pralines. Be gentle, you don’t want to knock out all the fantastic air you put into your whipped cream.
Assembling A Crepe King Cake
Taking the crepes you made, start with the green crepes. Lay a crepe up on the side that the edges curl in at. Smooth a thin layer of frosting over the crepe. Leaving a one inch border from the edges. Stack another green crepe on top and repeat. Do this until you have stacked all of your green crepes, yellow crepes, and purple crepes. When you reach the last crepe you will dust the top of it with sifted confectioners sugar and sanding sugar. I love taking cut outs and using them as designs in confectioners sugar like I have this Fleur De Lis.
I’ve provided a Fleur De Lis for you to print and cut out! Get it down below.
Put this in the fridge to chill and firm up for 2 hours. Serve immediately after that or keep chilled for up to 3 days. I personally find it best day of.
A fun spin on a Mardi Gras recipe classic the King Cake. This Crepe King Cake is 30 layers of alternating Crepes (15) and Praline Cream Cheese frosting (15). Sweet and delicious, it's well worth the time it takes to make it.
- 2 1/2 cups My Favorite Crepe Mix
- 5 Large Eggs
- 5 tablespoons Melted Butter (that's been cooled)
- 1 1/2 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 3 cups + 2 tablespoos Water
- 1 teaspoon Butter
- 3 drops Liquid Purple Food Coloring
- 2 drops Liquid Yellow Food Coloring
- 2 drops Liquid Green Food Coloring
- 1 cup Heavy Cream
- 2 tablespoons Sugar
- 8 ounces Cream Cheese (softened)
- 1/4 cup Butter (softened)
- 1 3/4 cup Confectioners Sugar (sifted)
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice
- 2 ounces Chopped Pralines (1 box Jack Daniel's Pralines is used in this recipe)
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Nutmeg
- Confectioners Sugar (optional decorating)
- Sanding Sugar (optional decorating)
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In a large mixing bowl combine the Crepe Mix, Eggs, Water, Vanilla Extract, and Melted Butter. Whisk* until well combined and no more lumps. The batter should be thin.
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Into three bowls, divide your batter into thirds. It will be roughly 14 ounces each. Using liquid** food coloring, dye one batter purple, one batter yellow, and one batter green.
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Over low to medium low heat, melt 1 teaspoon of butter in an 11 inch*** crepe pan or 11 inch nonstick fry pan. Coating the pan in the butter as it melts.
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Using a 1/3 measuring cup, pour 1/3 cup of your yellow batter into the pan. Using a rolling motion with your wrist, swirl batter around the pan as you pour it in. You want it evenly coated with no holes. Let it cook until the edges start to pull away from the pan, about one minute. Flip the crepe and let the other side cook for 30 seconds or until golden brown. Once cooked add to a parchment lined cookie sheet.
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Repeat this process until you've used all the yellow, green, and purple batter. Each color should give you 5 crepes. 15 crepes total. Set aside to cool to room temperature as you start to make your frosting.
If you find your batter is cooking too quick on the pan before you can swirl it around turn your heat down to the lowest setting.
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In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, make whipped cream. Do this by whipping together 1 cup of heavy cream and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Add to an airtight container.
Let cool in the refrigerator while you make your frosting.
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In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer beat together the softened cream cheese and softened butter until pale and fluffy. About 1 minute on medium high. Turn your mixer down to low and add in your confectioners sugar 1/2 cup at a time. Scraping down the sides of the bowl every now and then. Beat until smooth.
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Add in the vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon juice. Beating just enough to incorporate it.
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Using a spatula fold in the whipped cream and chopped pralines until well combined. Be gentle as to not knock out the air in the whipped cream.
Set frosting to the side for assembly.
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On a cake stand or cake plate begin assembling the Crepe King Cake.
Starting with a green crepe as it to the cake stand or cake plate.
Coat the top of the crepe with a thin layer of Praline Cream Cheese Frosting leaving a 1 inch board from the all around the edge. -
Repeat this process until you've stacked all your green crepes, then yellow crepes, and all but one purple crepe.
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Stack your last purple crepe on top of the final layer of frosting.
Cover the Crepe King Cake with food safe plastic wrap. Let refrigerate for 2 hours.
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After it's refrigerated dust with confectioners sugar and sanding sugar. Serve immediately or keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. Though it's best serve day off.
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Optional Decorating: Lay down a Fleur De Lis**** cut out before you add the powder sugar. Dust powder sugar over the Fleur De Lis. Remove the cut out and you have an imprinted Fleur De Lis to top your cake.
*You can also use an immersion blender for a smooth batter quickly.
**I rarely say this but liquid food dye is the better choice here. Something about the batter doesn't mix well with gel food dye.
*** You can use a 9.5 inch non stick pan, as well. Instead of using 1/3 cup of batter, you'll want to use 1/4 cup. You'll end up with 3 extra crepes and an 36 layer crepe cake. You'll have enough frosting to compensate for the change.
**** Fleur De Lis cut out on https://www.elletalk.com/blog/2018/crepe-king-cake/
This recipe is deliciously sweet and crunchy. Plus I just love looking at all those layers. This recipe made for 30 alternating layers of crepes and frosting. If you want a higher cake you can double the recipe for 60 layers or recipe + half for 45 layers. Regardless it’s a show stopper and a fun spin if you’re looking to create something different for Mardi Gras.
You can get the main ingredients for this recipe and more Mardi Gras food at your local Cost Plus World Market store. Find the store closest to you here. Plus you can shop all the Cost Plus World Market products I used in this post down below. Like that gorgeous gold and marble cake stand that I couldn’t leave my Baybrook Cost Plus World Market, without!
What are your plans for Mardi Gras? Do you have any a favorite King Cake flavor? Give me all the details down below!
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