Strawberry crepe cake features delicate buttery crepes layered with strawberry whipped cream, fresh juicy strawberries, and vanilla crumble pieces. It is guaranteed to impress for any occasion!
The fact that strawberry season is year-round makes my strawberry-loving heart so happy.
It means you can make strawberry cinnamon rolls, strawberry shortcake cookies, and now this strawberry crepe cake any time of year!
Crepe cake (also known as mille crepe cake) is the most elegant, yet easy-to-assemble cake you'll ever make. It's perfectly light, not too sweet, and has beautiful layers of buttery french-style crepes, strawberry whipped cream, sweet strawberries, and vanilla crumble pieces!
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why you'll love this strawberry crepe cake recipe
- Homemade crepes: The layers of crepes make every bite melt in your mouth and the batter comes together easily in a blender.
- Show stopper: This summery-inspired cake is a truly elegant and impressive dessert. It's perfect for any occasion, especially Valentine's Day or Mother's Day, and can be made year-round!
- Strawberry flavor: This cake is layered with strawberry whipped cream, fresh strawberry slices, and strawberry jam for the most flavor.
- Make ahead-friendly: Every part of this cake can be easily made in advance and assembled the next day.
ingredient notes & substitutions
Find the full ingredient measurements and instructions in the recipe card below!
Heavy whipping cream: This is the base for our homemade whipped cream. You can not substitute this for any other cream because it will not whip up properly.
Strawberries: You will need both fresh and frozen strawberries. Frozen strawberries are best for whipped cream because they are super mushy and blend well. Fresh strawberries are going to be in between the crepe layers.
Food coloring: Gel food coloring is preferred over liquid because you don't need as much of it and the color is very bright! My favorite brand is Americolor.
Milk: Whole or 2% milk is preferred to give the crepes
recipe instructions
You will need an 8-inch nonstick skillet, crepes are very thin when cooked and will stick easily to one that is not nonstick.
STEP ONE: Make the crepe batter. In a blender, combine the milk, eggs, all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, salt, and food coloring. Blend until smooth, about 30 seconds.
Pour the batter into a mixing bowl or container. Whisk in the melted butter. Cover the top with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least one hour, or overnight.
STEP TWO: Make the shortcake crumble. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, brown sugar, melted butter, and vanilla until crumbly. Chill in the freezer while the oven preheats, then bake for 12 minutes.
Once completely cool, break up the crumb with your hands. You will want it to be pretty small crumbs for layering in between the crepes!
STEP THREE: Cook the crepes. Take the crepe batter out of the fridge and give it a good whisk. Heat a non-stick frying pan over medium-low heat. Scoop a little less than ¼ cup of the batter into the pan. Swirl the pan in a circular motion so that the batter covers the bottom of the pan.
STEP FOUR: Flip the crepe. Cook the crepe for 1 minute. Then using a rubber spatula, loosen the edge of the crepe closest to you. You can either use the spatula or carefully grab the edge with your fingers and flip it.
Cook for another 30 seconds, then transfer the crepe to a plate to cool. Continue the same steps with the remaining batter. You should have roughly 25 crepes in total.
The number of crepes you have will determine the pan size used. If you use a bigger pan, you won't have as many crepes.
STEP FIVE: Make the strawberry whipped cream. In a stand mixing bowl, whisk the cold heavy cream, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt on medium-high speed for 2 minutes, or until you reach a soft peak.
Add the strawberry puree and jam and continue whisking until you reach stiff peaks, about 1-2 minutes longer.
STEP SIX: Assemble the crepe cake. Place the first crepe on your serving plate or cake board. Then spread a thin layer of cream over the crepe.
STEP SEVEN: Add fresh berries and crumble. Add 4-5 thinly sliced strawberries on top of the cream. Then sprinkle some of the vanilla crumbs on top.
Continue these steps until all of the crepes are used. I only used fresh strawberries in every other layer, but you can do every layer if you want!
STEP EIGHT: Decorate! Dollop the remainder of the whipped cream on top of the cake. Garnish with lots of shortbread crumbs and fresh-cut strawberries.
Chill the cake in the fridge for 1 hour before serving, this will chill the cream and make it easier to cut!
expert baking tips
- Use a kitchen scale. Baking with a scale is much more accurate than cup measurements. To convert this recipe, click the "metric" button next to the ingredients title on the recipe card. If you do not have a scale, use a spoon to fluff the flour first, then spoon it into your measuring cup.
- Rest the batter. For extra delicate and melt-in-your-mouth crepes, rest the batter in the refrigerator for at least one hour. Overnight is best!
- Don't overcook the crepes! The texture will turn rubbery if cooked for longer than 1 ½ -2 minutes.
- Plan ahead to tackle it easily! Plan ahead and prep the crepe batter, whipped cream, and crumble the day in advance then assemble the next day.
- Use a non-stick frying pan. This is a MUST! The crepes will stick to the pan and be impossible to flip if not.
- Chill before serving. For best results, chill the cake after assembling it for at least 2-3 hours. This cake has tons of thin and delicate layers, and they will fall apart when cut if not chilled properly!
storage & serving
While this cake is best eaten the day it's made, you can store it in for up to three days.
After the first day, the crepes will absorb some of the whipped cream and the texture will be a bit softer.
Don't let it sit out at room temperature for too long or the cake will get very soft and be impossible to cut.
faqs
A crepe cake is a layered cake made up of french-style crepes and whipped cream. It has a light and delicate texture, kind of like thin pancakes!
Definitely! Your crepe yield may be different but you can definitely use any recipe your heart desires.
Yes! The crepe batter needs to rest to properly hydrate the flour. This will give them a melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Yes! You can use a 9 or 10-inch pan, just know that your cake will be fatter and shorter but still just as delicious!!
While there are a few different components involved, assembling the cake is very easy!
more recipes to try
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Recipe 📖
Strawberry Crumble Crepe Cake
Equipment
- nonstick 8 or 9 inch skillet
Ingredients
Crepe Batter
- 2 cups whole milk
- 4 large eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour *spooned and leveled*
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 small drops of Red food coloring *just enough to make it pink!*
Vanilla Crumb Topping
- ¾ cup + 1 tbsp all-purpose flour *spooned and leveled*
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- â…› cup light brown sugar
- 6 tablespoon unsalted butter melted
- 2 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
Strawberry Whipped Cream
- 1 ¼ cups frozen strawberries defrosted
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pinch fine sea salt
- 3 tablespoon strawberry jam
- 6-8 large fresh strawberries sliced thinly with a mandolin
Instructions
Crepe Batter
- Blend the milk, eggs, flour, sugar, vanilla, food coloring, and salt until smooth, about 30 seconds. It will look like thin pancake batter!If you don't have a blender, whisk everything together until the batter is smooth and lump-free.2 cups whole milk, 4 large eggs, 2 cups all-purpose flour, ½ cup granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, ½ teaspoon fine sea salt, 2 small drops of Red food coloring
- Pour the batter into a mixing bowl or container, then quickly whisk in the melted butter.4 tablespoon unsalted butter
- Cover the bowl and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour, overnight is best!
- When ready to cook, take the batter out of the fridge and give it a good whisk. Then lightly butter a nonstick skillet and place it over medium-low heat.
- Add a little less than ¼ cup of the batter to the pan and swirl it in a circular motion so that it completely covers the bottom of the pan. Don’t swirl it too much where it goes up the sides of the pan.
- Cook for 1 minute, then use a rubber spatula to loosen the edge of the crepe closest to you. Pick it up carefully with your fingers or use the spatula and flip it over. Cook for 30 seconds longer.
- Transfer the crepe to a plate and continue cooking until all of the batter is gone. You should have roughly 20-25 crepes. Set them aside to cool completely before using.
Vanilla Crumb
- Combine the flour, sugar, and brown sugar until combined.¾ cup + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, ½ cup granulated sugar, ⅛ cup light brown sugar
- Then mix in the clear vanilla and melted butter and mix until crumbs form. Chill the crumb in the freezer while the oven preheats to 350 F/180 C. Spread them out onto a parchment-lined tray and bake for 12 minutes, then set them aside to cool completely.The crumb will have baked together some. Once cooled, break it up into small crumbs.6 tablespoon unsalted butter, 2 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
Strawberry Whipped Cream
- Blend the defrosted strawberries until smooth. You should have about ½ cup of puree. Keep in the fridge until ready to use.1 ¼ cups frozen strawberries
- In a stand mixer, whisk the heavy cream, powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt on medium-high speed for 2 minutes until you are almost at a soft peak.2 cups heavy whipping cream, ½ cup powdered sugar, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, Pinch fine sea salt
- Add the strawberry puree and jam. Continue whisking until you reach a stiff peak, about 1-2 minutes longer.3 tablespoon strawberry jam
Assembly
- Place the first crepe on your serving plate or cake stand.
- Spread 1-2 tablespoons of the whipped cream in an even layer over the crepe.
- Add 4-5 thinly sliced strawberries then sprinkle 1-2 teaspoons of the crumbs.I only add strawberry slices every other layer. So you will have a layer of whipped cream with strawberries and crumble pieces, then the next layer will just be whipped cream and crumble pieces.6-8 large fresh strawberries
- Repeat layering crepes, filling, fresh strawberries, and vanilla crumble. Top with the final and last crepe.
- Dollop the remainder of the cream on top of the cake. Garnish with fresh strawberries and more crumble.
- Chill the cake in the fridge for a minimum of 2-3 hours, this will set the cream and make it easier to cut into clean slices!
Notes
-
- Use a kitchen scale. Baking with a scale is much more accurate than cup measurements. To convert this recipe, click the "metric" button next to the ingredients title on the recipe card. If you do not have a scale, use a spoon to fluff the flour first, then spoon it into your measuring cup.
-
- Rest the batter. For extra delicate and melt-in-your-mouth crepes, rest the batter in the fridge for at least one hour. Overnight is best!
-
- Don't overcook the crepes! Crepes are very thin and only need about 2 minutes max to cook.
-
- Plan ahead to tackle it easily! Plan ahead and prep the crepe batter, whipped cream, and shortbread crumble the day in advance then assemble the next day.
-
- Use a non-stick frying pan. This is a MUST! The crepes will stick to the pan and be impossible to flip if not.
-
- Chill before serving. For best results, chill the cake in the fridge after assembling it for at least 2-3 hours. This cake has tons of thin and delicate layers, and they will fall apart when cut if not chilled properly!
- Store the cake in the fridge (lightly covered it longer than one day) for up to three days!
- This cake should be kept in the fridge after 1-2 hours of serving or the whipped cream will start to soften.
Sarahlee says
What's not to love about this?! It took me the whole day with chilling time and assembly, but it was worth it. My kids were so happy to hep with the layering of the crepes and even happier to eat it. I couldn't wait the recommended chill time of 2-3 hours before slicing into it. Tomorrow, I'll have a slice with a glass of rose. Thank you, Cambrea, for this recipe!
Cambrea Gordon says
I loved seeing the reel on Instagram, thanks so much for trying it and leaving such a kind review Sarahlee!
michelle says
I just made this today, and added a bit too much red so it's not pink, but it matches the strawberries! lol Getting the crepes right is the hardest part, but once you get that its all down hill. I have always wanted to try this type of cake and I can't wait to eat it.. it's in the fridge marinated. It looks great and I'm proud of myself!
Cambrea Gordon says
Yay! So happy to hear that Michelle! I'm very proud of you, and I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Lee Kwan says
This recipe is very creative and fun! I am excited to see more of your creation.
Cambrea Gordon says
Aw, thank you Lee! I hope you give it a try!
Anastasia says
Stunning! Definitely break this cake up into segments, then just assemble the day of! Also make sure to follow the chill instruction before serving, otherwise the tall slices will fall over when you cut into it! Everyone loved this cake, please make more flavors!!
Cambrea Gordon says
That is so wonderful to hear, thanks Anastasia!