Matcha Mille Crepe Cake

Matcha Mille Crepe Cake

This Matcha Mille Crepe Cake is based on a classic French pastry called Gâteau Mille Crêpes. ‘Mille’ literally means ‘thousands’ in French and even though the ‘cake’ is made of 10 to 20 layers, I promise you it feels like thousands when you’re making the crepes! It’s all worth it, though when you cut a slice to reveal all that instagrammable matcha prettiness!

If you’re not a matcha fan, then skip to these Brown Butter Pancakes with Chestnut Ice Cream (perfect for Autumn!) or these Milk Tart Pancakes with Cinnamon Crumble. Matcha fans, step this way!

Matcha Pancakes with vanilla custard cream

What makes matcha tea so special (and expensive) is the fact that it’s made from the best green tea leaves. The leaves are usually grown in the shade to intensify the dark green colour (I won’t bore you with the chlorophyll sciencey stuff) and it also gives a serious boost to the theanine and caffeine.Only the finest tea buds are hand-picked, leaves de-veined and de-stemmed, and then stone-ground make the delicate, fine powder. It can take up to one hour to grind 30 grams of matcha! See, I told you making all those pancakes for this is worth it!

Also, note that matcha comes in different grades; if you’re cooking with it, don’t waste your cash by buying ‘ceremonial grade’. This is the highest quality and the most expensive (it’s supposed to be good enough to be used in temples) but will be wasted if heated to a high heat. Also don’t buy it in large quantities – use it quickly after opening as it oxidizes and loses its flavour quite quickly!

Slice of Matcha Mille Crepe Cake

Matcha Mille Crepe Cake

Serves 8-10 A LITTLE EFFORT 1 hour 30 minutes

Recipe created for Food & Home Entertaining Magazine (March 2018 issue)

 

Matcha Pancakes

375g cake flour

1 tsp salt

6 large eggs

750ml milk

90g salted butter, melted

4 tbsp matcha powder, plus extra for dusting

 

Custard Filling

3 large egg yolks

60g white sugar

30g cornflour

375ml (1 1/2 cups) full cream milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp powdered gelatine bloomed in 1 tbsp water

375ml (1 1/2 cups) cream, whipped to stiff peaks

 

Icing sugar, for dusting

 

To make the pancakes, place the flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Whisk the eggs and milk and whisk into the dry ingredients with the melted butter and the matcha powder. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours. Heat a non-stick pan and ladle a small amount of batter into the pan. Swirl the pan around to evenly coat it with batter. When the edges begin to lift, flip over and cook the other side until brown. Repeat with the remaining batter. This will go faster if you work with two frying pans at a time.

To make the custard filling, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, cornflour and 1/4 cup of the milk together in a large bowl to make a paste. Heat the remaining milk and bring to the boil. Gradually add the hot mixture to the paste while whisking. Return to the heat and whisk continuously over a medium heat until the custard thickens. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the vanilla extract. Soften the gelatin sheet in cold water, squeeze out any excess water and mix into the hot custard. Spread the custard out on a baking tray, cover the surface with clingfilm and allow to cool completely. Once cooled, whisk the custard until smooth, then fold in the whipped cream.

To assemble the Matcha Mille Crepe Cake, put a crêpe on a plate or cake stand then spread with a thin layer of custard cream. Lightly dust with icing sugar and matcha powder. Repeat and stack until the cream and crêpes are used up, finishing with a crepe layer. Chill for 2 hours, then dust with matcha and cut into wedges to serve.

Matcha Tea in a sieve

Tea-Glazed Brioche Doughnut Bites

Tea-Glazed Brioche Doughnut Bites

First off, Tea and doughnuts are totally a thing. They are. There will be none of this coffee-and-doughnuts-are-classic-combination around here, please. Let’s just all admit that tea is as good as coffee. Don’t get me wrong, coffee is ama-zing, but tea? Well, it just might be better.  Especially when it comes to enjoying a cuppa with a doughnut! You see, I’ve never quite known the love that oozes from a hot cuppa tea. It doesn’t ask questions, it doesn’t get your pulse racing – tea just understands, and unlike coffee, each tea has its own… lets call it, personality. Each is designed for specific moments and feelings – but perhaps that’s through memories. Every one of these deliciously-delectably-butter-filled-deep-fried-brioche-doughnut bites has been inspired by my favourite teas and the moments that inspire me to brew them.

Rooibos, is perfect for a cold, chilly day when the rain is pouring down outside. Brewed with a bit of honey and lemon, the steam floating out of the cup… Where’s my blankie?! Cue these Rooibos and Sesame Honey-Glazed Doughnuts.

Then there’s the fragrant, floral Earl Grey tea which I, so lovingly refer to as “Granny Tea”. Why? Because it basically hugs you back after the first sip. And everybody knows that Grannies give the best hugs. If any doughnut could give you a hug it would be these Beetroot Drizzle and Earl Grey Sugar-Coated Doughnuts.

Lastly but not leastly (totally a word) – chai tea. Fragrant, spicy, warm, exotic. One waft of cinnamon ad cloves and you are lost in a spice shop in India. These doughnuts are sugar, spice and all kinds of nice – and they’re good without the chai drizzle too. Because the icing is so good you may find yourself without any left for the doughnuts. But hey, I’m not judging!

Glazed Brioche Doughnut Bites

Makes 30

200ml milk

25g fresh yeast (5g instant yeast)

2 large eggs

500g cake flour

50g butter, softened

50g castor sugar

25g honey

pinch of salt

Finely grated zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon, optional

2 egg yolks

25ml vodka

Vegetable oil, for deep-frying

Place the milk and yeast in the bowl of a mixer and stir to dissolve. Add the eggs, flour, butter, sugar, honey, salt and zest. Using a dough hook, knead the dough for 8-10 minutes or until a soft, smooth dough forms. Cover with clingfilm and allow to rest for 15 minutes. Mix in the egg yolks and  vodka then cover again and allow to rise in a warm place until puffy and doubled in size.

While the dough proves, start making the toppings:

Earl Grey Sugar and Beetroot Drizzle

1/2 cooked beetroot, cut into pieces

2 tbsp (30ml) water

1/2 cup Natura Sugars Demerara Icing Sugar, sifted

1/2 Earl Grey tea bag

3 tbsp (45ml) Natura Sugars Golden Caster sugar

Blend the beetroot and water together until a liquid forms and pour it through a sieve to separate the pulp from the liquid. Mix in 2 to 3 tbsp of the beetroot liquid into the icing sugar and mix until a smooth paste forms and set aside. In a separate bowl, mix half the earl grey teabag into the sugar and set aside.

Lemon, Sesame, Rooibos Honey glaze

2 tbsp (30 ml) hot water

1 rooibos teabag

2 tbsp (30ml) good-quality honey

1/2 lemon

1 tsp (5ml) sesame seeds

Tear the tea bag open and steep in the hot water and strain. Then mix 1 tbsp of the tea with honey, a squeeze of lemon and the sesame seeds.

Chai Tea Drizzle

1 chai tea bag

2 tbsp (30ml) hot water

1/2 cup Natura Sugars Demerara Icing Sugar, sifted

Cinnamon, for dusting

Brew the teabag in the hot water and mix into the icing sugar until it forms a smooth paste.

To finish the doughnuts, preheat the oil to 160°C either in the deep-fryer or in a pot with a thermometer. Knock the air out of the dough by kneading it gently in the bowl. Lightly oil or dust your hands in flour and pull out walnut size chunks of the dough and roll into balls, drop them into the preheated oil and fry them in small batches (5 balls at a time) until golden brown. Once they’re done, place them on paper towel to drain off the oil. Coat the doughnuts with your chosen toppings and enjoy while still warm.

TIP Best enjoyed on the day they’re made – as if I need to tell you that!

Text, recipe and food styling by Cassie Upton