Buckwheat Black Forest Crepe Cake

Chocolate, cream and cherries. What is not to love!

Basic Buckwheat Crepe

3 large eggs
3/4 cup milk
1 cup cup water
1/4 cup hard apple or pear cider
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup buckwheat flour
4 tablespoons melted butter or ghee, plus more for griddle

Combine eggs, milk, water and hard cider in the jar of a bar blender. Process until smooth. Add salt and flour and blend. Add butter and blend just until batter is smooth and the consistency of a nice pourable cream. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight. Let stand at least 30 minutes before using.

Heat griddle over a medium low flame. Brush with melted butter - just so shiny. There should not be a butter puddle. Same as pancakes - first crepe is usually a dud - so be prepared. Pour a scant 1/4 of batter onto griddle. Lift griddle and gentle tip and turn so that batter spreads naturally into a nice even thin circle - you are looking for something with about 1/16 inch thickness.

There are various schools of thought when it comes to crepes. Some believe that they should be flipped and others say no - JAMAIS JAMAIS JAMAIS! In the end it all depends on your mood and/or expertise.

Black Forest Crepe Cake

1 recipe Basic Buckwheat Crepe
1 pint heavy cream
1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar
1 tablespoon kirsch or pure vanilla extract
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
16 ounces brandied or canned sour cherries, drained with a few tablespoons liquid reserved

Prepare crepes as above and let cool. Combine cream, sugar and kirsch or vanilla and whisk to form soft peeks. Starting with a crepe - create layers of crepe, cream, cherries and chocolate - stacking the layers one on top of the other to form a beautiful whimsical cake. Drizzle a bit of cherry juice here and there as you work. Serve immediately.