Buckwheat Black Forest Crepe Cake

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.