Lemon Blueberry Crepe Torte
Many layers of goodness, make for your special occasion or your special someone.
Lemon Cake Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 Tbsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 Tbsp lemon juice, about 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup buttermilk, see below for substitution
FOR THE LEMON SYRUP:
1/4 cup lemon juice, about 1 lemon
3 Tbsp powdered sugar
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease a 9-inch springform pan.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, lemon zest, and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using an electric mixer), cream the butter and sugar together at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 4-6 minutes. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.
With the mixer running on low-speed, add the eggs, one at a time, then beat in the vanilla extract and lemon juice. Beat on medium-high speed until combined.
With the mixer on low, add about one-third of the flour mixture and mix until almost combined, then add half the buttermilk and mix until just combined. Repeat with another third of flour mixture and then the last half of the buttermilk, ending with the last third of the flour. Beat until just incorporated.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25-35 minutes until the cake is golden brown and a toothpick comes out mostly clean with only a couple moist crumbs. Baking times vary, so keep an eye on yours.
Let the cake cool for about 15 minutes in the pan. Stir together the lemon juice and confectioners’ sugar for the lemon syrup, then brush the syrup on the cake while it’s still warm. Allow cake to cool completely.
While cake bakes, prepare the crepes.
Crepe ingredients
2 cups milk, (use 2%)
4 large eggs
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter , melted and slightly cooled
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon fine sea salt or table salt
1 ½ cups pastry flour, sifted, if desired
1 lemon, zested and juiced
In a blender, blend milk, eggs, butter, sugar, vanilla, salt, flour, and lemon zest and juice 15 to 20 seconds, or until batter is smooth. Chill at least 30 minutes, or overnight.
Spray nonstick cooking spray onto an 8-inch frying pan. Pour about 1/4 cup batter into the pan and cook over medium-low heat. Turn pan immediately from side to side to form an even circle. Cook 1 to 2 minutes per side, or until lightly browned. Remove from heat and stack on a plate. Reserve at room temperature.
Prepare the Lemon Filling
2 (14-ounce) cans full-fat sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cup (180ml) fresh lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
4 large egg yolks (reserve the egg whites for the meringue, follows)
Whisk the sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice, and egg yolks together in a heat proof mixing bowl. Place the bowl on a small pot of simmering water (do not boil), constantly stirring, cook the mixture until it slightly thickens.
Blueberry Topping Ingredients
1 ½ cups, blueberries, fresh or frozen
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ cup plain water
3 gelatin sheets 1 envelope-0. 25 oz. granulated gelatin or 1 tablespoon powdered gelatin
To make the top of the cheesecake, place water and sugar in a pot on the stove and bring to a boil.
Add the berries to the syrup and bring to a boil again and then turn heat off. Do not simmer the berries preserve the shape of the fruit. Remove and let cool for a few minutes.
Hydrate the gelatin and add it to your warm syrup. Mix gently to make sure the gelatin dissolves completely in the syrup.
Pour the fruits with the syrup over the built cake (see assembly below) and refrigerate overnight.
Note: How to hydrate the gelatin:
For gelatin sheets- Grab a big bowl with icy water and place the gelatin sheets in the water. Make sure the gelatin is covered in water. Let the gelatin hydrate for 3-4 minutes until soft. Remove the gelatin from the water and squeeze the water excess, then use the gelatin according to the recipe.
For the gelatin in envelopes, follow the instructions on the package.
Meringue Ingredients
4 large egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 cup sugar
Instructions
Remove eggs from the refrigerator and separate, as they will separate best cold.
Allow egg whites to reach room temperature to allow them to whip to their fullest.
Pour eggs whites into a spotlessly-clean bowl.
Whip the egg whites until they are glossy and smooth, then add the cream of tartar to help the egg whites hold their form.
Slowly add the sugar to the egg whites a tablespoon at a time, beating after each addition until the sugar is incorporated. Continue beating until stiff peaks form. Reserve
Assemble the Torte
Loosen the cake from the sides and bottom of the springform pan, leave in the pan however. Spread a small amount of the lemon filling over the cake. Top the filling with a crepe, spread more filling over the crepe and continue to alternate crepe and filling until the filling is used up. Be sure to finish with a crepe. Spread the blueberry topping over the cake, refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.
Preheat the oven to 400° F (200°C).
Pipe or spread the meringue on top of pre-baked or no-bake dessert, place about 4 inches under the oven heating element and bake for about 10 minutes, until golden. Remove the springform pan and place the cake on a platter.
Slice and serve with Lemon Blueberry sauce.
Ingredients
6 tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons cornstarch
4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1 cup water
2 1/2 cups fresh blueberries, divided
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel
Instructions
Whisk sugar, cornstarch, and fresh lemon juice in medium saucepan until cornstarch dissolves. Add 1 cup water and half of blueberries. Bring to boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer 2 minutes, crushing blueberries coarsely with potato masher. Remove from heat. Stir in remaining 1 1/4 cups blueberries and grated lemon peel. Using an immersion blender of food processor, blend sauce until smooth. Serve warm or at room temperature.
DO AHEAD Sauce can be made 4 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Bring sauce to room temperature or rewarm before using.