This impressive tiramisu crepe cake features 25 paper-thin homemade crepes, 24 layers of fluffy tiramisu filling, dustings of cocoa powder, and is finished with sweet whipped cream on top. It’s almost unbelievable that such a fancy cake is totally doable in your home kitchen. There’s no baking involved and everything can be prepped in advance! The cake is 8 inches wide and about 7 inches tall with the whipped cream on top.
At first glance, does this look like a stack of tortillas with sour cream? Because as I was editing these photos, I kept seeing things. Or maybe I was just craving tacos. HA!
In all seriousness, this is CREPE CAKE. Here we have over 2 dozen delicately thin crepes stacked high with tiramisu-inspired mascarpone filling. The mascarpone features rich espresso flavor and is spiked with a hint of rum. We’re reaching new levels with this mile high crepe cake, also known as mille crepe or Gรขteau de Crรชpes in French. This show-stopping dessert is becoming increasingly popular in American bakeries and since we aren’t able to do much travel these days, why not try this lovely dessert in your home kitchen?
I promise you can handle it.
This Tiramisu Crepe Cake Is:
- Secretly simple (I promise! My instructions are super detailed.)
- Creamy & light
- Boozy, but you can skip the alcohol if desired
- Best made ahead of time
- Perfect if you’re searching for a unique cake
One reader, Catherine, commented: “My Italian husband asked for tiramisu, but I didn’t want the same old same old. This fit the bill. It is SO GOOD! Husband can’t stop talking about it. This recipe has quickly taken its place as one of our favorites. โ โ โ โ โ ”
Let’s Review How to Make Tiramisu Crepe Cake
The full printable recipe is below, but letโs walk through it quickly so you understand each step before you get started.
- Make the crepes. Crepe batter must chill for 30-60 minutes before cooking, then it usually takes about an hour to cook them all.
- Make the tiramisu filling. You can do this ahead of time. More on the filling below.
- Assemble the crepe cake. If you know how to spread creamy filling onto a crepe (like spreading butter on bread!), you can assemble a crepe cake. Using a fine mesh strainer, dust each layer of filling with cocoa powder. If you don’t have one, skip the cocoa powder or use your fingers to sprinkle it on top.
- If desired, pipe whipped cream on top.
- Chill cake for at least 3 hours before slicing and serving. This time in the refrigerator helps the flavors develop and more importantly, allows the cake to set. If skipped, you won’t be able to slice it.
Homemade Crepes
Do you know how to make homemade crepes? I have a detailed Homemade Crepes tutorial that sets you up for success. After you read about the proper techniques and watch the video tutorial, you’ll find that crepes are relatively simple. (And anyone who tried them for Sally’s Baking Challenge earlier this year can agree. Much easier than expected!)
- We’re using the same crepes recipe, only doubled. I switched around the milk:water ratio and since this is dessert, I added a little more sugar. A little extra sugar helped crisp up the edges. These crepes taste incredible by themselves or in a cake.
The recipe below yields about 28 crepes. Use 25 in this cake. It’s always convenient to have a few extra on hand if any crepes tear. Or let’s be serious, if you want to taste test.
Crepes Success Tips
- Chill the batter: I include this in the written recipe below, but itโs definitely worth explaining. One secret to the best crepes is to chill the crepe batter for at least 30-60 minutes and up to 1 day. This time in the refrigerator enhances the batterโs flavor and gives the flour a chance to fully hydrate.
- Butter the pan between each crepe: The best part of crepes is their thin and delicately crisp edges. To achieve this, butter the pan between EACH crepe. Sounds like a pain, but just grab a stick of butter and coat the pan before adding more batter. You wonโt regret it.
- Twirl the pan: Pour the batter into the center of the hot and buttered pan. Lift the pan up and twirl it so the batter stretches as far out as it can go. (The thinner the crepe, the better texture it hasโtrust me.) This crucial technique is much easier than it sounds and you can watch me do it my crepes video tutorial.
Tiramisu Filling
Tiramisu is a timeless Italian dessert and easily one of the most popular desserts in the world. I love using its flavors in other ways. Like traditional tiramisu, this filling is made in a couple different parts. Whip heavy cream into medium peaks (I like to add rum!), set aside, then beat mascarpone, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, and espresso together until creamy. For the espresso, simply combine warm water and espresso powder togetherโwe’ll make it very strong so we aren’t using too much liquid. Fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture. Have no fear if the filling looks a little curdledโit doesn’t taste that way in the cake.
- You will love this tiramisu inspired filling. It yields about 4 cups, which is plenty to use as a filling inside a 2 or 3 layer cake. (Maybe in vanilla cake?)
- If you’re not into these flavors, use my homemade whipped cream as the filling instead. Feel free to flavor the whipped cream with a little cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, almond extract, coconut extract, lemon extract, or however you’d like. You could even top it with chocolate ganache!
Here are a few step-by-step photos of the filling. The whipped cream + rum, then the mascarpone mixture:
Combine both to yield a fluffy mousse-like filling:
Let’s Assemble The Cake
If assembling or decorating a traditional layer cake intimidates you, you’re in luck. For a crepe cake, all you have to do is spread and stack. Start with a dollop of filling on your cake stand or serving plate, which helps keep the tall cake in place. Place your bottom crepe securely on top, then spread a heaping 2 Tablespoons of filling on it. Dust with cocoa powder. Repeat until everything is used up. This goes pretty quickly if you have a baking buddy helping out!
Baker’s Tip: The tiramisu filling uses 1 and 1/2 cups of heavy cream. If you pick up a pint of heavy cream, you’ll have 1/2 cup leftover and you can use that for your whipped cream topping! I piped the whipped cream, but you can simply spread it on top if you’d like. If you have extra, feel free to spread it all around the edges of the cake too. I skip that, so mine is more of a naked-style crepe cake.
What’s the Texture Like?
Are you familiar with my berry icebox cake? Icebox cake is essentially cookies or graham crackers layered with a creamy fillingโexactly like tiramisu. After refrigerating or freezing, the graham crackers/cookies take on a super soft texture. The whole dessert tastes like mousse or a slightly textured creamy trifle. It’s delicious. We have the same texture here! After chilling for a couple hours, you can slide a fork right through each slice.
Helpful Tools:
- A blender works WONDERFULLY to smooth out the crepe batter because it cuts that flour perfectly into all the wet ingredients. If you donโt have a blender, just use a mixing bowl and whisk. I use my Ninja Blender. (affiliate link*)
- Though professional chefs may use a specialty crepe pan, I find a Small 8-inch Skillet (affiliate link*) works perfectly at home. If you donโt have a small skillet, use a larger one but make sure you keep the crepes THIN.
- Offset Spatula for spreading the filling.
- Fine Mesh Strainer for dusting cocoa powder.
- Large Round Piping Tip (and a disposable or reusable piping bag) for whipped cream topping.
Tiramisu Crepe Cake
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 5 hours (includes chilling)
- Yield: serves 8
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: French
Description
This recipe yields a 50 layer 8-inch wide crepe cake. Make sure you chill the crepe batter in the refrigerator before cooking the crepes and chill the assembled cake before serving. With the piped whipped cream on top, this cake is about 7 inches tall.
Ingredients
- 6 Tablespoons (85g)ย unsalted butter, plus 5 more Tablespoons (71g) for the pan
- 2 cups (250g)ย all-purpose flourย (spooned & leveled)
- 1/4 cup (50g)ย granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoonย salt
- 2 cups (480ml) whole milk, at room temperature*
- 1/2 cup (120ml) room temperature water
- 4ย largeย eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Tiramisu Filling
- 2 teaspoonsย espresso powder*
- 2 teaspoonsย warm water
- 1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) cold heavy cream
- 1 Tablespoon (15ml) rum or Grand Marnier* (optional)
- 8 ounces (1 cup) mascarpone, cold or at room temperature
- 1 cup (120g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup (21g) unsweetened natural or dutch-process cocoa powder (optional)
Whipped Cream Topping
- 1/2 cup (120ml) cold heavy cream
- 1 Tablespoon (15ml) rum or Grand Marnier* (optional)
- 2 Tablespoons (15g) confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon unsweetened natural or dutch-processย cocoa powder (optional)
Instructions
- If you’ve never made crepes before, I strongly recommend reviewing my How to Make Crepes tutorial post, which includes plenty of helpful success tips and a video tutorial.
- Make the crepes batter: Melt 6 Tablespoons of butter in the microwave or on the stove. Cool for about 5 minutes before using in the next step. The remaining butter is for the skillet.
- Add the cooled melted butter, flour, sugar, salt, milk, water, eggs, and vanilla in a blender or large food processor. If you donโt have a blender or food processor, use a large mixing bowl and whisk by hand. Blend on medium-high speed for 20-30 seconds until everything is combined. The mixture will be silky smooth and the consistency of cream, much thinner than pancake batter. Cover the blender tightly or pour into a medium bowl, cover tightly, and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour and up to 1 day. This time in the refrigerator is imperative because it gives the flour a chance to become fully hydrated.
- Cook the crepes: Use the remaining butter for greasing the pan between each crepe. Place an 8-inch skillet over medium heat and generously grease it with some of the reserved butter. If you donโt have a skillet this size, use a larger one but make sure you keep the crepes thin. Once the skillet is hot, pour 3-4 Tablespoons (closer to 3 is best) of batter into the center of the pan. Tilt/twirl the pan so the batter stretches as far as it will go. The thinner the crepe, the better the texture. Cook for 1-2 minutes, then flip as soon as the bottom is set. Donโt wait too long to flip crepes or else they will taste rubbery. Cook the other side for 30 seconds until set. Transfer the cooked crepe to a large plate and repeat with the remaining batter, making sure to butter the pan between each crepe. If desired, separate each crepe with parchment paper so they do not stick together. Though, if using enough butter in your pan, the crepes wonโt stick. Yields about 28 crepes.
- Loosely cover and set your crepes aside at room temperature as you prepare the tiramisu filling. You can also tightly cover and refrigerate the crepes for up to 1 day. Crepes must be room temperature or cold before you begin assembling the cake.
- Make the tiramisu filling: First part of the tiramisu filling is to prepare concentrated espresso flavoring. Using a fork, mix the espresso powder and warm water together in a very small bowl. Set aside to cool down for a few minutes. You will mix it with the mascarpone. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream and rum (if using) together on medium-high speed until medium peaks form, about 3-4 minutes. Medium peaks are between soft/loose peaks and stiff peaks. Set whipped cream aside. With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the mascarpone, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, and cooled espresso liquid together on medium speed in a large bowl until combined and smooth, about 2 minutes. Fold the whipped cream into the mascarpone mixture. Don’t worry if it looks curdledโmine sometimes doesโit doesn’t taste that way and will smooth out when it’s stacked in the cake. Use filling immediately or cover and chill in the refrigerator for up to 1 day. Yields about 4 cups filling.
- Assemble the cake: Spread 1-2 teaspoons of filling on the center of your cake stand or cake serving plate. This helps adhere the cake to the plate. Place a crepe on top. Spread about 2 heaping Tablespoons of filling evenly on top. If desired, dust with cocoa powder. Repeat layering crepes, filling, and a dusting of cocoa powder. Top with final and last crepe.
- Whipped Cream Topping: You can frost the cake with whipped cream before or after chilling the cake in the refrigerator in step 9. My adviceโI find it tastes better and slices easier if you chill the cake WITH the whipped cream on top. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip the heavy cream, rum (if using), and confectioners’ sugar together on medium-high speed until medium peaks form, about 3-4 minutes. Medium peaks are between soft/loose peaks and stiff peaks and are the perfect consistency for spreading or piping. Spread or pipe whipped cream on top of the cake. If you have extra, feel free to spread all around the sides of the cake too. If desired, dust with cocoa powder.
- Refrigerate the cake for at least 3 hours and up to 1 day before serving. Chilling the cake in the refrigerator is imperative because the cake won’t slice otherwise. No need to cover the cake if you’re chilling it for only 3 hours. If chilling longer than that, I recommend loosely covering the cake.
- Cover leftover cake and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: Crepe batter, cooked crepes, filling, and assembled cake can all be prepared in advance. See the end of step 3, step 5, the end of step 6, and step 9. To freeze, prepare cake through step 8, but do not dust with cocoa powder on top. Tightly cover and freeze for up to 3 months. Remove from the freezer, evenly dust the top with cocoa, then thaw in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours. (Can thaw covered or uncovered.)
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Blender or Glass Mixing Bowl and Whisk | 8-inch Skillet | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Offset Spatula | Fine Mesh Strainer | Large Round Piping Tip | Piping Bag (Reusable or Disposable)
- Milk:ย I prefer whole milk in the crepe batter. For a richer tasting crepe, half-and-half or heavy cream work too. 2% is OK, but I wouldnโt use lower fat milks. Any low fat or full fat nondairy milk works too.
- Espresso Powder: You need very strong espresso for the filling. Here we are making it using espresso powder and water. If you can’t find espresso powder, use instant coffee powder instead. You can also use 1 Tablespoon of super super super strong room temperature or cold black coffee instead of the espresso powder/water.
- Alcohol: The filling and whipped cream topping include alcohol. I recommend rum or Grand Marnier. Skip the alcohol for a non-alcoholic version. No need to replace it with anything.
- Cocoa Powder: Dusting cocoa powder between each layer, as well as on top of the crepe cake, is optional. If using, you can use natural or dutch-process cocoa. I like to use this brand of dutch-process cocoa.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Celiac here so I used King Arthurโs 1:1 flour. They turned great.
Can I make this without the esspresso powder? and rum?
Hi Emilie, If you canโt find espresso powder, use instant coffee powder instead. You can also use 1 Tablespoon of super super super strong room temperature or cold black coffee instead of the espresso powder/water. The rum is optional – you can skip it.
I made a crepe cake a number of years ago. We all really liked it. But I don’t think it had tiramasu in it. Did you used to have a different recipe.
Hi Mona, We have a recipe for crepes, but this is the only crepe cake recipe we’ve ever had.
I recommend making half the amount of whipped topping in the recipe, I ended up with WAY too much. Overall, there was a lot of filling, it was good, but almost too much. I recommend making two shorter cakes to make serving easier, as opposed to one tall cake. The tiramisu filling was phenomenal. The crรชpe recipe was so good. Overall the combination is slightly odd but very good. Looking back, I would rather have just put a thin layer of the tiramisu filling on a single crรชpe and rolling it up, doing so wouldโve made consumption much less messy, especially if you plan on serving it at an event.
This recipe is tops! I totally recommend it!
Love this recipe! My husband isn’t a fan of tiramisu flavors so I was wondering if the filling could be subbed out with the simplified chocolate mousse from your dark chocolate mousse cake or if you would recommend whipped chocolate ganache instead for the filling?
Hi Kelly, we listed some other options above. You need about 4 cups of filling for the cake:
If youโre not into these flavors, use my homemade whipped cream as the filling instead. Feel free to flavor the whipped cream with a little cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, almond extract, coconut extract, lemon extract, or however youโd like. You could even top it with chocolate ganache!
Thanks Michelle. I had read the entire post including the alternate filling options listed above but was looking for a chocolate filling option, not just ganache on the top as that wonโt give chocolate in every bite flavorโฆ hence the question. Sorry I wasnโt clear in my ask. Guess Iโll see if I can find a chocolate whipped cream to use. Had hoped for a richer chocolate flavor.
Baked 50 pounds of this. Was shockingly delicious. Stuffed the whole thing right into my face! Great for parties and sacrificial rituals. We typically had the annual ceremonial execution in my hometown with some coarse rye bread and a glass of wine, so this will be a spectacular addition to the table. Cheers xx
What fabulously detailed directions and tips/tricks! This turned out AMAZING! Made it for a local charity Dessert Dash and it brought in $1050. Thank you!!
Why is this not a double of the ingredients of the plain crepes receipe despite doubling from 14 to 28 crepes? Which do I follow for plain crepe making? Thankz
Hi Frances, for regular crepes, here is our crepe recipe.
Can I use cream cheese instead of mascarpone as that is something I donโt have
Hi Amy, You should be able to use the same amount of block style cream cheese instead. Enjoy!
My Italian husband asked for tiramisu but I didnโt want the same old same old. This fit the bill. It is SO GOOD! Husband canโt stop talking about it. This recipe has quickly taken its place as one of our favorites.
Hello! Can we make the dessert the a day in advance and store in the fridge? Or is it best to assemble crepes and cream together on the day of?
Hi Devika, you can store the assembled cake in the refrigerator up to 1 day before serving, so that should work just fine!
This was so delicious! Not too sweet.
I had never made crepes before,but after the first 3 they all came out perfect. My finished cake cake was a little under 7 inches but was still nice and tall. I used Khalua instead of rum
I love the cake stand! Can I ask where you bought it?
Hi Allesandra! This cake stand was purchased many years ago from Pier 1.
I made a keto version of this recipe for Christmas dinner. Used a cream cheese almond flour crepe recipe and substituted powdered Swerve in the filling and topping. The flavors were spot on, just a hint of rum, and the cake was impressive. Thanks for the inspiration!
I made this today for Thanksgiving. I doubled the recipe and was able to 35 crepes and a nice size cake. A quick shortcut for the filling: toss everything in to a mixing bowl and blend with an immersion blender until creamy. It makes a creamy texture and easy to spread as well. I smoothed the edges and skipped the whipped topping. Absolutely delicious!
Hi Lisa, did you even put the whipped cream and rum in with the mascarpone, or you whipped those separately? Getting ready to make this tomorrow and your filling shortcut sounds really helpful.
I asked my daughter to pick any cake from Sallyโs Baking Addiction for her 20th birthday. She chose this one which initially looked daunting. But it was relatively straightforward and easy to make. Also it tasted great! This one is a keeper. Thanks so much for making baking less intimidating.
So glad it was a hit for your daughter’s birthday, Rosemary!
Made this cake. Amazing !!! Crepe mixture was Alittle too thick so I added alittle bit of carbonated water and it was great. And instead of sprinkling cocao I added that amount to the cream. Mixed it with powered sugar . It is out of this world !!!
I try to cook with less flour, so Iโm wondering if I can use half all purpose flour and half almond or coconut flour? Just wondering what you thought of thatโฆ Also using a Splenda-based confection sugar would cut the calories for me, but I donโt know what it will do to the consistency and flavor. Thoughts or alternatives for those of us who love tiramisu but donโt need the calories.
Hi Penny! It may be best to search for a recipe using those ingredients as adapting this recipe likely won’t have the intended results.
I used a different crepe recipe, but your filling. Decided Iโll never make a crepe again-haha-but got great reviews on the cake.
I made this for a dinner party last night. Everyone thought it was delicious. While it was a labor of love so worth it. Followed all of the directions to a t and had more than enough crepe batter and it was moist not dry as others indicated. Will definitely make again. Thank you. I have made many of your recipes and enjoyed all of them.
Made it for the first time but ran into a few issues. Hopefully they can be answered by the assistants here.
1. At 3 Tbsp of batter per crepe (43g per crepe), the batter is enough to make 28 crepes. However the author suggests pouring 3-4 Tbsp of batter per crepe which is a wide range and changes things quite a bit. Since this was my first time making it and I found it challenging to twirl all the batter around a 8″ non-stick skillet, I was only able to squeeze 22 crepes out of the batter as I often found myself using 3.5~ Tbsp per crepe.
2. After assembling 22 crepes + 22 layers of filling plus a layer of piped whip cream at the top, my cake was still less than 3″ high… how did the author reach 7″ in height? Was there an error in the recipe where we were not provided enough filling? Is the suggested measurement of “2 heaping tablespoons” not enough? Because when I tasted the cake, it tasted more crepe-y instead of creamy, and now when I cross reference between different recipes I am seeing pictures where the cream layers are more defined and thicker. Other recipes are calling for 1:1 ratio of crepe to cream/filling, so a 43g crepe should have 43g of cream/filling to match, yet we were only told to put “2 heaping tablespoons” which is ~30g at best. Meanwhile my crepes were closer to 50g (3.5 Tbsp) which means i was missing almost double the cream/filling per layer.
Thoughts on my observations? Thanks in advance.
Hi CH, Thank you for trying this recipe. We do suggest closer to 3 TBS to get more crepes. So as you noticed, using a bit more batter will yield slightly fewer (but still delicious!) crepes. Your tiramisu filling should be very light and fluffy. It yields about 4 cups, did you get that much? We compare volume instead of weight here because the same amount of crepe is heavier than the same amount of whipped filling (the filling is lighter per TBS). Hopefully that makes sense!
I absolutely love this recipe and will definitely be making it again!!!
Can this be made in a larger pan for a larger cake?
Can you use coffee extract instead of espresso powder?
If so how much.
Thank you
Hi Georgann, you could use coffee extract instead — we’d start with about 1/2 teaspoon and taste / adjust to your liking. See recipe notes for some other options as well.
My turkey baster allowed the perfect amount of batter for each crepe with very little mess – enjoyed the process of this cake, thanks for sharing!
what can i use instead of the mascarpone?
Hi Gig! You should be able to use the same amount of block style cream cheese instead. Enjoy!
What are you doing to me Sally? I’ve been looking for something like this since I saw it on the Great British Bake-Off. And tiramisu – that checks all the blocks for me!