Blueberry Blintz Crepe Cake
I’ve had crepe cakes on the brain. Last week, I was fighting with a black sesame crepe cake that I’m just not sure will ever see the light of day. I was working on a cream cheese filling for that recipe when, halfway through, I thought, this would be way better with blueberries. I started thinking about blintzes, the Eastern European Jewish dish comprised of a creamy filling wrapped in a thin pancake and baked, often topped with a berry sauce. This blueberry crepe cake became a play on that delicious breakfast/brunch fare — and to take it over the top, lemon juice and lemon zest flavor the crepe batter and cream cheese filling.
For the batch I shot for these photos and videoed for my socials, I didn’t add the gelatin to the blueberry filling, and you might be able to tell that the blueberries oozed out a bit too much, leading to a final product that was delicious, but didn’t cut easily with a fork. (I also didn’t allow it to set for the full three to four hours.) That’s why I added in that tiny bit of gelatin, so the layers wouldn’t slide off in sheets when you went to cut it, and so that the striations we worked so hard for would be neater. If you omit the gelatin, it won’t be the end of the world and it will still taste and look great.
I realize this isn’t the most streamlined recipe. It’s a lot of components and you will use many of your dishes and utensils. You’ll also be spending about an hour cooking the crepes. I’m just trying to level with you.
But take it as a meditative opportunity — it can be pretty relaxing once you get into the groove of it. As for the cream cheese and blueberry filling, those come together in 10 to 15 minutes. You can make this recipe easier by simply replacing the blueberry filling with your favorite berry preserves or jam — it just might not hold together as neatly.
(Serves 8-10)
Ingredients
