Nutella Crepe Cake will take you on a flavor ride straight to Europe. This easy-to-make, yet impressive cake will be sure to “wow” your friends and family.
Nutella Crepe Cake features one of my most popular recipes – crepes! My readers have given me plenty of positive feedback on my many crepe recipes and I figured it was time to make something fresh and new. What better way to do that than to make a decadent crepe cake?
This no-bake cake features layers of crepe separated by layers of Nutella pastry creme. That’s right! You can have your favorite breakfast crepe in cake form and eat it too.
In my home, we are absolutely crazy about our crepes! If you like this recipe, try out some of our other popular recipes. This baked crepe dish is to-die-for. If you are in the mood for something savory, try out this quirky recipe for Stuffed Chicken Crepe Pockets.
A Bit of Crepe Cake History
Crepe cake was invented by the French back in the 1800s. Referred to as “mille crepe,” the word “mille” meaning “a thousand,” is known throughout France as a cake with many layers. Today, the Japanese have become a huge fan of this cake and made their own variations, often with green tea or matcha-flavored crepe pancakes. YUM!
Crepe Cake can be made with an endless amount of flavor combinations. I have seen strawberry, caramel and chocolate crepe cakes. I have even seen a rainbow crepe cake cleverly made with food coloring! Since my family is obsessed with Nutella, I just had to recreate this French staple with our favorite chocolate hazelnut spread.
How to Make Crepes
Awhile back, I made a guide for making the perfect crepes. Like I said before, you guys have given me such great (and appreciated!) positive feedback on my crepes. Therefore, I wanted to put together my best tips and tricks for making these flat and tasty treats. Follow the guide in the link above for the most stress-free crepe making!
If you don’t have time to read through my guide, let me give you a quick and easy low-down on crepe making. Follow these steps for success:
- Heat a nonstick skillet to medium heat and grease it up with melted butter.
- Place batter directly in the middle of the pan. Swirl the batter by tilting the pan until you get one, even layer.
- Cook the crepe until golden brown on each side (about 1-2 minutes per side).
- Melt more butter (or using a cooking spray) in the pan between each crepe to prevent sticking!
Crepe Cake Cream
Nutella buttercream is so dreamy. I use a variation of it in so many of my desserts, including Chocolate Nutella Banana Cake, Ferrero Rocher Cake and Chocolate Hazelnut Cake. For this crepe cake recipe I have a combination of butter, cocoa powder, condensed milk and Nutella. This combo is so incredible between crepe layers.
Assembling Your Crepe Cake
After you prepare your crepes, make sure you allow them to cool down completely before you start assembling your layers. If you don’t allow the crepes to cool, they will heat the Nutella cream and you will have a slippery and slidy mess! First, start with a stack of at least three plain crepes on your cake plate (this will serve as a base to promote sturdiness). Then, using a rubber spatula, spread the cream evenly over the top crepe. From that point on, you will repeat the process until you run out of crepes and cream! Just make sure to leave three plain crepes for the top layer.
Unlike most other cakes, crepe cake has to set in the refrigerator for at least 60 minutes before serving. This helps it keep its shape and it also enhances the flavor. After you assemble your crepe cake, you will wrap it tightly with plastic wrap to prevent the layers from sliding off before they set.
How Long Can you Keep Crepe Cake?
If you have any leftover cake, store it in an airtight cake container in the fridge or cover it tightly with plastic wrap on a plate. Crepe cake stays fresh for up to a week but I highly doubt it will last that long😉.
More Nutella Recipes
Recipe
Ingredients
To Make Crepes
- 6 eggs
- 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 cup flour
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder
- 2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup oil
Crepe Cake Cream
- 1 1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 3 tbsp cocoa powder
- 14 oz condensed milk
- 1/2 cup Nutella
Instructions
- Make crepes according to crepe recipe instructions. The best size for the crepes would be 8 inches. The recipe makes about 15 crepes.
- In a stand-up mixer, combine butter together with cocoa powder, condensed milk and Nutella. Whisk until the mixture is perfectly smooth.
- Apply an equal amount of cream between each layer of crepe.
- Apply the remaining cream on the outside. You can cover the edges or leave the raw look of the crepes.
- Decorate the top with some hazelnuts and chocolate. Let it rest for at least 10 hours before serving.
Hello. I made the creme ahead of time so I can make the crepe tomorrow. I put it in fridge till tomorrow. Is that ok?
Hi Kathy, yes, that should be just fine. But you would need to bring cream to a room temperature because it will not be spreadable if it's cold. Keep me posted.
Hello. I am wanting to try this recipe but I am unsure how long to let it rest in the refrigerator. 60 minutes or 10 hours. Thank you.
Hi Danielle, this crepe cake has to set in the refrigerator for at least 60 minutes before serving. You do not have to wait 10 hours.
hi natalya, i’m planning on making theses but i want a smaller cake, can i half the whole recipe and make smaller crepes instead?
Hey, yes, you can cut the recipe in half and use a smaller crepe pan. Enjoy
What size of pan do you recommend for half of the mixture?
Hey there- if you halve the recipe, you would still use the same size pan for crepes, you would just end up with half the amount of crepes. Enjoy!
Fantastic recipe. I needed an extra 1/2 C of flour in the crepe batter, but otherwise perfect. For those struggling with the consistency of the cream, are you sure you used condensed milk and not evaporated?
I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe, thank you for taking the time to comment and for your helpful tips!
Any tips on how to keep the crepes from absorbing the cream? After chilling overnight my cream layers became almost nonexistent and the crepes layers became moist. The cake tasted amazing 😊, however it did not look as visually appealing without the thick layers of cream in between the crepes.
Hey, I think the best thing to do is to add more cream or refrigerate the cake the entire time. Hope this helps. Thanks
Did not enjoy. 1/2 Cup of oil for the batter makes a super greasy crepe. Oil does not blend well, butter would be a better option.Would not recommend.
Hi Frank, you can use butter but keep in mind butter does harden as it sits in the dough and at that point, it doesn't blend at all. What type of it did you use? I never ran into an issue with blending when I used oil.
Made this twice already! My husband loved it. Your recipes are always a hit!
Yay, if the husband approves it has to be good 🙂 I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe, thank you for commenting.
Hello, I had the same problem where the cream was very flowly and heavy. When I applied the cream onto the crepes, it fell apart afterwards. The crepes were completely cooled before I applied the cream. Any idea where I went wrong with the cream?
Hey Eva, it could be that the cream was too warm and became runny. You can use a mold from the cake to form it, it will help keep the shape.
How do you cut this cake?
I cut a pice but then this piece to cut on smaller pieces is very hard as the cream is quite soft and sticking to the knife 🔪?!
Hey Pavel, if you cut it right out of the refrigerator, the cream will hold it together.
Hi, what are your thoughts on using cake flour to make crepe cakes? Would that give a better texture?
Hey Leah, honestly I have never worked with cake flour so I can't give feedback. If you try it, please come back to let us know.
My cream is very flowy and doesn't stay in shape! I have applied it on my crepes already and the whole cake is very flowy although I have chilled it for 2 hours... Is there anyway I can save it?
Were the crepes fully cooled before you added the cream? because that would melt the cream and the cake would fall apart.
Is it ok to use a hand mixer to mix the cream?
Hey Diana, yes you definitely can.
Hello! Can I know what’s the measurement for 1 cup?
Not sure what you mean, 1 cup is a measurment.
As in 1 cup is usually how many grams?
Sorry! It’s ok! I got it already! Thank you!!😊
No problem. 🙂
Great chocolate crepe cake. I love your crepe recipe, it makes such thin and delicate crepes. 👍🏻👍🏻
Hey Vicki, thank you for sharing such sweet feedback! I am glad 🙂
Is 11/2 cup of unsalted butter is 1301 grams?
Hey Gabriella, you will need 1.5 cups of butter in this recipe. Thank you!
I'm thinking of adding cappuccino or coffee somewhere in the cake so that it has some coffee flavor. Do you think it will be a good idea? In which step do you think I should add it then?
Hey, I think some coffee can be added to the cream but I have never tested this. So hard to make a recommendation. Let me know if you do try adding coffee and how it goes.
Hey I really want to try this recipe for my sister's birthday, but what kind of oil do i need to use? Can i use butter instead? Thank you
You can use melted butter but it can harden if you use cold milk. You can use canola oil, coconut oil or light olive oil.
Thank you!
This looks soo good!! Where do you buy the hazelnuts?
Typically at Trader Joes.
That looks delicious! How thick do you make these crepes?
You can see it in the photo. But the thinner the better this way you have rich cream flavor in between layers.
Omg, Natalya, this one is so stunning! YuM!
Marina, thank you!!!