This Lemon Rainbow Crepe Cake is a festive way to celebrate this summer.
There’s the thing. I am not a huge fan of colored food, specifically cakes, and other desserts. I may use some food colorings in my cakes if I want to demonstrate the connection between the flavor and color (Like this Lavender Layer Cake). Most of the times, I use ingredients like chocolate or caramel to give it a delightful natural color.
However, I wanted to make a rainbow cake for a few years. I also wanted to dye crepes one day. As you see, I fulfilled both dreams by making this Lemon Rainbow Crepe Cake.
Having a luscious lemon cream cheese frosting, this is the perfect summer dessert. Besides, there are pride weeks and months happening in many countries (Toronto wrapped it up just last Sunday), so this is a good way to celebrate it too.
Although this cake is pretty easy to make, that would be a lie to say it wasn’t challenging.
First, I couldn’t get my first few (read 5 or 6) crepes right. Perhaps, my favorite crepe skillet isn’t great anymore, or I just needed to adjust the batter. I tried to wash the skillet twice, and after that, I gave up and grabbed another one. Also, I stirred in the batter more corn starch which makes crepes more elastic.
The second thing is that it was hard to find the appropriate amount of coloring. In my book, the crepes turned out too vivid. That’s not a bad thing, but I would prefer more pastel colors. There would have been more summery look with less vibrant colors.
Also, I loved the blue, purple, and green crepes the most. That’s why I couldn’t stop making more. As you see, I didn’t have enough batter for yellow, red, and orange crepes. Besides, the red color didn’t work well resulting in a kind of dirty red&brown mix.
But the most challenging part was decorating this crepe cake. At first, I tried to draw a rainbow on the top. I quickly (in 7,5 seconds) realized I wasn’t the artist.
Thus I decided to destroy this rainbow and make some kind of marble decor. I actually liked it. I even thought this cake could be displayed at the art gallery along with Picasso’s masterpieces one day. Unfortunately, I made a fatal mistake. I decided to take a 10-minute break to have a coffee before shooting the cake. When I came back 45 minutes later, I realized I had created a hideous monster. Something which would never be displayed along with famous masterpieces. It was more about a low-budget horror movie.
There’s the thing my friends. Don’t take coffee breaks while making a cake. Even 10-minute brakes.
So, I took some paper towels and removed most of the frosting from the top. Immediately, it looked much, much better. For the better results, I decorated the cake with some flowers. That’s actually what I should have done at first place. No frosting or just pale frosting plus flowers.
As you see, this Lemon Rainbow Crepe Cake tried to be a little cheeky with me. But I’m not being too hard on myself. Despite these few challenges, I pulled it together and get a decent-looking cake with a lovely flavor. Not bad, Ben, not bad! #ProudBen
Notes
havocinthekitchen.com
Ingredients
Crepes
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
- 1/4 cup corn starch, sifted
- 1 and 1/4 cup lukewarm water
- 1 cup milk
- 2 large eggs
- 1-2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
- food coloring (red, orange, yellow, purple, green, blue or as desired)
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- about 600-650 gr. plain cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 cup confectioner's sugar or more as needed
- 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- few drops of lemon extract, if desired
Instructions
- For the batter, in a bowl whisk together the flour, corn starch, water, milk, eggs, oil, salt, and sugar. Slightly beat until smooth and no lumps remain - you should get the consistency of olive oil. You can also blend the batter in the blender to avoid any lumps. If necessary, adjust the batter by adding some flour or water. Refrigerate the batter for at least 30 minutes. Note when chilled, the butter might thicken so you might thin it by adding a little more water or milk.
- Roughly, divide the batter into several parts. Stir in the food coloring into each part.
- Heat a well-buttered pan/skillet over medium heat. Once the pan is well heated, pour in enough batter, approximately 1/4 cup per crepe (depending on the size of your pan) quickly moving the pan from side to side to evenly spread the batter in a thin layer.
- Cook 1-2 minutes or until the edges are slightly crisp and could easily be lifted with a spatula or knife (adjust the temperature as needed). Flip and cook for another minute or so. Transfer crepe into a plate and repeat with the remaining batter greasing the skillet after making 3-4 crepes. You should have about 20-25 crepes.
- To make the frosting, in a bowl, beat the softened cream cheese, confectioner's sugar, lemon juice, and lemon extract (if using) with a mixer at low speed, for about 2 minutes.
- To assemble the cake, spreed 1-2 tablespoons of the frosting on a crepe. Place another crepe and repeat the layers. Cover the top crepe with the frosting or leave it as it.
- Chill in the refrigerator for about an hour before serving.
- Enjoy!
Hi – I’m Ben, a blogger, recipe developer, and food photographer. I’m glad you’re here! I hope you will enjoy hundreds of delicious recipes and a pinch of havoc in the kitchen.
Oh wow. I’m normally not a big fan of rainbow foods (and food colouring), but this one here looks absolutely incredible and I want to have it right NOW! Seriously, I couldn’t imagine a prettier cake to celebrate pride month!
Thank you, Evi!
Oh man, I totally understand that whole feeling of “uh oh” when a dessert or recipe just doesn’t look as good as it did in your mind. It’s the worst! But you totally saved this post, my friend. I mean the rainbow crepes look amazing just as they are…they don’t need any decoration on top! I haven’t made crepes in a long, long time, but this post inspires me to go make them again. :-)
David @ Spiced recently posted…Raspberry Crumb Bars
You should definitely have some crepes with a scoop of ice cream and a drizzle of Irish cream, David!
Ben Maclain|Havocinthekitchen recently posted…Smoked Salmon Orzo Salad
This is just so creative, Ben. It’s beautiful. And perfect timing of course with so many Pride celebrations going on!
Marissa recently posted…Rosemary-Garlic Chicken Kabobs
Thank you, Marissa!
Ben Maclain|Havocinthekitchen recently posted…Smoked Salmon Orzo Salad
Ben your posts always make me smile. No more coffee breaks!!! Regardless, I think this cake turned out fabulously. I LOVE the vivid colors, and it is so perfect for pride week (or any week). So pretty!! Cheers, friend!
Thank you, Katherine!
Ben Maclain|Havocinthekitchen recently posted…Smoked Salmon Orzo Salad
Ben!! omgsh! so pretty! I agree with you about dying foods, especially desserts! I also have to agree about not taking any breaks while making cake! hahahaha bad experiences myself. Have a great weekend my friend!
Gaila recently posted…Decadent Pineapple Delight
Yes, breaks are the worst:) Thank you, Gaila!
Ben Maclain|Havocinthekitchen recently posted…Smoked Salmon Orzo Salad
I totally hear you about dyeing desserts. It’s just weird to me! But every now and then some food coloring makes a really fun dessert, like this gorgeous crepe cake! It’s so perfect Ben! I’d eat the whole dang thing :). Have a great weekend!
Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen recently posted…Easy Coffee-Toffee Ice Cream Pie
Thank you, Kelsie!
Ben Maclain|Havocinthekitchen recently posted…Smoked Salmon Orzo Salad
OH MY GOSH. It was the first thing came to my mind when I saw the first picture. I do love the rainbows, and these crepes are out of this world, Ben. I fancy colored food, but just don’t feel comfortable in adding the artificial food color to my food. Sorry to hear about the difficulty in making perfect crêpes, but all is well when the end is well. And I must say that floral decoration was an excellent idea. My hubby’s birthday is coming in 2 weeks and I was looking for some summer-tastic cake ideas. Thanks for this pretty idea, Ben. I am loving this cake. And I assume that finally, it is the time for me to buy some food colors because I really want to make this beautiful cake. :)
Anu – My Ginger Garlic Kitchen recently posted…How to Make Masala Chaas | Spiced Buttermilk | Video Recipe
Thank you, Anu! You can always make a crepe cake without crepes being colored – they are so delicious on their own. Or perhaps, you can try natural colorings like beet or spinach juice.
Ben Maclain|Havocinthekitchen recently posted…Smoked Salmon Orzo Salad