Chocolate Cinnamon Crêpes Cake

Inspired by Scandi favourite cinnamon buns, this gorgeous combination of hazelnut brittle, cinnamon and rich dark chocolate is the perfect way to transform the humble crêpe into a spectacular dessert. If you only have a small frying pan, don’t worry – it will just make a taller stack!

Hands-on time 1½hr, plus resting and chilling. Cooking time about 1hr. Serves 16

for the crêpes

◆ 100g (3½oz) unsalted butter, plus extra to fry ◆ 325g (11½oz) plain flour ◆ 75g (3oz) caster sugar ◆ 1tsp ground cinnamon ◆ 4 large eggs ◆ 600ml (1 pint) semi-skimmed milk for the hazelnut brittle ◆ 200g (7oz) blanched hazelnuts ◆ Oil, to grease ◆ 250g (9oz) caster sugar for the filling ◆ 300ml (½ pint) double cream ◆ 500ml (17fl oz) whole milk ◆ 1 cinnamon stick ◆ 50g (2oz) caster sugar ◆ 6 large egg yolks ◆ 50g (2oz) cornflour ◆ 1½tsp vanilla bean paste or extract (or seeds from one vanilla pod) ◆ 1tbsp ground cinnamon for the ganache ◆ 200ml (⅓ pint) double cream ◆ 200g (7oz) dark chocolate (70%), very finely chopped

1 First make the crêpe batter: melt the butter in a small pan, then bubble until it begins to turn a nutty brown and smell toasted (don’t let it catch). Pour into a bowl and set aside to cool slightly. Tip the flour, sugar, cinnamon and ½tsp fine salt into a large bowl. Make a well in the dry ingredients and crack in the eggs. Using a handheld electric whisk, and starting on a slow speed, whisk until just incorporated, then slowly whisk in the milk and 5tbsp of the browned butter until combined and smooth. Cover and chill for at least 1hr, or up to a day ahead.

2 Meanwhile, make the brittle: preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan) mark 6, spread out the hazelnuts on a large, lightly greased baking tray, and bake in the oven for 5-7min, or until toasted and golden. Cool slightly, then roughly chop. Spread out on the lightly oiled baking tray again and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Meanwhile, over a low to medium heat, very gently heat sugar in a wide, heavy-based frying pan until dissolved and no grains can be seen – be patient. Then increase heat and bubble until sugar turns deep golden. Remove from heat and pour over the hazelnuts to cover. Set aside to cool. Once set, break into pieces. Put half in a food processor and whizz to a fine powder, then set aside. Reserve the rest for decoration.

3 For the filling: gently heat cream and milk in a large, heavy-based pan with the cinnamon stick until just steaming, then remove from heat. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, using a handheld electric whisk, beat together the sugar, egg yolks, cornflour, vanilla and ground cinnamon until smooth. Remove cinnamon stick from milk and slowly pour about a quarter of the hot milk mix on to the egg mixture. With a balloon whisk, whisk until incorporated and smooth. Then add the rest in a continuous stream, whisking constantly. Return mixture to pan over a medium heat and slowly bring to the boil, whisking constantly, until thick. Remove from heat and scrape into a bowl. Whisk in the

reserved browned butter, cover surface with clingfilm (to stop a skin from forming) and transfer to the fridge to set (at least 2hr). Once cold, whisk in the finely ground hazelnut brittle.

4 To make the crêpes, put a good-quality non-stick frying pan (ours was 20.5cm/8in in diameter) over a medium-high heat and brush with a little butter. Briefly whisk, then pour a small ladleful (about 75ml/3fl oz) into the pan, and swirl and tilt the pan so the batter evenly covers the base. Cook for 2min until the edges seem dry and the underside of the crêpe is golden; flip the crêpe and cook for a further 30sec until set, and transfer to a plate lined with baking parchment. Repeat with remaining batter (re-greasing the pan when needed) to make about 16-18 crêpes. Stack between sheets of baking parchment to stop crêpes sticking. Leave to cool completely, then cover stack with clingfilm and chill.

5 To assemble, put one crêpe on a cake stand, add about 3tbsp of the filling and spread to cover, leaving a 1cm (½in) border around the edge. Top with another crêpe and repeat, leaving the last pancake uncovered. Chill in fridge for at least 1hr.

6 For the chocolate ganache, heat cream and chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water until the chocolate is almost fully melted. Remove from heat and stir briefly until combined and smooth. Set aside until cool, thick and spreadable.

7 Using a palette knife, spread half the ganache around the sides of the cake, and evenly cover the top with the rest. Serve straight away or chill until ready to serve. Decorate with the shards of brittle just before serving.

PER SERVING 611cals, 11g protein, 39g fat (19g saturates), 54g carbs (35g total sugars), 2g fibre

GET AHEAD Complete recipe up to 1 day ahead (don’t top with brittle shards), loosely cover with clingfilm, and store in the fridge. Decorate just before serving.