How long does it take to make Crepe Cake?

About a dozen thin crepes from a cup of flour, 2 eggs and milk, in a pan about 23 cm across; the batter rests in the fridge for at least an hour.

4 hr 57 minTotal

26 minActive time

4 hr 31 minSetting

#	What to do	How long
1	Whisk the eggs, milk, melted butter, sugar and vanilla with the salt in a bowl, add the flour and mix to a smooth batter	1 min
2	Refrigerate the batter for 30 minutes	30 min
3	Heat a flat pan and grease lightly	3 min
4	Pour in a small ladle of batter and swirl the pan into a thin, even layer	1 min
5	Fry about 1 minute	20 min
6	Whip the cold cream on medium speed	—
7	Add the powdered sugar and vanilla and keep whipping on high speed to firm peaks	1 min
8	Let the crepes cool completely	—
9	Place a crepe on a serving plate and spread a thin layer of cream over it, top with another crepe and repeat, up to 20 layers	1 min
10	Cover and chill for at least 4 hours before serving	4 hr

The first crêpe almost always gets tossed: it tests the heat of the pan and the amount of batter.
Cold cream whips quickly and holds firm: warm cream won't hold air. Stop when the peaks are firm, before it turns grainy.
Whip cream very cold, in a chilled bowl with chilled beaters, and stop when it holds firm: overwhipping turns it grainy and buttery.
Assemble only with completely cooled crepes: a warm crepe melts the whipped cream, and the layers slide off one another.

Resting in the fridge relaxes the gluten and gets rid of the bubbles: the crêpes come out thin and delicate, and don't tear.
A very thin layer of fat, with the excess wiped off with paper towel: too much fat gives spots and fried edges.
A thin, even layer on each tier: cream that is too thick gets squeezed out at the edges, and the cake comes out crooked.

Spread a thin, even layer of cream on each crepe, and chill the assembled cake for at least two hours, or overnight, until it sets.
In a common home version, whipped heavy cream goes between the crepes, sometimes stabilized with cheese and pudding powder.