a new cake!

For several reasons I have decided not to buy an oven.  I may change my mind, but for now, no oven.  There are a few no-bake cakes out there, and this is the second one I have tried and I think it's pretty fantastic.  It's called a  gâteau de crêpes and it is so simple and a bit different and so wonderful.  It is a cake made of crêpes and filled with whatever you choose.  I filled mine with nutella whipped cream, sliced bananas, and toasted almonds.  I would like to try a ginger lemon concoction or a fruit and cream one.

I used the Cooks Illustrated / America's Test Kitchen recipe for the crepes, and against all that is sacred, I didn't follow their recipe exactly- I chilled the batter.  I have always done it this way and I probably always will.  The Nutella cream was a simple Martha Stewart recipe: 1 part Nutella to 2 parts whipping cream.  Heat the cream, whisk in the Nutella until smooth, pour into a mixing bowl and chill until cold, then beat with cold beaters just before assembling.  Assembly is simple.  One crêpe and then a layer of filling and on and on.  I used 15 crêpes because that's how many good ones I ended up with, but I would have liked to have had 20 for height.  Last but not lease, save a good looking crêpe for the very top.  So fun, festive, and delicious!