[Japanese Recipes] Matcha Mille Crepe Cake

Matcha Mille Crepe Cake is made of thin layers of green tea crepes stacked together with fresh whipped cream in-between. This elegant and decadent cake will wow your guests when they see the rich green layers!

In Japan, matcha is not only used in wagashi (Japanese confectionery), but also in many western pastries. Mille crepe cake is no exception. We love this Japanese twist on a classic French pastry, Matcha Mille Crepe Cake (抹茶ミルクレープケーキ).

What is Matcha Mille Crepe Cake?

But first, what is Matcha (抹茶)? Matcha is green tea powder. Many people ask me if the standard green tea (leaves) can be ground into “matcha”, but unfortunately, they can’t. The quality of the green tea leaves, and the complex process of drying and grinding the leaves is so much different for matcha, that it will not be something you will be able to do in your kitchen.

Mille Crepe Cake (ミルクレープケーキ) is a classic French pastry – Gâteau Mille Crêpes. Mille means ‘thousands’ in French. That’s an exaggeration, but it’s fun to imagine Gâteau Mille Crêpes with 1,000 layers. The pastry usually consists of 10 to 20 layers.

The most unique part of Japanese-style Mille Crepe Cake is the rounded edge of the cake. This Matcha Mille Crepe Cake is subtly sweet (it’s a real complement for Asian desserts), creamy, and slightly bitter from the matcha flavor coming through the paper-thin layers of crepes.

Tips to Make Perfect Matcha Mille Crepe Cake

1. Good quality matcha powder

Ingredients matter, especially in this Mille Crepe Cake recipe. Number one is a high-quality matcha powder If the matcha powder is relatively cheap, it’s a guarantee that it’s not high-grade matcha. Matcha is pretty expensive, even in Japan.

2. Rest the batter for an hour

I know it’s tedious to wait, but resting the batter relaxes the gluten and the dry ingredients continue to soak up moisture from the wet ingredients. As a result, it creates thicker consistency and helps prevent the crepes from breaking.

3. Heat the pan on low heat

When you heat up the frying pan too quickly, it gets hot spots. To avoid that, you slowly heat up the pan so the pan heats evenly. It’s the key to making those perfect first few crepes. After that first batch, just leave the same low heat on all the way through.

4. Use two frying pans – one larger than the other

In Japan, slices of mille crepe cake at the pastry shops have this signature look with the rounded edge. To make it perfectly round, make the top layer of the crepe big enough to wrap the outer edge of the cake. Use a round deep plate or shallow bowl (mine is from IKEA – something like this) to ensure the nice curve shape by molding the crepe cake.

5. Take a breath and swirl the pan slowly

I’m an impatient cook. But I realized it doesn’t help when I want to make a perfect circle crepe. Just breathe, and take your time to swirl the batter slowly with the pan.

Perfect Cake without Using an Oven

Mille Crepe Cake is a rare “cake” recipe that you can make with a frying pan over the stove. So if you don’t have an oven, or if you are looking for a unique dessert, try making this cake for any celebratory occasion or holiday!

Matcha Mille Crepe Cake

Matcha Mille Crepe Cake is made of thin layers of green tea crepes stacked together with fresh whipped cream in-between. This elegant and decadent cake will wow your guests when they see the rich green layers!

INGREDIENTS

US CustomaryMetric

▢1 ¾ cup whole milk (I recommend using whole milk; start with 1 ¾ cup and add 1-2 Tbsp more if you need to thin out the crepe)
▢3 Tbsp sugar
▢3 large eggs (50 g each w/o shell)
▢1 ½ Tbsp melted unsalted butter
▢1 cup cake flour
▢2 Tbsp matcha (green tea powder)
▢½ tsp baking powder
▢neutral-flavored oil (vegetable, rice bran, canola, etc) (for cooking crepes)

For Fresh Whipped Cream
▢1 cup heavy (whipping) cream
▢3 Tbsp sugar

To serve
▢2 tsp matcha (green tea powder) (for dusting)
▢fresh whipped cream (optional: please double the recipe above but make the second batch right before you serve)

INSTRUCTIONS

Gather all the ingredients. Please use cake flour only! It’s important not to use flour with a high gluten content such as bread flour or all-purpose/plain flour for this recipe. Otherwise, you will end up with a rubbery cake.

To make crepe batter
Add the milk and sugar in a small sauce pan and combine well. Heat on medium heat until the milk is warm to touch.

Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Then slowly add a small amount of warm milk while whisking. While whisking, slowly add the melted butter to the mixture.

Set up a fine-mesh sieve over the bowl and add cake flour, matcha powder, and baking powder. Sift half of the dry ingredients into the batter and whisk to combine the dry and wet ingredients together.

Sift the rest of dry ingredients and mix until there is no lump in the batter. IMPORTANT: Do not overmix; mixing and stirring increases gluten formation in the batter, which causes a rubbery texture.

Set the fine-mesh sieve over a large bowl and pour the batter. This will remove any lumps and get a smooth texture. Cover with plastic wrap to refrigerate for at least 1 hour (DO NOT SKIP!). Tip: If you overmix the batter, you may want to rest the batter for longer hours. Resting the batter is important because it allows the gluten to relax. If you don't rest long enough the crepes will be more rubbery due to gluten development.

To cook the crepes
Set a 12-inch non-stick frying pan on low heat. Once the pan is hot, brush the oil and remove excess oil with a paper towel (don’t worry, oil is applied thinly). Gently stir the batter right before scooping with a ladle (otherwise, the batter will be too thick toward the end). Pour the batter just enough to cover the bottom of the frying pan, about 1/3 cup for my pan. After trying the first crepe and if you want to make a thinner crepe, gradually add milk to adjust the batter.

Cook for 2 minutes without touching. By now you’d see the outside edge of the crepe gets a tiny bit crispier. Using a chopstick, spatula, or hand, flip the crepe.

Cook the other side for 30 seconds and transfer to a working surface lined with parchment paper.

Set a 10-inch non-stick frying pan on low heat. Once the pan is hot*, brush the oil and remove excess oil with a paper towel. Pour the batter just enough to cover the bottom of the frying pan, about ¼ cup (60 ml) for my pan. *The hot pan helps the water in eggs and milk turn into steam and the crepe will puff up and become softer. But it can't be too hot, which ends up cooking the crepe too fast and you can't swirl the batter into a thin layer.

Cook for 2 minutes without touching. By now you’d see the outside edge of the crepe gets a tiny bit crispier. Using a chopstick, spatula, or hand, flip the crepe.

Cook the other side for 30 seconds and transfer to a working surface lined with parchment paper.

Continue this process until all the batter is used. Make sure to stir the batter EVERY TIME before you make a new batch (otherwise, the batter will be too thick toward the end). With this batter, I could make 1 large one that goes on top, and 13 crepes.

To make whipped cream
Prepare an ice bath by adding ice cubes and water to a larger bowl and set a smaller bowl on top. Add the heavy whipping cream and start whisking at the lower speed. Once you see bubbles, slowly add granulated sugar.

Whip the cream until stiff, not hard stiff (like 90%).

To assemble the mille crepe cake

Prepare two long parchment paper strips on a working surface or a rotating cake stand (I used IKEA's lazy susan). These strips will go under the first layer of crepe (this is for easy transportation).

First place the larger crepe. This will be the top layer when we flip. Put the freshly whipped cream in the middle and spread evenly, leaving the outer 2" (5 cm).

Place another crepe on top and spread whip cream evenly, leaving outer ½ inch.

Continue this process until the last crepe is placed on top.

Prepare a round curved shallow dish (mine is from IKEA) and place a large piece of plastic wrap on top. Make sure to remove any air pockets and smooth them out. Transfer the mille crepe to the shallow dish by holding the strips you made. Once you place nicely in the middle of the bowl, remove the strips.

Wrap the mille crepe with plastic wrap from one corner to clockwise. This will make the final cake evenly round, instead of wrap randomly. Secure the end with a clip (I use one from IKEA). Refrigerate for at least 2 hours until the cake is set.

To serve
Once chilled, remove the plastic wrap and flip onto the serving platter.

Dust more matcha powder over the cake. Make the fresh whipped cream if you plan to serve with the cake. Serve and enjoy within a few days as we are using fresh cream.