I enjoy learning new things in different areas as it helps me to be more creative and appreciate the history and culture of the world we live in. Some of you might already know that I have been taking baking lessons and today I continued my baking journey with a lesson on how to make a Lychee & Strawberry Mille Crepe.
The first thing that comes to my mind whenever I think of a Mille Crepe cake is that it must be a tedious process and true enough, this theory was proven correct as I spent 3 hours making it! The instructor even joked that if you really wanted to show someone that you cared for them, just go ahead and make them multiple Mille Crepe cakes!
But before that, ever wondered about the origins of the delectable Mille Crepe cake? This elegant dessert, made up of numerous thin layers of crepes, has a rich history worth sharing. In France, it is known as “Gâteau de Crêpes,” and its roots trace back to the 17th century. Legend has it that this delightful dessert was created as a clever way to use up leftover crepes.
The term Mille Crepe translates to "a thousand crepes" in French, symbolizing the many delicate layers that create this cake's signature look and texture. The magic lies in the thinness of each crepe. Unlike traditional cakes, Mille Crepe cakes do not require baking. The crepes are cooked on a stovetop, and the cake is assembled and chilled rather than baked.
While the French are renowned for their crepes, the Mille Crepe cake as we know it today was popularized in Japan in the 1980s by pastry chef Emy Wada. Wada's innovative take involved stacking 20 paper-thin crepes, each separated by a light, creamy filling. This unique structure gave the cake its beautiful layered appearance and melt-in-the-mouth consistency, quickly becoming a sensation in Japan and eventually worldwide. The cake's multi-layered structure not only contributes to its unique texture but also makes it visually stunning, with a beautiful cross-section that reveals its many thin layers.
Creating a Mille Crepe cake is a meticulous process. Each crepe layer must be cooked individually, then stacked with a light layer of pastry cream in between, requiring both time and patience. Since all of us were making it for the first time, we didn’t have much time for chit-chat and had to be focused because we didn’t want our crepes to be burnt! It was definitely a good practice in staying present in the moment!
With the guidance of the instructor, we were quite happy with the outcome as we managed to get a nice stack of crepe layers.
So, the next time you enjoy a slice of Mille Crepe cake, remember you're indulging in a piece of culinary history that blends French tradition with Japanese innovation!
Hope you'll enjoy the music video on the process of making it.
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Positive Life & Leadership Coach
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