This gorgeous 16-layer matcha mille crepe cake is made with thin matcha crepes layered with matcha whipped cream. It's a light and delicate cake that looks and tastes like it came from a bakery!
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Notes from the baker
I recently overhauled this matcha crepe cake recipe to improve it from what it used to be. The crepes are now thinner with a better texture and flavour. I've included all the tips that I've accumulated from making crepe cakes over the years so that yours can turn out perfectly. If you've tried the previous recipe before, I highly recommend trying this new one. It's so much better, I promise!
I tried to make this matcha crepe cake as close to something you would be able to buy at a bakery or cafe. It's simple and remains stable in the fridge for a few days but you can truly taste the love and patience (you'll need a bit of it!) put into it.
Why you'll love this recipe
- Soft and thin matcha crepes. Delightfully bouncy and light crepe texture that even taste wonderful on their own as regular crepes.
- Light and airy matcha whipped cream. Creamy and fresh whipped cream between every crepe layer adds richness without being too sweet.
- Perfect matcha flavour. Double the matcha flavour in both the crepes and the whipped cream. Use your favourite matcha powder for the best results (it's worth it!).
- No-bake recipe. The crepes are made on the stovetop and the cake sets up in the fridge.
- Great cake to make ahead of time. Since the cake needs to chill in the fridge, it's the perfect cake to make the day before an event.
Tools
- Whisk - Both the crepes and the whipped cream can be made with just a whisk. No hand mixer needed but you can also use one if you prefer.
- Fine mesh sieve - You'll need a sieve to remove any clumps of flour, egg, or matcha powder from the batter. It can also be used to sprinkle matcha powder on top of the crepe cake.
- 10" frying pan - You'll need a pan to cook the crepes. I chose a 10" frying pan because the flat bottom of the pan is approximately 8" and we're aiming for 8" crepes. You can use a smaller or larger pan - just try to make all your crepes around the same size.
- Cake turntable - A turntable makes applying whipped cream to the crepes much easier and faster, especially when working with many crepe layers. It's not required but it does help!
- Offset spatula - An offset spatula has the perfect angle for smoothing whipped cream evenly on top of the crepes.
- Piping bag - You'll need a piping bag if you want to pipe any whipped cream decoration on top of the cake. This isn't necessary if you want to keep the crepe cake simple.
- Open star piping tip - Use any piping tip you like for the whipped cream topping. I used a large open star tip for my dollops of cream.
Ingredient notes
As always, the full recipe card with ingredient amounts and instructions is at the bottom of this post! Keep reading for more details on each ingredient or skip ahead to the recipe.
- Eggs - These should be at room temperature.
- Granulated sugar
- Cake flour - Cake flour contains less gluten than all-purpose flour and helps create softer crepes.
- Matcha powder - You can use any ceremonial grade or good quality culinary grade matcha powder you like. I always recommend using ceremonial grade matcha because the vibrant green colour and strong matcha flavour is unmatched. Since there aren't very many other ingredients or flavours in this crepe cake, it's important that the matcha powder is high quality because it will make a huge difference in the flavour of the cake.
- Unsalted butter - The butter needs to be melted and cooled until lukewarm. It helps thicken the crepe batter to prevent the thin crepes from ripping.
- Milk - This should also be at room temperature or warmed with the butter. I recommend warming it up with the butter in the same pot or in the microwave so that you don't have to wait for it to warm up on the counter.
- Vanilla extract
- Powdered sugar
- Whipping cream - You can use whipping cream for a lighter cream or heavy cream for a thicker and richer cream. I used whipping cream but either one will work.
Tips for making the best matcha crepe cake
- Experiment with your stovetop's heat setting and the amount of batter used for each crepe. Start at medium heat and turn it down if the crepes are cooking too fast (browning too much!) or if the batter doesn't have enough time to "run" around the pan. For my stovetop, slightly lower than medium is the perfect. Slightly less than ¼ cup of batter for each crepe is also perfect for my 7-8" crepes. Adjust accordingly if there isn't enough batter to coat the bottom of the pan or if the crepes are too thick.
- Jiggle the pan slightly as you swirl the batter around. Sometimes the batter needs a bit of help to coat the pan evenly especially if there isn't enough batter. If the crepe does have any bald spots, simply fill them with a few extra drops of batter.
- Organize your crepe layers before you use them. Save the best looking crepe for the top layer. Try to use a large crepe for the base, then the smaller crepes, and save the largest crepes closer to the top of the cake. As you build the cake, larger layers at the top will be able to drape downwards for a cleaner look.
- Chill the crepe cake in the fridge before slicing into it. The whipped cream layers need to set to prevent the crepe layers from sliding around. Always store crepe cakes in the fridge until ready to serve.
Storage
This matcha mille crepe cake can be stored covered or in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Let it come back to room temperature for about 15 minutes just so it isn't fridge-cold before eating.
Leftovers can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge overnight before eating.
More crepe cake recipes to try
Frequently asked questions
Make sure you have chilled the batter before using it. Chilling time is needed to allow the butter in the batter to firm up and thicken the batter. If you've done everything else correctly, your crepes may just be undercooked. Cook them for a little bit longer until the edges look dry and set or allow them to very lightly brown before carefully lifting them off the pan.
If you prefer your crepes even thinner, try pouring enough batter into your frying pan to coat the entire flat surface and then immediately pouring the excess batter back into the bowl of batter. This will leave only a thin layer of batter in pan. Clean up the batter on the side of the pan where you poured it out. This method a bit more messy and takes longer since you will be making more crepes.
Baking by weight is much more accurate than volume. When using US standard cups, ingredients like flour and sugar can easily be overpacked into the cup causing you to add too much of certain ingredients. Recipes with weight measurements are also easier to scale to smaller or bigger batches without dealing with weird fractions. To measure by weight, you simply need a kitchen scale which you can usually pick up for less than $20.
Small measurements are given in tablespoons and teaspoons because most kitchen scales are not accurate under about 10g. Tiny amounts like a ¼ teaspoon may not register accurately unless you have a drug scale. Mixing these measurements is a common practice among other recipe sites and commercial kitchens.
Recipe
Matcha Crepe Cake
Equipment
- 1 whisk
Ingredients
Matcha Crepes
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 80 g cake flour
- 1 tablespoon matcha powder, ceremonial grade or high quality culinary grade
- 40 g unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 400 g milk, room temperature or warmed with the butter
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Matcha Whipped Cream
- 40 g powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon matcha powder
- 400 g whipping cream
- ½ teaspoon matcha powder, for dusting on top
Instructions
Matcha Crepes
- Whisk: In a large mixing bowl, add the eggs and sugar. Whisk together until combined. Add the cake flour and matcha powder and whisk again until combined into a thick batter.
- Liquid ingredients: Add the melted butter, milk, and vanilla extract and whisk until you have a thin and watery batter. If the egg mixture is very thick, add about ⅓ of the liquid first and whisk until loosened before adding the rest.
- Sieve: Pour the batter through a fine mesh sieve into another bowl to get rid of any lumps. Cover and chill the batter in the fridge for 1 hour to allow the batter to thicken.
- Swirl batter in pan: Heat a 10" frying pan on medium heat. Use a ladle or a ¼ cup measuring cup to scoop and pour the crepe batter into the middle of the pan. Immediately swirl the pan around to spread the batter. Keep swirling until the batter stops running.
- Cook crepes: Cook each crepe for about 2-2.5 minutes, depending on the thickness, or until the edges of the crepe just barely begin to brown. Run a spatula under an edge of the crepe until you can slide the spatula underneath. Transfer the crepe to a sheet of parchment paper to cool. Repeat with the rest of the batter until you have about 16 crepes.
Matcha Whipped Cream
- Whip cream: In a large mixing bowl, add the powdered sugar and sift in the matcha powder to break up any clumps. Add about ¼ of the whipping cream and whisk until the matcha powder is as clump-free as possible. Add the rest of the whipping cream and whisk vigorously until it reaches soft peaks.
Assemble the crepe cake
- Alternate crepes and cream: On a cake turntable, lay down a cake board. Lay down the first crepe. Use a 4-tablespoon to add a scoop of whipped cream on top of the crepe. Use an offset spatula to spread the whipped cream into an even layer, leaving a thin rim on the outer edge of the crepe empty for a neater look. Place another crepe on top of the cream layer.
- Chill: Repeat with the rest of the whipped cream and crepes. Save any remaining whipped cream to pipe on top of the cake later, if desired. Cover and chill the crepe cake in the fridge for at least 4 hours to allow the whipped cream to set.
- Decorate: Right before serving, use a fine mesh sieve to dust matcha powder on top of the cake. Transfer the leftover whipped cream to a piping bag fitted with an open star piping tip and pipe dollops on top of the cake. Garnish with little ribbon bows or fresh strawberries or leave it as as before slicing with a sharp knife.
Claudia says
Made this cake for a friend gathering and it turned out so well! I did double the recipe and I'm glad I did, the crepe batter was so delicate that it took me 5-10 failed crepes before I got the hang of making them without tearing. The cake also benefitted from the extra height so I would definitely recommend making 1.5x or 2x the recipe. The flavor, texture, and sweetness level were absolutely perfect and not too sweet 🙂
dani says
I tried making it, it was pretty good taste-wise, although I could only make around 12 8-inch crepes with this recipe
Lila ng says
i have to say that this recipe is the best things i've seen. it's detailed and the note is very useful for a newbie like me. I feel that the author really care about our results.
Vera says
Havent made this yet but im sure it will be great! i just have a question, am i able to make this with dairy free options? im making this for my birthday soon and one of my classmates cant have dairy so im just wondering if it will still be the same?
Kayla says
This was so good and not too hard to make. Just takes some time. Tastes just like crepe cakes I've had from crepe shops!
Laurina says
This is a great crepe cake! Tried other recipes that were disappointing, but this one is so soft and not too sweet, just the right amount.
Elizabeth says
This was so delicious!!