Fluffy vanilla cinnamon citrus whipped cream and a medley of fresh fruit lie sandwiched between bright rainbow crepes. It’s a wonderful dessert that can be made with or without sugar!
Click here to jump to recipeMy little niece recently turned one, and my sister honored me by asking me to make her a birthday cake. But because she is just a baby, my niece has a number of dietary restrictions. I needed to make a cake that fit the following:
- Aesthetically pleasing
- No added sugar – this included no natural sugars like honey or maple syrup. Sugar from fruits was okay.
- no egg whites due to allergies
- no artificial flavorings or colorings
- Tasty enough that adults would want to eat it too!
At first I thought about making a rich chocolate cake sweetened with dates, but I honestly wasn’t sure if the dates would bring the sweetness needed to balance out the cocoa powder. And then I remembered – my niece loves pancakes. And what is a crepe but a very thin pancake? And what goes better with crepes than homemade whipped cream and fresh fruit? And what, I ask you, is more aesthetically pleasing than a rainbow cake? The answer is not much of anything. And this this cake cake was born. It’s completely sugar free with no egg whites. Of course, these can be easily added in and I’d definitely recommend adding the sugar if there are no dietary restrictions!
This crepe cake has 30 gorgeous layers and not a pinch of added sugar. The vibrant colors come from natural powdered food dyes and vegetable juices. I got my powdered food dye off Amazon –https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076PSKV1Z/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_vo8uEbJ7XVD1Z. The colors were super vibrant and perfect for this recipe.
Modifications
- Add 1 tbsp of granulated sugar into the crepe batter
- Add 2 tbsp of granulated sugar into the whipped cream
- Use whole eggs instead of just yolks
- Use regular food dye instead of plant-based powders and dyes
Tips for cooking crepes
- Make sure the batter is fairly thin – this will help you cover the bottom of the pan
- As soon as the batter hits the pan, move quickly to rotate and spread across the bottom of the pan
- Make sure you can lift the bottom of the crepe off the pan before flipping – otherwise it will rip
- Before dividing the batter, make 1-2 practice crepes
If you make this cake, please let me know! I always love to see what my readers are baking. You can comment below or tag me on Instagram @halicopteraway
Other healthier fruit-filled dessert recipes:
Rainbow fruit crepe cake
Equipment
- medium mixing bowl
- Hand or stand mixer
- Medium skillet (8”)
- spatula
- Knife or blender
- Sieve
Ingredients
Crepes
- 6 Egg yolks
- 3 Cups Milk
- 6 Tbsp Melted butter
- 2 1/4 Cups Flour
- 1 Tbsp Vanilla essence
- 1 Tbsp Orange zest
- 1 Tsp Ground cinnamon
- Juice of 1/2 large orange
- 4 Cups Fresh spinach
- Powdered Food dye (Red, orange, blue)
- 2 Tbsp Vegetable oil or spray (For pan)
- 6 Tbsp Granulated sugar (Optional)
Whipped cream
- 2 pints Heavy whipping cream
- 2 Tbsp Orange zest
- Juice of 1/2 large orange
- 1 Tbsp Vanilla essence
- 2 Tsp Ground cinnamon
Fruit toppings
- 1 Pint Strawberries
- 2 Large Oranges
- 3 Bananas
- 1 Pint Blueberries
- 1 lb Red grapes
Instructions
- In medium bowl whisk together flour, cinnamon, and sugar (if using). Gradually whisk in melted butter and warm milk, alternating between each. Mix in orange zest, juice, and vanilla. Strain through mesh sieve to remove clumps.
- To create green dye, blend or finely chop spinach. Squeeze spinach until juice comes out, and strain over a mesh sieve.
- Evenly divide mixture into 5 bowls. Add dye to 4 of the bowls (red, orange, green, blue). The yellow bowl does not need dye.
- Spray medium pan with vegetable oil and use paper towel to spread evenly over the pan. Heat on medium until pan is hot, and pour 1/4 – 1/2 cup mix into center of the pan. Rotate pan so mixture spreads evenly over entire surface. Cook until the bottom is lightly browned and able to be lifted with a spatula, about two minutes. Flip and cook other side, for about one minute. Set aside on wire cooking rack. You should make 3 crepes of each color.
- Allow crepes to cool and prepare whipped cream. Put heavy whipping cream, vanilla, cinnamon, orange zest, orange juice, and sugar (if using) into a medium mixing bowl. Mix on low speed using a hand or stand mixer for a few minutes, then raise to high speed until mixture is light and fluffy.
- Prepare fruit – slice each fruit about 1/2in. thick and set aside.
- Place one blue crepe on a plate and cover with a thin layer of whipped cream. Place grapes and blueberries on top. Smooth a thin layer of whipped cream on a second crepe, and place whipped cream side down on the fruit. Cover with whipped cream and fruit.
- Repeat above steps for all crepes and fruit. Match the fruit to the correct color: blue – grapes/blueberries, green – kiwis, yellow – bananas, orange – oranges, red – strawberries.
How fun! Amazing attention to detail with even the colours of the fruit matching with the crepes! It’s also lovely to read about all the thought you put into making it for your niece – the spirit of baking at its finest 🙂
thank you!! It was a time consuming but fun project, and I think she loved it. Hard to tell though with one year olds 🙂
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