Blueberry Lemon Cheesecake Crepes

Allowing crape batter to rest isn’t just to make you wait longer to enjoy your favorite breakfast treats. It allows the flour to fully absorb liquid and the gluten to relax. This ensures a smoother crape that’s also far less likely to rip or tear when flipped and rolled up.

When I say “rest”, I mean overnight. For best results, start your crape batter the night before and allow it to rest overnight in the refrigerator.

These rich and sweet crepes give you and your family the feeling of luxury while in the comfort of your own home. The thick, velvety cheesecake center balances the bright acidity of the blueberries and lemon, creating a perfectly smooth and creamy bite with just enough tartness to keep every forkful light and refreshing. All wrapped up in a buttery envelope of the French influenced, crepe.

Ingredients you’ll need for everything

  • 8oz Philadelphia cream cheese (226g)
  • 1 cup heavy cream (200g)
  • 2 cups + 2 TBSP whole milk (500g)
  • 3 1/2 TBSP melted butter (or neutral oil) (50g)
  • 4 Large eggs (188g)
  • 2 cups all purpose flour (250g)
  • 1 3/4 cups + 1 TBSP white granulated sugar (393.5g)
  • 3 TBSP powdered sugar (25g)
  • 2 1/4 tsp salt (9g)
  • 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (283g)
  • 1 Fresh and washed lemon
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract (4g)
  • 2 1/2 tsp lemon extract (10g)

Equipment Needed

  • 6-8″ nonstick pan
  • Small saucepan
  • Large mixing bowl
  • Medium mixing bowl
  • Chilled metal bowl
  • Whisk or whisk attachment
  • Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Rubber spatula
  • Ladle or 1/4 cup measuring cup (for portioning batter)
  • Vegetable peeler or pairing knife
  • Fine mesh strainer (optional, for a silky smooth batter)
  • 2 piping bags with a large star tip
  • Cooling rack, plate, or sheet pan (for finished crapes)

Yields: 21 crepes

*The Crepe Batter*

Ingredients

  • 2 cups of all-purpose flour (250g)
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons of sugar (31g)
  • 1 1/4tsp salt (8g)
  • 4 Large Eggs (188 g)
  • 2 cups + 2 TBSP whole milk (500 g)
  • 3 1/2 tablespoons melted butter or neutral oil (50g)

Instructions

  1. Shift flour, sugar, and salt into a bowl.
  2. Add the eggs and just enough of the milk to make a soft paste with the flour mixture. Mix until free of lumps and smooth.
  3. Slowly add the remaining milk and oil. You’re looking for a batter as thin as heavy cream.
  4. Place mixture into an airtight container and place in the fridge overnight.

*Let’s Cook*

  1. Butter a 6-8″ nonstick pan and heat over medium heat. Preheat your pan until it is HOT
  2. Remove from the heat and add 1/4 cup of batter, quickly swirling the pan to spread the batter evenly to coat the full bottom with batter.
  3. Return to heat for 1-1.5 minutes or until the bottom is lightly golden.
  4. Flip the crepe and brown the second side.
  5. Slide the crepe onto a plate or sheet pan and repeat these steps until all of your batter has been used.

*This can be slightly tedious, preparing them ahead of time and freezing them until you need them is a strong recommendation.

For the filling

  • 1 8oz block of Philadelphia cream cheese (226g)
  • 1/4 cup of sugar (50g)
  • 1 1/2 tsp of lemon extract (7g)

Instructions:

  1. Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl and whip until smooth and free of lumps.
  2. Place in a piping bag with a tip.

Blueberry Topping

Ingredients

  • 2 cups of Blueberries (both fresh and frozen work) (283g)
  • 1/2 cup of Sugar (100g)
  • 1/4 tsp Salt (1g)
  • 2 TBSP Lemon juice (fresh) (28g)

Instructions:

  1. Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan.
  2. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
  3. Cook for 8-10 minutes, until the blueberries start to burst and the sauce slightly thickens.
  4. Remove from heat and let cool for 10-15 minutes. The topping will continue to thicken as it cools.

Blueberries have natural pectin (the same fiber you would put into a jelly/jam recipe to thicken). As the berries heat and burst, they release the pectin into your sauce. When combined with sugar and acid, the pectin forms a gel like texture, naturally thickening your topping as it cools. Some recipes I’ve come across tell you to add in corn-starch. I’ve never found it necessary for sauces and toppings containing most berries.

Not all berries thicken the same. While most contain pectin, the amount provided can vary depending on ripeness. Underripe berries contain a higher amount of pectin, which is why tart berries often make thicker jams and sauces than fully ripe ones.

Whipped Cream

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup Heavy Cream (200g)
  • 3 TBSP Powdered Sugar (25g)
  • 1 tsp Lemon extract (4g)

Instructions:

  • Chill metal bowl and the whisk before starting and place all ingredients in it.
  • Whip to medium peak.
  • Place in piping bag with a large star tip.

Keeping heavy cream cold is crucial for a good whipped crucial to thicken because of its fat content. Fat likes to soften when warm (think lard left in a pan or butter left on the counter) but cold fat stays stiff. When you whip heavy cream, you trap air pockets into the mixture and the fat droplets begin sticking together around those air bubbles, forming a delicate structure. These structures are what makes whipped cream fluffy. If you continue to mix heavy cream, those structures become even more stuck together and instead of creating a supporting structure around the air pockets, they squeeze tighter sticking together, pushing the liquids out. The separated liquid squeezed out becomes buttermilk, and the solid clump is now butter.

Garnish

  1. 1 fresh lemon
  2. 1 Cup of sugar (200g)
  3. 1 Cup of water (240ml)
  4. 1 TBSP of sugar (12.5g)
  1. Take a vegetable peeler and slightly peel off thin strips of the washed lemon rind. If necessary, use a pairing knife to remove any white membrane from the back of the strips.
  2. Place 1 cup of sugar and water in a small sauce pan over medium heat.
  3. Stir the sugar until completely dissolved. *Do not bring it to a heavy boil, just heat until clear*
  4. Remove from heat and let it cool completely. (Can keep in the refrigerator for up to a month)
  5. Dip a lemon strip into the simple syrup, roll into the 1 TBSP of sugar, and immediately wrap it around a straw/ or skewer to create a spiralized lemon garnish.
    • Not looking for fancy? Just give that washed lemon a quick zest!

The Build

Steps:

  1. Lay the crepe flat and using the piping bag of filling, squeeze one long strip across the bottom of the crepe.
  2. Roll and place seal side down. Repeat until all crepes are filled.
  3. Top with blueberry topping and lemon zest.
  4. Using the piping bag of filling, fill the ends of each rolled crepe to keep the filling even throughout.
  5. Pipe your whipped cream on top of your blueberries and gently place the lemon garnish in the center.