Hi, I’m Jessica, and I’m the Food Artist and Founder of Luxe and the Lady. I love creating sweets and healthy treats that are as cute as they are delicious, because I think food should be fun! You can find even more cute creations and recipes on my blog luxeandthelady and on Instagram.
I’ve been a huge Hello Kitty fan ever since I was little, and have quite the collection to prove it! She is such an adorable, happy character, and it is an honor to be able to create a recipe inspired by her look and favorite things. This pink ombré crepe cake is stacked up with 20 layers of light, delicate vanilla crepes, and since Hello Kitty loves to bake cookies, I filled the cake with cookie butter whipped cream. Then I topped it off with fluffy homemade Hello Kitty marshmallows and lots of rainbow sprinkles. It’s the perfect treat to share with friends old and new!
Ingredients
Makes 1 8” crepe cake with about 18-20 crepes, 10-14 servings
Vanilla Pink Ombré Crepes:
· 4 large eggs
· 2 ¼ cups whole milk
· 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
· ¼ cup granulated sugar
· ¼ teaspoon salt
· 2 cups all purpose flour
· 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted for cooking crepes
· Pink natural or icing gel color
· Rainbow sprinkles
Cookie Butter Whipped Cream:
· 1 pint heavy whipping cream
· ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
· 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
· 3 tablespoons cookie butter
· ¼ cup crushed Biscoff cookies (optional, for a little crunch)
Hello Kitty Vanilla Marshmallows: (makes about 12)
· ¼ cup yellow candy melts
· ¼ cup black candy melts (or black edible food marker)
· 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
· 1/3 cup cold water
· 1 cup granulated sugar
· 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
· ¼ cup cold water
· 1/8 teaspoon salt
· 1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
· 24 large red heart sprinkles
· 12 small round red sprinkles
· Chocolate jimmy sprinkles
· Marshmallow coating powder (see recipe below)
Tools
· Hello Kitty Template sized to about 2- 2/12 inches wide for the face shape)
· Candy thermometer
· 2 piping bags
· Small round piping tip for ears (I used Wilton #5)
· Large round piping tip for face (I used Wilton #1A)
· Toothpicks
· Waxed paper
Marshmallow Coating Powder:
· ¼ cup powdered sugar
· 2 tablespoons cornstarch
Helpful Tips:
The crepe batter is best prepared at least 1-2 hours in advance, and can be blended and refrigerated the night before making the crepes.
When cooking the crepes, you may have to play around with raising or lowering the heat or cooking time if the crepes are browning too much, or aren’t crisp enough.
It is easiest to read all of the directions through before beginning as some parts of the recipe will need to set or chill while you work on other things.
Method
1. In a blender, combine the eggs, milk, and vanilla, and blend until foamy. Add the sugar, salt, and flour, and blend just until there are no visible lumps. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1-2 hours or overnight.
2. While the crepe batter rests you can begin the marshmallows. We will start by making Hello Kitty’s eyes and nose with candy melts (if you prefer, you can draw the eyes on with a black edible marker instead after the marshmallows are set). Place ¼ cup of each color of candy melts into a heatproof bowl, and microwave for 30 seconds at 50% power, then stir. Continue to heat in 30-second intervals (always at 50% power), stirring after each interval until the candy melts are smooth and fully melted.
3. Place the Hello Kitty template under a piece of wax paper as a guide, and use a toothpick dipped into the yellow and black melts to draw the eyes and nose onto the wax paper. Allow the candy decorations to set.
4. Prep 2 piping bags by fitting them with your piping tips. Lay a piece of wax paper over a baking sheet. Combine the marshmallow coating ingredients in a bowl, and lightly sift the powder over the wax paper. Set aside.
5. To make the marshmallows, pour 1/3 cup cold water in the bowl of an electric mixer, and stir in the gelatin. Allow the gelatin to soften while you make the syrup.
6. In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, ¼ cup water, light corn syrup, and salt. Stir, and cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves.
7. Turn the heat up to high, and continue to cook (without stirring) until the syrup reaches 240° F on a candy thermometer.
8. With the mixer on low, slowly pour the syrup into the softened gelatin. Gradually increase the speed to high, and whip until soft peaks form and hold their shape, about 8-10 minutes. Add the clear vanilla extract, and whip just until it is incorporated.
9. Transfer the marshmallow to the 2 prepared piping bags. You can place the Hello Kitty template underneath the wax paper, on your baking sheet that you’ve prepared with coating powder, as a guide.
10. Using the bag with the 1A tip, pipe a large oval for the face, and then use the other piping bag fitted with the smaller round tip to make the ears. If you are left with any lumps or peaks on the marshmallow you can lightly dip a clean finger into a bowl of warm water and smooth out the marshmallow. You want to work quickly before the marshmallow begins to set, so only pipe 2 at a time, and then smooth any lumps.
11. To decorate the marshmallows, add 2 heart sprinkles to Hello Kitty’s left ear and then a red circle sprinkle to the center to make the bow (they will stick to the marshmallow). Carefully remove the nose and eyes from the wax paper and attach those, then add 3 chocolate jimmy sprinkles to each side for the whiskers. Allow the marshmallow to fully set before carefully removing (at least 7 hours or overnight). You can use more of the coating powder to cover any sticky parts (including the backs of the marshmallows), and brush off the excess.
12. When the crepe batter is ready divide it evenly into 4 small bowls. Use the pink coloring to add a little to each gradually increasing the color as you go so that the bowls have different shades of pink from light to dark.
13. Heat a large nonstick skillet, or crepe press, over medium-low heat. Lightly brush with butter, allowing the pan to heat up for about 5 minutes, before adding a little less than 1/3 cup of the crepe batter. Swirl the batter around the pan to evenly coat the bottom (or follow the crepe press instructions). Cook until the bottom of the crepe feels set – about 1-2 minutes. Then use chopsticks or a spatula to very carefully lift and flip the crepe. Cook for 45 seconds to 1 minute more until set. You will want to add a little more butter between every crepe to keep them from sticking. If the crepes are spreading too thin or tearing lower the heat and cook a little longer. Make 5 crepes in each color of batter (using 1 color at a time). Let the crepes cool (you can refrigerate them to speed this up).
14. Let’s make the cookie butter filling. Place your mixing bowl and whisk attachment in the freezer for 15 minutes. Once they are fully chilled add all of your whipped cream ingredients to the mixing bowl, and mix on low slowly working your way up to high speed (so it doesn’t splatter). Then continue to beat for about 5 minutes until the filling is light and fluffy. If adding the crushed cookies, fold them in now. **If you would like the cake topping to be pure white, reserve ¼ cup of the heavy cream to whip separately. You can add 1/8 teaspoon clear vanilla and ½ teaspoon powdered sugar to sweeten.
15. Time to build the cake! Start with the dark pink crepes, and place one onto your cake plate or stand. Use an offset spatula to apply a thin layer of the cookie butter whipped cream on top (leaving a thin border around the edge). Continue to add the crepes, using all of one color at a time, while adding the cream in between each layer working from darkest to lightest pink. When you get to the top crepe, cover and refrigerate for at least an hour.
16. When you are ready to serve the cake add the rest of the cookie butter whipped cream (or vanilla whipped cream if you made some without the cookies and cookie butter), and decorate the top with the marshmallows and rainbow sprinkles, enjoy!
Please note: Sanrio has invited, but does not necessarily endorse, the comments of this guest blogger. The contents of this blog are the copyrighted works of the guest blogger, except that Hello Kitty and other Sanrio characters remain the sole intellectual property of Sanrio, and are used with permission from Sanrio. Any ideas or instructions for homemade products featuring Hello Kitty or other Sanrio characters are authorized for personal use only. A separate license from Sanrio is always required to sell or distribute any products featuring Hello Kitty or other Sanrio characters.