Dulce de leche crêpe cake with Suzette sauce

Before I give you the recipe for this delicious dessert, I have to confess something: I cheated. See those pretty little citrus segments on top of the crepe cakes? I did not cut those. I suck at segmenting citrus fruit. After murdering two oranges trying to finish up the recipe I gave up – and reached for the jar of mandarins in syrup I had gotten in a Christmas basket and thought I would never use. :D

Wow, I feel a lot lighter now. :D

Dulce de leche crêpe cake with Suzette sauce
from Australian Gourmet Traveller

395g (1 can) dulce de leche
4 oranges, segmented
pouring cream, whisked to soft peaks, to serve

Crêpe batter:
350g (2 ½ cups) all purpose flour
finely grated zest of 1 orange
4 cups (960ml) whole milk
160g unsalted butter, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon caster sugar
1 teaspoon salt
6 eggs
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup (240ml) beer

Suzette sauce:
½ cup + 1 tablespoon (127g) unsalted butter, coarsely chopped
¼ cup + 1 ½ tablespoons (68g) caster sugar
finely grated zest of 2 oranges
1 teaspoon orange-blossom water (optional)
½ cup (120ml) freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tablespoon + ¼ cup (60ml) Cointreau, Grand Marnier or brandy, separate use

Start by making the crêpe batter: combine flour and zest in a large bowl and form a well in the center. Combine milk, butter, sugar and salt in a saucepan over high heat until butter melts (5-6 minutes). Whisk eggs and oil in a bowl until combined, add milk mixture, then gradually pour into flour, stirring with a whisk until blended and smooth. Stir in beer, cover with plastic, stand at room temperature for 30 minutes, then refrigerate to rest (overnight)*.
Heat a non-stick crêpe pan with a 21cm-diameter base over medium-high heat, add ¼ cup (60ml) crêpe batter, swirl to coat pan, cook until golden (2 minutes), turn and cook until set (30 seconds). Transfer to a plate and repeat, stacking crêpes as you go. Makes about 25 crêpes.
Spread 3 teaspoons of dulce de leche on each crêpe except the top one, stacking crêpes on an ovenproof serving plate as you go. Set aside at room temperature.
For Suzette butter, cook butter, sugar, zest and orange-blossom water in a saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves and bubbles (4-5 minutes). Add orange juice and 1 tablespoon Cointreau and simmer until slightly thickened (7-8 minutes; the sauce can be made ahead up to this stage and reheated when ready to use).
To serve, preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Warm crêpe cake in oven (5-8 minutes). Meanwhile, add orange segments to Suzette butter, warm over low heat (3 minutes), spoon a little Suzette butter with orange segments over cake, and transfer remaining to a serving dish. Return pan to heat until warm, add remaining Cointreau, carefully ignite alcohol with a long match, tilting pan away from you (be careful as alcohol will burst into flames), then pour over cake while still lit. Serve warm with whipped cream and Suzette butter.

* I refrigerated my batter for 6 hours and it worked out fine

Serves 12 – I halved the recipe above, made 12cm crêpes and got 20; made two stacks with 10 crêpes each