Method

• 1.
  Melt the butter and pour it into a large heatproof jug. Add the milk, eggs, flour, sugar and 1/2 tsp fine sea salt. Using a stick blender, whiz for about 10 seconds or until you have a smooth batter with a runny cream consistency. (Alternatively, use a food processor or blender). Rest the batter for 10 minutes at room temperature.
• 2.
  Heat a shallow 20-22 cm non-stick frypan over a medium-high heat and drizzle a little melted butter into the pan. The butter should sizzle, not burn.
• 3.
  Pour 1/4 cup (60ml) of batter into the pan. Lift the pan up and swirl the batter out to the edge so the base is covered with a thin film of batter. Pour the excess back into the jug. Return the pan to heat and cook for 1-2 minutes until set and faintly golden on the edges.
• 4.
  Flip the crepe with an offset spatula and cook for a further minute. Slide the crepe out on a wire rack to cool. Repeat the process until you have 20 crepes. If you lose one it doesn’t matter, but this usually happens when flipping before the crepe has set. When you make your best one, set it aside for the top of the cake. Fan them, half resting on each other (they aren’t prone to sticking) on the rack, to cool.
• 5.
  For the filling, whip the cream, creme fraiche and vanilla in a large bowl to soft peaks. Refrigerate until needed.
• 6.
  Meanwhile, for the lemon curd, fill a medium saucepan one-quarter full of water and bring to a simmer. Place the lemon juice, sugar and 1/4 tsp salt flakes in a large heatproof bowl and whisk to combine. Whisk in the egg yolks. Place the bowl over the simmering water and whisk continuously until the curd has thickened and is 85°C on a kitchen thermometer.
• 7.
  Remove the bowl off the pan and add the softened butter, a few pinches at a time, whisking them in, until all the butter has been added and has dissolved. Whisk in the lemon zest. Scrape the mix into a plastic tub or bowl. Immediately press a piece of baking paper on the top, to prevent a skin forming, and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours or until cooled completely. The lemon curd will look loose but will become firmer as it cools.
• 8.
  To assemble, if you want to make it in a springform cake pan, choose one a little wider than the crepes so you don’t have to trim the crepes (if you do want to do this, use scissors). Or you can stack them freeform on a cake platter. If you choose the pan, spray it with cooking oil spray and line the base and side with baking paper. If you opt for the freeform, make sure you smooth the cream and curd out as evenly as possible, to keep the layers level.
• 9.
  Whichever way you choose, place 1 crepe in the pan, followed by a heaped tbs curd. Place another crepe on top followed by heaped spatula-full of cream (about 100g per layer).
• 10.
  Smooth out the curd and cream evenly over entire crepe. Repeat the layers until you use up all the components. Finish with reserved crepe. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 3 hours or overnight. Remove the plastic (and the pan if using) and dust with icing sugar. Serve cold.