Galettes & crêpes
Chocolate crêpes (French crêpes with chocolate sauce)
French chocolate crêpes are thin crêpes covered with a warm sauce of dark chocolate and cream that takes five minutes to make. Serve them as they are, or with whipped cream, banana, coconut or almonds, or orange.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Rest
- 30 min
- Total
- 70 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
A French crêpe is thinner and more delicate than an everyday Slovak palacinka. The batter has more milk and a little melted butter, and it should rest for a while before cooking. The chocolate sauce needs just two ingredients: good dark chocolate and whipping cream. The rest is up to you.
Method
- 01
Mix the flour with the sugar and salt, add the eggs and pour in the milk a little at a time, whisking all the while. The batter should be smooth and as thin as single cream. Stir in the melted butter, cover and let it rest for 30 minutes.
- 02
Heat a 22 to 24 cm frying pan over medium-high heat and brush it with a little butter. Pour in a small ladle of batter and swirl the pan so it spreads thinly over the whole base.
- 03
Cook for about a minute, until the edges lift and the underside is golden. Flip and cook for another 30 seconds. Stack the finished crêpes on a plate and cover them with a tea towel to keep them warm and soft.
- 04
For the sauce, heat the cream in a small pan until the first bubbles appear at the edge. Take it off the heat, add the chocolate broken into pieces and a pinch of salt, and leave it for a minute. Then stir until the sauce is smooth and glossy.
- 05
If you want whipped cream, whip the chilled cream with the icing sugar to soft peaks. Toast the coconut or flaked almonds in a dry frying pan for 2 minutes, until fragrant.
- 06
Spread each crêpe with a spoonful of chocolate sauce, fold it in half and then in half again. On the plate, pour over more sauce and add whatever you like: banana slices, whipped cream, coconut or almonds.
With banana and chocolate: slice the banana, wrap the slices in a crêpe spread with sauce and add a little more sauce on top. For a warm banana, fry the slices for a minute in butter with a teaspoon of sugar.
Chocolate and orange: grate a little zest from an unwaxed orange into the sauce and serve the crêpes with orange segments, white pith removed.
With whipped cream: add it to the finished crêpe just before serving, or it will melt on the warm crêpe.
Frequently asked
- Which chocolate should I use for chocolate crêpes?
- Dark chocolate with 50 to 70% cocoa works best. The sauce is not too sweet and goes well with a sweet crêpe and whipped cream. If you prefer a milder taste, replace half with milk chocolate. Chocolate coatings and cooking chocolate made with vegetable fats taste flatter.
- Can I make the chocolate sauce ahead?
- Yes. It keeps in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, though it sets as it cools. Before serving, warm it over a pan of hot water or for a few seconds in the microwave and stir. If it is too thick, add a spoonful of warm cream or milk.
- Why do my crêpes tear or come out thick?
- They usually tear when the batter has not rested or the pan is not hot enough. They come out thick when the batter is too heavy or you pour in too much. Thin the batter with a spoonful of milk, and use about 50 ml per crêpe.
- Where can I eat chocolate crêpes in Bratislava?
- At Saint Paul Bistrot in Fresh Market, Rožňavská 1a, 1st floor. Our Čokoláda crêpe (chocolate) with whipped cream costs €4.90, with coconut or almonds for €0.80 extra. There is also Nutella & banán (banana) for €5.50, Čokoláda & pomaranč (chocolate and orange) with orange segments and chocolate ice cream for €7.50, and Čokoláda & flambovaný banán (flambéed banana) with vanilla ice cream, coconut and whipped cream for €8.50. We can make our crêpes gluten-free, but we work with wheat flour in the kitchen, so if you are coeliac, please talk to the staff first. We are open Monday to Friday 10:00-17:00 and Saturday 10:00-16:00.
Rather taste than cook?
Bistrot lunch, galettes, crêpes and Sorre cider: Fresh Market, 1st floor, Monday to Saturday.