from our cocoa kitchen · SURFSTR
Chocolate crêpes with SURFSTR Dutch cocoa
Thin, tender chocolate crêpes with a deep cocoa flavour, served with softly whipped cream and fresh strawberries. Bloom the high-fat Dutch cocoa first, then rest the batter so it spreads into a fine, even layer.
- Active preparation
- 15 min
- Cooking / baking
- 25 min
- Resting / chilling
- 30 min
- Total time
- 70 min
4 servings · about 12 thin 23 cm crêpes · 3 per serving with cream and strawberries
Editorial recipe adaptation. Not yet kitchen-tested. Check ingredient labels for allergens.
02 / bring it together
let’s make it.
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Weigh the ingredients
Weigh all ingredients. Use a 23 cm non-stick crêpe pan. Beat and weigh 150 g egg without shell. Keep the 35 g batter sugar separate from the 10 g cream sugar. Wash, hull and slice the strawberries.
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Bloom the cocoa
Whisk 30 g cocoa with 60 g just-boiled water and 30 g butter in a small heatproof bowl until smooth and glossy. Leave for 5 minutes until warm rather than hot; a hot paste could set the eggs.
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Mix the dry ingredients
Whisk 125 g flour, 35 g sugar and 1 g salt in a large bowl. Use plain flour: these thin crêpes need neither baking powder nor bicarbonate of soda.
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Whisk the milk and eggs
In a jug, whisk the 150 g egg with 400 g milk and 5 g vanilla until evenly combined. Avoid whipping it into a foam.
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Combine and strain
Whisk about one third of the milk mixture into the flour, followed by the warm cocoa paste. Add the remaining milk mixture gradually, whisking gently until fluid. Pass through a fine sieve into the bowl to remove lumps.
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Rest the batter
Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Meanwhile whip 160 g cold cream with 10 g sugar to soft peaks and chill. Stir the rested batter gently: it should flow like pouring cream. If needed, add water 5 g at a time, up to 20 g.
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Heat and lightly oil the pan
Heat the pan over medium heat for 2–3 minutes. An optional surface reading is approximately 170–180 °C; adjust to your pan. Brush a very thin film of oil over the base, using the 5 g allocation across the batch. Keep cloths away from the hob.
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Pour and swirl
Lift the pan off the heat. Add approximately 60 ml batter, immediately tilting to cover the base thinly. Return to the hob. Cook for about 60–90 seconds, until the surface is matte, no wet batter remains and the edge releases.
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Turn and repeat
Slide a broad non-scratch turner underneath and flip carefully. Cook for 15–25 seconds, until set on both sides and flexible. Reduce heat if edges scorch before the centre sets. Stack the cooked crêpes on a warm plate and cover loosely. Repeat for about 12 crêpes.
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Fold and serve
Fold into quarters and serve 3 crêpes per person with one quarter of the whipped cream and 50 g strawberries alongside. Keep cream chilled until serving. Allow about 25 minutes for cooking the whole batch; pan size and heat affect the yield and time.
The recipe in pictures
Professional quantities
| Ingredients | 4 | 25 | 50 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plain wheat flour, not self-raising | 125 g | 781.2 g | 1562.5 g |
| SURFSTR cocoa powder, Dutch-process, 20–22% cocoa butter | 30 g | 187.5 g | 375 g |
| Granulated sugar for the batter | 35 g | 218.8 g | 437.5 g |
| Unsalted butter | 30 g | 187.5 g | 375 g |
| Just-boiled water | 60 g | 375 g | 750 g |
| Whole milk, near room temperature | 400 g | 2500 g | 5000 g |
| Beaten egg without shell, about 3 large eggs; weigh 150 g | 150 g | 937.5 g | 1875 g |
| Vanilla extract | 5 g | 31.2 g | 62.5 g |
| Fine salt | 1 g | 6.2 g | 12.5 g |
| Neutral oil for the pan | 5 g | 31.2 g | 62.5 g |
| Whipping cream, 35% fat, cold | 160 g | 1000 g | 2000 g |
| Granulated sugar for the cream | 10 g | 62.5 g | 125 g |
| Strawberries, hulled and sliced | 200 g | 1250 g | 2500 g |
Scale weighed ingredients for 4, 25 or 50 servings (3 crêpes per serving). Weigh beaten egg and salt accurately. Mix manageable batches and cook to order; pan capacity, cooking and holding time do not scale linearly. Keep cream and fruit chilled separately.
03 / the numbers
nutrition, clearly.
Calculated estimates, not laboratory measurements. Any per-100-g values use the stated estimated finished weight.
| Nutrition estimates | Per serving |
|---|---|
| Energy | 2202 kJ / 529 kcal |
| Fat | 30.9 g |
| of which saturates | 18 g |
| Carbohydrate | 44.2 g |
| of which sugars | 19.9 g |
| Fibre | 4 g |
| Protein | 14.8 g |
| Salt | 0.5 g |
Estimates per serving: one quarter of the batch, including cream, sugar, strawberries and the full pan-oil allocation. Based on ingredient values; brand labels and actual yield vary. Finished weight has not been measured, so no per-100-g values are given.
Tips and storage
A fluid batter makes thin crêpes
Resting thickens the batter as cocoa and flour hydrate. Add the small water adjustment only if it will not spread quickly. Do not add more flour to a batter that looks thinner than pancake batter.
Chocolate without scorching
Make a small test crêpe first. A matte top and released edge are better guides than colour, which is hard to judge with dark cocoa. Lower the heat if edges become brittle.
Optional flavour twists
For mocha crêpes, dissolve 1 g instant espresso in the bloom water. For chocolate orange, add 2 g finely grated orange zest. Keep these optional additions out of the standard batch; nutrition excludes them.
Storage and reheating
Cool plain crêpes promptly and refrigerate covered at 4 °C or below within 2 hours; use within 2 days. Freeze plain crêpes with baking paper between them for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge. Reheat in a covered pan over low heat until steaming. Store cream and fruit separately and add just before serving.
Make ahead
Keep uncooked batter covered in the fridge at 4 °C or below for up to 24 hours. Stir gently and check its flow before cooking. Whip the cream on the serving day. A different cocoa fat level or flour blend can change the water needed.
SURFSTR · DUTCH PROCESS
it starts with cocoa.
SURFSTR Dutch-process cocoa contains 20–22% cocoa butter. Use the cocoa specified in the recipe: natural cocoa is not always a direct substitute.
Meet the cocoa