Cardamom and Tea

If you’re craving a perfect batch of sweet crêpes—thin, tender, golden at the edges, and ready to be filled with everything from lemon sugar to Nutella—you’re in the right place! This is the sweet crêpe recipe I always turn to, thanks to my aunt Masy, who’s known in our family for her culinary wizardry.

Before the recipe, I’m going to get into why this recipe is the absolute easiest. And I’ll also include a quick list of my favorite toppings. Check those out if you’d like, or jump to the recipe if you’re ready to start crêping!

Why this sweet crêpes recipe is 100x easier

1. No blender required (though you can use one!)

Most crêpe recipes call for a blender to avoid lumps in the very thin batter. But Masy’s method only needs a mixing bowl and a whisk. By adding the liquid in stages, you can easily achieve a smooth, silky batter without the blender.

But you can use a blender if that’s what is easier for you. It works either way!

2. Less clean-up

The recipe in this post has both volume and weight measurements. So if you have a digital scale, use that instead of measuring cups to save on dishes. Or use the volumetric measurements if that’s your preference. Either way, one bowl keeps the cleanup to a minimum.

3. A faster cooking process (with more flavor!):

Masy cooks these sweet crêpes over higher heat than most recipes suggest. A properly preheated pan (where the butter sizzles right away) gives them a gorgeous caramelized edge and a toasty, brown butter aroma that deepens their sweetness. Sweet crêpes just got a whole lot sweeter (and a whole lot faster).

Crêpe topping ideas

This recipe for sweet crêpes is a perfect blank canvas. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Fresh lemon juice and powdered sugar with a smear of jam
Passion fruit with a dash of orange blossom water and a drizzle of sweetened condensed milk
Nutella and sliced strawberries
Berries with whipped cream
Sweetened ricotta or mascarpone topped with chocolate sauce

Sweet Crêpes (with topping ideas + a video)

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for a vegan version, try this recipe

Total Time: 30 minutes
Yield: about 12 big or 15 medium crêpes

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and salt until well combined. Don’t add the milk yet.
Add the flour to the egg mixture, and whisk together until there are no dry lumps (don’t worry too much about over-mixing, but do stop when there are no more dry lumps).
Slowly dribble in the first half of the milk, while whisking. Then whisk in the other half of the milk. You should end up with a smooth, lump-free batter.
Place a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, and let it pre-heat for a couple minutes. Get ready to move.
Peel back the butter wrapper halfway, and swipe the butter over the surface of the hot pan. It should sizzle and begin to turn brown after a couple seconds (but it shouldn’t burn). Pour about 1/4 cup (more or less, depending on the size of your pan) into the buttered pan, and quickly tilt the pan around to coat the surface evenly. Let it cook for about 1 minute, then flip and cook for 30 more seconds (the fastest way is to flip it mid-air with the pan, but that takes a little practice. Watch some youtube tutorials and give it a try).
Remove finished crepes to a plate, and continue cooking the rest of the batter. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate for a few days (reheat in the same pan for about 30 seconds, or microwave briefly). Storage suggestions: Crêpes have a high ratio of egg:flour, so they do alright in the refrigerator, but for longer-term storage, place them in a gallon-size freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. You can use wax paper between each crêpe to make them easier to thaw 1 at a time (you can also use wax paper in the refrigerator as a precaution, but I find that they usually peel apart pretty easily). To thaw, simply leave them in the refrigerator overnight or gently microwave them.
Fold the crêpes up into rolls or triangles

Notes

* Put the in-shell eggs in hot tap water for about 5 to 10 minutes to bring them to room temperature. For the milk, microwave it for a few seconds to take the chill off.

Topping suggestion (optional—see list above post for more ideas):

6 ripe passion fruits
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons orange blossom water
sweetened condensed milk

Make the topping: Carefully scrape the passion fruit pulp into a bowl. Add a little orange blossom water, to taste (between 1/8 – 1/4 teaspoon per 1 passion fruit—keep it subtle), and gently stir together. Serve with the passion fruit and sweetened condensed milk on the side at the table.

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This was originally posted in March 2019, but I recently updated it to streamline the recipe and to gave a bit more context for the recipe, and then reposted it (in 2025). The actual recipe is still the same (same technique and ingredients), so if you’ve been making it since then, don’t worry—that is the one thing that hasn’t changed.

You start by slicing fresh figs and layering them in the bottom of your pan with some brown sugar and butter. Then you mix up an easy, buttery batter and pour it right over the top. As it bakes, the figs turn jammy and when you flip the whole thing out, you get a glossy, golden fig cake that looks far fancier than it actually is.

Fig season can be brief and unpredictable, but when you spot those baskets at the market in the summer and fall, grab as many as you can. This cake comes together fast—perfect for getting the most out of the season. Read on for some ideas of ways to incorporate more flavor, or jump to the recipe to start baking.

[2025 update: This recipe was originally published in June of 2019 as an orange blossom fig upside-down cake, but I’ve since changed it to be more flexible, with lots of different options. There are instructions in the recipe for making the original.]

Fig cake ingredients and flavors

There are so many ways to get creative with this recipe. Here are a few of my favorites:

Other flavors you can incorporate into the cake

Vanilla extract: This is a classic and cozy flavor that adds warmth without competing with the figs. Add a teaspoon or two and you won’t have to worry about your fig cake tasting plain, but it also won’t overshadow anything.
Almond extract: Just a drop or two gives the cake a toasty, marzipan-like flavor. Use sparingly—almond extract and almond flavor are both pretty strong.
Cinnamon and other warm spices: Try cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, or even a pinch of ground cloves. These give this fig cake a spiced, almost autumnal feel.
Orange blossom water: You can add up to 1 Tbsp orange blossom water in this recipe for a fragrant, floral note that’s not too overpowering.
Rosewater: Use in place or alongside the orange blossom water for a more intense floral note. A little goes a long way, so try 1 tsp in the batter (maybe 2 if you really love the taste of rose). If you don’t add quite enough and are disappointed after baking, you can always drizzle a tiny bit over the top of the cake to compensate. You can add more, but you can’t take away.

Buttermilk instead of yogurt

I usually go for buttermilk in cases like this, but yogurt felt simpler. It’s probably already in your fridge and it gives the same moisture and tang. That way, when you do happen to find some figs at the market, you can go right home and bake this cake without having to make an extra stop. But if you do have buttermilk on hand, you can use an equal amount in place of the yogurt.

Comments from before Jul 10 2025 are from the version of this recipe that included orange blossom water. Any newer comments are for this version. The difference between these versions is that the new version gives you more options. The rest of the ingredients in the cake recipe have not changed.

Sweet crêpes