Combine the milk and eggs in a blender or food processor.
At medium-high speed, blend until light and airy, about 15 seconds.
Reduce the speed to low, remove the top feed, and add the sugar and salt with the blender running. Blend for 15 seconds.
Then add the melted and cooled butter, brandy, pure vanilla extract and lemon zest through the top feed and blend for 15-30 seconds.
Turn the blender off, add the flour and blend until smooth. If necessary, scrape down the sides.
Chill the batter for 30 minutes.
Let's make crepes!
Heat a large nonstick pan or an 8-inch skillet over medium-high heat. To test if the pan is hot enough, sprinkle a few drops of water over the surface; if they sizzle and evaporate, the pan is hot enough.
Brush lightly with melted butter or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
Pour ¼ cup batter in the center of the pan; quickly lift the pan off the heat, tilting and swirling it in a circular motion, until there is a thin layer covering the entire bottom of the pan evenly. Return the pan to heat and continue to cook for another minute or so.
Once the batter is thinly spread out in your pan, wait approximately 1 minute before flipping it. Physical cues that your thin crepe is ready to be turned include edges that begin to pull away from the side, crisp up and start to look lacy. The disappearance of a shiny gleam on the surface of the batter is another sign.
Crepes are done when slightly browned. You may have to play with the heat if they brown too quickly.
Before flipping the crepe, gently lift one edge of the crepe and look for light golden spots. That's another cue to flip. Cook for another 30 seconds or so until the underneath is golden and lightly browned.
Transfer to your plate. Repeat this process for the rest of the crepe batter.
Give the batter a quick whisk and repeat this process for the rest of the crepe batter.
To assemble
Stack 3 crepes and with a cookie cutter, press down in order to obtain mini-shaped crepes. Refer to photo details inside the post.
Place one crepe flat on your working surface. With an offset spatula, spread a heaping tablespoon or so of the sweet ricotta filling evenly on the crepe. Top with another crepe and repeat this procedure until you have reached your desired height.
Repeat this procedure with the rest of the crepes to form 4 mini crepe cakes.
Since it’s best to garnish your mini cakes right before serving, do not spread any ricotta on the top crepe since we are going to wrap them up in some plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight.
When ready to serve, remove the mini cakes from the refrigerator and transfer them to the serving plate.
Spead a few tablespoons of sweet ricotta cheese over the top of the cake.
Garnish with a mini ricotta-filled crepe roll up (cut in half), a sprinkle of toasted chopped pistachios, a mint leaf, a few fresh raspberries and a dusting of icing sugar to create a perfect dessert to help you celebrate special occasions.
Notes
The crepe batter can be made in a food processor, a blender, a thermomix or even whisked by hand.
If making the crepes ahead of time, once they are at room temperature, wrap them really well in plastic wrap to prevent them from drying out in the refrigerator. Never stack warm crepes as they will stick together.
If you do not have an offset spatula, use the back of a spoon to spread a thin layer of filling in between the crepe layers.
Refrigerating the cake for at least 2 hours allows it to become firm and set.
For the best presentation, it’s best to garnish your crepe cake right before serving.
Please keep in mind that the nutritional information provided below is just a rough estimate and variations can occur depending on the specific ingredients used.