The magnificent 40-layer crêpe cake at The Whippet. Photograph courtesy of the restaurant.

It’s a universal truth that one pancake is never enough, but The Whippet coffeeshop in Linden is taking things a little further with its towering, multiple-layer crêpe cake. The creation consists of no fewer than 40 pancakes, all made in house, with vanilla crème anglaise and rich dark chocolate spread between the layers. (It has hot competition for the most amazing confectionery in Gauteng, namely this coffee in an ice-cream cone and this Lindt s’more skillet.)

“The crêpe cake is part of this challenge we set for ourselves,” explains one of The Whippet owners, Divan Botha. “Our French-trained baker, Marlizan De Necker, is central to our new approach to baking. We use only real butter – no vegetable fats – and stay true to classic French baking.”

2016 is going to be a big year for The Whippet. While they’ve been attracting fans with treats like flavoured hot-butter fudge and milktart-and-cookie cakes for years now, the team’s return to classical French-inspired cakes and pastries is part of a campaign to launch ever more memorable bakes and desserts.

Go on, count the layers of The Whippet’s crêpe cake. Photograph courtesy of the restaurant.

All of The Whippet’s cakes are made daily by classically trained hands, using premium ingredients, and the team is encouraged to try new creations every week. Thursdays and Saturdays are your best bet to get a slice of the crêpe cake for R40 a pop.

Divan says they’re looking forward to more experimenting with textures and flavours: “For us it’s all about perfecting taste rather than bringing out impressive-looking cakes.”

Apparently they’re working on making Joburg’s best cheesecake next. We can’t wait.