Cusma lui Guguta (Crepes with Sour Cherries) Recipe

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A dish as beautiful as it is sweet and creamy, our “Cuşma lui Guguţă” or “Guguta’s Hat” recipe will give you everything you need to make one of Moldova‘s most beloved traditional desserts in your home kitchen.

Mesmerizing to lay eyes on, while this dish may seem complicated, it is in fact very simple to assemble. My mother would always make this showstopper of a dessert for family celebrations, and that sweet and tart sour cherry, sour cream, and chocolate combination is one that never fails to bring a smile to my face.

Cusma lui Guguta Recipe

Ingredients

To make Cuşma lui Guguţă, you’ll need the following:

Basic Crepes

• Milk (500 ml or about 2 US cups and 2 tbsp)
• Flour (250 grams or about 1 cup and 1 tbsp)
• Sugar (1 tbsp)
• Unsalted butter, melted (50g or about 3 and 1/2 tbsp + plus 1/4 tbsp for greasing the pan)
• Vanilla extract (1 tsp)
• Eggs (3 medium)
• Salt (a pinch of salt)

Crepe Filling and Topping

• Sour cherries (450 grams, pitted)
• Sour cream (30% fat, 300 grams or about 11oz)
• Sugar (2 tbsp)
• Chocolate bar (100 grams or about 3.5 oz)

You can find pitted sour cherries on Amazon or, sometimes, in the international foods aisle at your local store.

Check Price on Amazon

Step-by-Step Instructions

Make the Crepes

Step 1 – Warm the milk very slightly for about 1-2 minutes in a pot on the stove or in the microwave for 20-30 seconds.

Step 2 – Add the milk to a large mixing bowl. Next, add 1 tbsp of sugar, 1 tsp of vanilla, and a pinch of salt. Then, add the 50 grams of melted butter. I usually melt the butter for about 15-20 seconds in the microwave.

Step 3 – Beat the eggs in a separate bowl and add them to the mixing bowl. Make sure the milk is lukewarm and not hot as it would cook the eggs otherwise. With a whisk, slowly incorporate the 250 grams of flour until the batter is smooth and there are no lumps left.

Step 4 – Preheat your crepe pan or a medium-sized frying pan over medium heat on the stove. Grease the pan with about 5 grams or 1/4 tbsp of butter.

Step 5 – Make the crepes one by one by ladling the batter into the pan. Cook for about 2 minutes on one side until the bottom is cooked and then flip the crepe with a spatula and cook for about 1 minute on the other side. The first crepe is the test crepe. Adjust the heat on the stove and your cooking times accordingly. Stack every crepe you make, as shown above, and allow them to cool.

Crepe Filling and Topping

With our crepes stacked, it’s now time to make the sour cream-sugar mixture. We’ll need 300 grams of sour cream (we used sour cream with 30% fat).

Tip: If you’re in the U.S. the sour cream there can be different from Moldovan or European sour cream. We recommend using creme fraiche instead if you can. If not, they’ll still be delicious!

Step 1 – Add 2 tbsp of sugar to the sour cream in a bowl and mix. Give it a taste and adjust the sweetness accordingly. Some sour creams may be a bit more sour than others and may require a bit more sugar.

Step 2 – Cover the bowl and put it in the fridge to rest.

Step 3 – Now it’s time for the fun part. Take each crepe, fill it with sour cherries, and roll it. Place them on the serving plate next to each other (as shown in the picture below). We’ll use 4 crepes for the first layer.

Once you have your base layer, top it with a layer of the sour cream-sugar mixture.

Add your second layer of crepes filled with sour cherries. For the second layer, we’re using 3 crepes.

Top the second layer of crepes with more of the sour cream-sugar mixture.

Add the third layer of crepes, which will consist of just two crepes filled with sour cherries.

Top the crepes with the sour cream mixture again.

And now add the final layer, which will consist of one filled crepe.

Top everything with the sour cream mixture.

Make sure to cover the sides and ends of the crepes as well.

Step 4 – And finally, take the chocolate bar and a hand grater or zester and add chocolate shavings all over the crepes.

You can place them in the fridge while waiting to serve them. When ready to serve, simply slice them and enjoy.

This is such a creative and intriguing-looking dessert. The red sour cherries, nestled snuggly between the walls of the rolled crepes, almost look like little gemstones.

I cannot get enough of this dessert. Every bite gives you layers of texture and flavor, and no extensive cooking or baking is required.

Cusma la Guguta always took center stage at the dinner table during family gatherings and feasts after the savory main dishes had been eaten, and it’s not difficult to understand why from these photos.

If you make this dessert at home, I really hope it brings you as much joy as it’s brought me over many years. It’s creamy, soft, sour, fruity, and utterly indulgent, all in one!

Cusma lui Guguta Recipe Card

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Author: Doina is a passionate home chef and content strategist, originally from Moldova. She has a deep love for international cuisine and recipes, often using her travels to inspire her own cooking.

Contributor: Efimia is a Moldovan teacher and home chef, who has been putting smiles on the faces of her friends, family, and loved ones with her home cooking for over 40 years and counting.