Mille Feuille Recipe: Store-Bought Puff Pastry, Silky Diplomat Cream and a Caramelized Crisp Top

This mille feuille recipe is the easy way to a bakery dessert: store-bought puff pastry baked flat and crisp, and a silky diplomat cream between the layers. Known as milhojas in Spain, it needs no dough-making, and even a beginner can handle it.

Looking for a dessert that looks like it came from a French pastry shop but costs a few dollars? This one is made for a festive Sunday table. One slice will probably not be enough for anyone.

Quick Overview

• What it is: A Spanish-style puff pastry slice (milhojas), the cousin of French mille feuille, with a light yolk-and-whipped-cream filling.
• Secret trick: Baking the pastry under a weight makes it flat and extra crisp.
• Cost and time: About 40 minutes of work (plus chilling) and simple ingredients.
• Prep time: 40 minutes
• Baking time: 20 minutes
• Servings: 12 to 15 pieces
• Difficulty: Medium
• Calories: about 420 kcal per piece
• Trend: Bakery-style favorite

Ingredients

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Unroll the first sheet of puff pastry onto a baking sheet, prick it thoroughly with a fork, cover it with a second sheet of parchment paper and weigh it down with a second baking sheet.
2. Bake until golden, about 15 to 20 minutes. Do the same with the second sheet, but sprinkle it with 1 tablespoon of sugar before baking (it caramelizes in the oven and makes a crisp top layer). Let both sheets cool.
3. Cover the gelatin with 100 ml (1/3 cup) cold water in a small bowl and let it bloom. In a heavy-bottomed pot, whisk the yolks, sugar, flour and a little of the milk until smooth.
4. Add the remaining milk and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until you have a thick pudding. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
5. Warm the bloomed gelatin (in the microwave or over a water bath) until liquid, without boiling, and stir it into the hot custard.
6. Cover the custard with plastic wrap touching the surface (to prevent a skin) and let it cool to room temperature.
7. Whip the cream to stiff peaks. Gently fold it into the cooled custard by hand or on the lowest speed, until you have a fluffy diplomat cream.
8. Place the bottom sheet (the one without sugar) in a pan or on a board and spread all the cream over it, smoothing the top. Cover with the caramelized sheet (shiny side up) and press down lightly.
9. Refrigerate until set, ideally overnight. Slice with a serrated knife and dust with powdered sugar.

Video Recipe

Tips for Perfect Mille Feuille

1. To keep the cake from squashing or the filling from squeezing out, use a sharp serrated knife (a bread knife) and slice with gentle sawing strokes, without pressing down.
2. For an even more luxurious flavor, simmer a whole vanilla bean in the milk instead of using extract. The black seeds look wonderful in the cream.

Easy Variations

• Fruity version: Arrange fresh raspberries or sliced strawberries over the cream before putting on the top sheet.
• Chocolate mille feuille: Skip the sugar on the top sheet and, once it has cooled, pour dark chocolate ganache over it.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Serve well chilled. This slice stays fresh and crisp in the refrigerator for 2 days.

The recipe is based on a version by Tundes Cakes Recetas, adapted by the We Cook With Love team.

Enjoy! Try more recipes from our kitchen.