Millefeuille dessert: a classic step-by-step recipe with photos

Today, we'll take a detailed look at how to make a mille-feuille dessert at home, using a classic step-by-step recipe from French pastry chefs as a basis.

Nutritional value per serving

280 kcal

Proteins: 4.0 g
Fats: 16.0 g
Carbohydrates: 28.0 g

*Nutritional value is calculated per 100g of ingredients

Total time: 4 hours
Time in the kitchen: 1 hour
Complexity:

It's easy and straightforward to prepare, but it does require some experience. Not everyone can do it right the first time.
Number of servings: 10

Mille-feuille is a classic French dessert, known in its native land as mille-feuille, which translates as "thousand leaves." Sometimes the pastry is called Melfeuille or Mille-feuille, but these are incorrect pronunciations.

The traditional millefeuille tastes very similar to the Napoleon cake we all know from childhood. It's made of thin, crispy puff pastry layers, layered with a classic custard.

The difference between a Napoleon and a Mille-feuille dessert is that in the former, the layers are completely soaked in cream, while in the latter, they remain crisp and brittle, which gives the dish a unique charm.

There are many different variations of this dish:

Millefeuille cake with beautifully piped cream, decorated with fresh fruits or berries;
Millefeuille dessert in a glass (can be made from leftover puff pastry);
Mille-feuille festive cake is a large, bright and incredibly delicious option for a holiday.

Today, we'll show you step-by-step how to make a traditional millefeuille cake at home, and we'll also show you photos of each step in preparing the cake layers and cream.

Please note that we will be making our own puff pastry layers, but if you want to make a cake or pastry as quickly as possible, you can make a "Lazy Millefeuille" by purchasing ready-made puff pastry from the store.

Classic Mille-feuille dessert recipe

Millefeuille Cake – A Simple Step-by-Step Recipe for Making at Home

Ingredients

Servings

Ingredients for puff pastry:

Butter

240 G
Flour

300 G
Water

120 ml
Vinegar

0.5 tsp
Salt

1 pinch

Ingredients for custard:

Milk

500 ml
White chocolate (callets)

100 G
Sugar

80 G
Egg yolk

4 pcs
Butter

60 G
Cornstarch

45 G
Vanilla extract

as desired

Preparation

Step 1

We begin preparing the dessert by kneading the dough.

In a mixing bowl, combine 300 g of flour, 60 g of softened butter and a pinch of salt.

Step 2

Mix all ingredients with a mixer using a dough hook.

Step 3

Dissolve 0.5 teaspoon of vinegar in 120 ml of cold water and add the solution to the flour and butter mixture. Knead the dough a little more with a mixer.

Step 4

Add 180 grams of cold butter, cut into small cubes (you can add butter from the refrigerator or even from the freezer).

Step 5

Using a mixer, knead the dough until it's firm and compact. Finish by kneading it with your hands.

Step 6

Roll the dough into a crust, fold it several times into a square, wrap it in a bag and put it in the freezer for 15-20 minutes.

Step 7

Take the chilled dough out, roll it out again without unrolling it, fold it into a square (or an envelope), pack it tightly again and put it in the freezer for 20 minutes.

Important! The rolling and freezing process must be repeated a total of 5 times!

Step 8

Roll out the prepared puff pastry and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Step 9

Prick with a fork and bake in the oven for approximately 40 minutes at 200℃ (top + bottom mode without convection).

Step 10

While the dough is baking, we will prepare the classic custard.

To start, add a few drops of vanilla extract to the milk to make the cream more flavorful and aromatic. If desired, you can replace the extract with vanilla sugar (synthetic vanillin is generally avoided in cooking these days).

Step 11

In a bowl, mix 4 egg yolks and 80 grams of sugar.

Step 12

Add 45 grams of cornstarch and mix thoroughly with a whisk.

Step 13

Gradually pour hot milk into the base and mix well with a whisk.

Step 14

Pour the mixture back into the saucepan, place it on the stove and simmer over low heat until thickened, stirring vigorously with a whisk.

Step 15

While boiling, add white chocolate.

Step 16

When the cream has thickened sufficiently, remove the pan from the heat and add 60 grams of butter. Stir until the butter is completely melted.

Step 17

Pour the finished cream into a suitable container, cover with cling film and place in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

Step 18

Cut the cooled puff pastry layers into pieces of the desired size. Also, separate the layers horizontally.

Step 19

For Melfey cakes, it is best to make small portions, as in the photo.

Step 20

Once the cream has cooled, beat it with a mixer, transfer it to a pastry bag, and pipe it onto the dough. Each cake consists of three layers of dough and two layers of cream.

Step 21

The finished dish can be refrigerated for up to 12 hours. Before serving, garnish each cake with fresh berries, grated chocolate, thick topping, or flaked almonds.

Also watch a step-by-step video tutorial on how to make mille-feuille cake: