Mille-feuille cake with ready-made puff pastry, cream and pear compote. The mille-feuille is a very easy cake to make, yet has a stunning visual effect. It is prepared with a base of ready-made puff pastry or homemade puff pastry, pastry cream enriched with whipped cream, also known as Italian Chantilly cream, which you can enrich as you prefer. For example, I filled it with Chantilly cream and pear compote, but you can use your favorite jams and preserves or any fresh fruit you love. Making the mille-feuille is really simple and the result is so good and beautiful that you’ll receive compliments from everyone, just like with the ricotta and strawberry mille-feuille. But how do you make the mille-feuille? Simple — come into the kitchen and I’ll tell you how to make it. Before that, remember that if you want to stay updated on all my recipes you can follow my Facebook page (here) and my Instagram profile (here).
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very inexpensive
- Rest time: 4 Hours
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Cooking time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 6
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients to make the mille-feuille cake with Chantilly cream
- 1 1/2 roll puff pastry
- as needed granulated sugar
- 2 1/8 cups whole milk
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 egg (medium)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar (about 180 g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- as needed lemon zest
- 1/2 cup heavy cream for whipping
- sheets gelatin (approximately 8 g)
- 1 1/3 tbsp water (about 20 ml)
- 1 pear (firm and compact for pear chips)
- as needed lemon juice (for pear chips)
- oz ripe pears (about 400 g (about 3 medium pears))
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar (about 50 g)
- as needed lemon juice
Tools
- 1 Baking pan
- 1 Oven
- Bowls
- 1 Pan
- Refrigerator
- Piping bag
- Saucepan
- Mandoline
- Mixer
Steps to make the mille-feuille cake with Chantilly cream
Let’s start by preparing the mock Chantilly cream — “mock” because the base pastry cream I make uses only one egg. Dissolve the flour and sugar in a little milk, then add the egg and, once the mixture is smooth, add the remaining milk and combine. Let it thicken over moderate heat, stirring continuously.
Turn off the heat, add the grated zest of one lemon, the vanillin or vanilla extract, and whisk again. Pour the cream into a bowl, sprinkle with a little sugar and cover with plastic wrap. Bring to room temperature, stirring occasionally, then refrigerate for a couple of hours.
After the time has passed and the cream has completely cooled, whip the cold cream in a bowl that you’ve chilled in the freezer for 20 minutes. Gently fold the whipped cream into the pastry cream.
Soak the gelatin leaves in cold water and let them hydrate.
Squeeze the gelatin leaves and dissolve them with a little boiling water (you can use a small saucepan or the microwave). Add the gelatin to the cream, whisk to combine and refrigerate for at least 4–5 hours or until the cream is cold and set.
Prepare the pear compote. I used Etna conference pears, sweet and ripe, but any variety will do. Rinse the pears, peel them, remove the core, rinse again, chop into pieces and place them in a pan with the juice of half a lemon. Cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes, or until reduced and a thick compote is obtained; occasionally stir and mash the pieces with a fork. Let cool and set aside.
Unroll the puff pastry and cut three rectangles of 10 x 6 inches (approximately 25 x 15 cm). Brush with a little water, sprinkle with sugar, prick with a fork and bake at 392°F for 10 minutes or until cooked and nicely golden.
Once all elements are ready, assemble the cake. Place the first puff pastry layer on a tray, fill a piping bag with the previously combined cream and pipe the cream onto the first layer. Spread some pear compote on top and cover with the next pastry layer. Repeat the layer of cream and compote, then garnish and cover with the final pastry layer.
Decorate with cream; I also garnished with pear chips.
To make pear chips, slice a very firm pear very thinly with a mandoline. Brush the slices with lemon juice and place them in a single layer in the air fryer basket so they do not overlap. Cook at 212°F for 40 minutes or until completely dried. Alternatively, you can use a convection oven and increase the time slightly, or use a food dehydrator to achieve the same result. Store the pear chips in an airtight bag and add them to the cake just before serving, as they tend to soften by absorbing surrounding moisture.
Storage notes and tips
The mille-feuille should be stored in the refrigerator in an appropriate container. It’s best to let it rest a few hours before serving so the cream settles. Consume within 48 hours. It is not suitable for freezing.
If you want to keep it crispier, fill the mille-feuille just before serving, especially on warmer days.
For better results, use a well-chilled, not too runny cream: this will help achieve more stable layers and a neater presentation.
If there are leftovers, you can store them already portioned — it will be easier to serve without breaking the slices.
