Diplomat Cream Millefeuille

Diplomat Cream Millefeuille has always been my go to birthday cake. I have a weakness for both puff pastry and custard cream. So what else could I ask for?

Lately being a lot on Instagram and all I sin of photographic vanity: choosing a recipe based on how (I think) it will look in the pictures.

But Millefeuille for me is something special. Before I started having fun with pastry making my mum every year would ask me which birthday cake I wanted. And my choice was always the same: custard Cream millefeuille. Not even a normal one, but from a certain pastry shop in Florence renowned for that type of cake.

Maybe these are not my best shots and even the recipe is not that original, but I wanted to have my favorite cake of all times on my blog.
So here’s my Diplomat Cream Millefeuille in a more modern, or so I hope, version.

For the puff pastry there are 3 possibilities, in ascending order of difficulty:
Buy an already made puff pastry sheet.
Make the easy puff pastry recipe.
Make the classic puff pastry recipe.

Here I will follow the classic puff pastry recipe as it has the best result for this cake.

A normal Millefeuille can be made instead with no need of gelatin to make the cream droplets.

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Diplomat Cream Millefeuille

Prep Time1 hr 15 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Total Time1 hr 30 mins

Servings: 8

If you want to use the simplified version of the puff pastry see this recipe here.

Ingredients

For the diplomat cream:

• 500 g milk 17.6 oz
• 70 g egg yolks 2.5 oz
• 110 g sugar 3.9 oz
• 40 g cornstarch 1.4 oz
• 5 g gelatin sheets, approx 1 sheet 0.18 oz
• powdered vanilla bourbon the tip of a tsp.
• 180 g whipping cream 6.3 oz

Puff pastry

For the dough:

• 245 g flour 8.6 oz
• 125 g water 4.4 oz
• 50 g butter, room temperature 1.8 oz

For the butter block:

• 300 g butter 10.6 oz
• 105 g flour 3.7 oz

To caramelize the puff pastry:

• 50 g confectioner sugar 1.8 oz
• 20 g dextrose, optional 0.71 oz

To garnish:

• confectioner sugar to sprinkle
• fresh berries optional

Instructions

For the dough:

• Leave the butter at room temperature for about 20 minutes.
• Combine the butter and flour, either by hand or in the stand mixer with paddle or hook attachment.
• Dissolve the salt in the water and add them to the dough. Keep working it until all ingredients are combined.
• Wrap the dough in cling film and let it rest for 1 hour and ½ at room temperature.

For the butter block:

• Cut the cold butter in cubes and place it between two sheets of baking paper. Beat with the rolling pin to make it softer.
• Transfer the butter in the bowl of the stand mixer (or in a normal bowl if done by hand). Add the flour and start working it. This can be done by hand but be careful not to overheat the butter.
• Work the dough with the paddle or hook attachment until the flour is absorbed. Do not overwork.
• Transfer between two sheets of baking paper and shape out a block about 1.5 cm high (0.6 in) and approx 20x20 cm (7.9 x 7.9 in).
• Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 1 hour.

To make the puff pastry:

• Slightly flour the work surface. Roll out the dough in a square shape approx 30 x 30 cm (11.8 x 11.8 in).
• Place the butter block in the middle of the square, rotating it by 45°.
• Completely wrap the block with the four sides of the dough.
• Roll out the new dough in an 35 x 20 cm (13.7 x 7.9 in) rectangle, approximately.
• From the short side fold the rectangle in 3.
• Mark the first fold by pressing your index finger in the dough once. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 2 hours.
• On the dusted surface roll out the dough again always from the short side.
• Fold the rectangle in half, open it back and fold the extremities towards the middle.
• Press gently in the middle with the rolling pin to create a furrow. Close the dough as a book (4-fold).
• Mark the dough with your finger twice, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Repeat the 4-fold twice: roll out the dough and fold it like before. Roll out the dough for the fourth time in the same manner.
• Mark the dough 2 more times times and put it again in the fridge, wrapped in film, for 1 hour.
• Again repeat the same two steps (4-fold twice). Mark the dough another 2 times (it should have 6 marks totally). Wrap in film and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before use.
• For best results refrigerate the dough overnight.

For the diplomat cream:

• Put the milk together with the vanilla bourbon (or extract) in a pot on medium heat.
• In a large bowl combine the sugar and the cornstarch. Add the egg yolks and whisk to combine.
• When the milk starts boiling add it to the sugar and yolk mixture by passing it through a strainer. Stir vigorously to make the solids dissolve.
• Put the mixture back in the pot on medium heat. Stir continuously until it thickens (about 3 minutes).
• Remove from heat and stir every few minutes while you prepare the gelatin.
• Soak the gelatin sheet in cold water for 10 minutes. Keep stirring the cream to prevent it to form the skin on top.
• Add the wrung gelatin sheet to the cream and stir to dissolve.
• Cover the cream with plastic wrap touching the cream surface. Refrigerate until completely cold.
• Whip the cream to firm consistency.
• Once the cream is cold gently fold in the whipped cream. Transfer the diplomat cream in a pastry bag with a large round tip and let it set in the fridge.

Baking the puff pastry:

• Preheat the oven at 200° C (392° F).
• Roll out a piece of puff pastry of approx 1 or 2 mm in height (0.04 or 0.08 in). The dimensions of the rectangle will vary depending on the baking tray. I adapted to my own baking tray and I have cut a rectangle 25 x 35 cm (9.8 x 13.8 in). Place the dough on the baking tray line with parchment paper. Randomly score the pastry dough with a fork.
• If you have two baking trays you can bake the two pastry sheets simultaneously.
• Bake the pastry at 200° C (392° F) for 8 minutes.
• Take the pastry out and sprinkle the top with confectioner sugar.
• Bake for another 7-8 minutes, but check the pastry. It should be golden and not dark brown.
• Let the pastry cool off a few minutes and cut it to the desired dimensions.
• For photographic reasons I decided to cut the pastry in 3 small layers of 7 x 20 cm (2.7 x 7.9 in). But I had baked a 25 x 35 cm (9.8 x 13.8 in) rectangle so I could have cut 2 rectangles of approx 12 x 30 cm (4.7 x 11.8 in) from each tray, totaling in four 12 x 30 cm layers.

Assembly:

• Put one pastry layer as the base. Using the pastry bag fill the base with droplets diplomat cream.
• Do the same with the other layer/s. Sprinkle the last layer with confectioner sugar. Garnish with fresh berries (optional).
• Store in the fridge.

Notes

The gelatin can be omitted, in that case simply spread the diplomat cream on the layers.

Did you try this recipe?Mention @tortaoragione and tag #tortaoragione!