Diplomat Cream Millefeuille

Millefoglie alla Crema Diplomatica | tortaoragione.it

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.

Diplomat Cream Millefeuille

Prep Time1 hour 15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time1 hour 30 minutes
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!

     

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