Tarta Milhojas

My sister got married in Toro, Spain and we had a traditional Spanish dessert tarta milhojas de crema pastelera y nata as her wedding cake.

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It took a while for me to source a recipe and even longer for me to translate it into English but I got there in the end. 

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Tarta Milhojas is essentially puff pastry cooked and layered up in a similiar way to a mille feuille. The layers are of puff pastry, crème pâtissière and slightly sweetened cream with chocolate shavings.

Tarta Milhojas recipe

​For pastry

  • 3 sheets of puff pastry - home made or shop bought

  • 100g caster sugar

  • little cocoa powder for dusting (drinking chocolate is fine or you can leave this out)

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For crème pâtissière

  • 6 large free range egg yolks

  • 1 Vanilla pod

  • 500 ml full fat/whole milk (you can use semi skimmed but it won't be as creamy)

  • 25g corn flour

  • 10g plain flour

  • 150g caster sugar

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For sweetened cream

  • 200ml double cream (or whipped cream)

  • 20g icing sugar

  • 100g of good dark chocolate (at least 60% cocoa solids)

FYI - If you have your own recipe for creme pat or one you have been using for a while feel free to use this. This is my own that I have come up with after trying a lot of recipes and a little bit of experimenting, this also gives the quantities needed for this recipe.

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees

  1. Put milk in pot and bring to the boil

  2. Whisk egg yolks, flours and sugar together

  3. When the milk has boiled pour around 1/3 of it into egg mixture and keep whisking until combined

  4. Pour this mixture into the saucepan and keeping whisking over a medium heat until it thickens well. 

  5. Once thickened put into a bowl, cover with clingfilm and put into the fridge until cold.

  6. Sprinkle 25g of caster sugar on each layer of puff pastry and use a rolling in to roll over it gently (or use your hands to pat it in)

  7. Use a fork to lightly prick each sheet

  8. Bake each sheet for around 8 minutes or until lightly golden. Set aside to cool

  9. Put cream and icing sugar in a bowl and whip until it stands in stiff peaks. Put into fridge until you are ready to use.

To assemble

  1. Spread half of the creme pat on top of 1 sheet off puff pastry

  2. Place second sheet of puff pastry on top and cover with the rest of the creme pat

  3. Place 3rd sheet on top and either spread the cream or pipe it on top

  4. Dust with cocoa powder

  5.   Done!