Best Milhojas Cake Recipe

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Milhojas Cake is a popular sweet treat recipe in South America that is quite heavenly to eat. Below we’re sharing our easy recipe with you using puff pastry and a Chantilly Cream Layer. Top it off with beautiful raspberries or any favorite fruit for a deliciously appetizing dessert that is fantastic!

milhojas cake recipe with raspberries

Milhojas Thousand Layer Cake

Milhojas is also known as the Thousand Layer Cake. And that is for obvious reasons. All the layers of the puff pastry appear as though there are about 1,000 wonderfully flaky layers or leaves.

Though we typically prefer all things homemade, in this recipe we use a short cut of frozen puff pastry sheets. This is because what we can buy at the store these days is of high quality. And making puff pastry at home can become quite time consuming.

Chilean Thousand Layers Cake “Mil Hojas” Topping Ideas:

There are unlimited toppings that would work great for Milhojas Cake Recipe. Following are some ideas you might like to try.

Peach and Almond Milhojas

Consider the wonderful combination of peaches and almonds. Using a can of peaches or peeling some fresh peaches is so refreshing. Cut them into small bite sized pieces and place them on the top layer of your cake. Add some thinly sliced almond pieces as well.

Milhojas Cake With Ice Cream

Consider incorporating ice cream into your Milhojas Cake Recipe. This can be done by adding an ice cream layer inside the cake itself. Or by serving your cake a la mode. Either way, it makes the perfect pairing.

Milhojas of Orange-Scented Pastry Cream

This idea incorporates orange scent into the pastry cream itself. It uses a cooked pastry cream of 2 egg yolks, zest from ½ lemon, zest from 1 orange, ½ cup sugar, 2 tbsp flour, 1 cup milk, and ¼ cup cream.

milhojas cake recipe

For dulce de leche filling

Dulce de leche filling can be made using a can of sweetened condensed milk. To make it, heat a pan of boiling water on the stovetop. Then preheat oven to 425F degrees. Pour the sweetened condensed milk into the bottom of a baking pan and place baking pan inside roasting pan. Cover tightly with foil.

Add water in the outside pan until it reaches halfway up the side of the pan that contains the milk. Bake for 90 minutes. Whisk until smooth. Let cool and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Other topping possibilities:

Coconut
Strawberries
Bananas
Blueberries
Raspberries
Chocolate drizzle
Frosting
Pecans
Cinnamon
Sugar
Chocolate Shavings
Powdered Sugar
Crushed Pineapple
Peaches
Sliced Almonds
Pecan Pieces

Frequently Asked Questions

Following are questions that are asked frequently about Milhojas Cake Recipe. We trust you’ll find these answers helpful.

Is Milhojas cake the same as a Napoleon?

Yes, in essence they are the same pastry item. Milhojas is the Spanish name, mille-feuilles is the French name, and a Napoleon is what it’s generally referred to in America.

What is this easy Napoleon cake made of?

Easy Napoleon cake or Milhojas cake is made of puff pastry, a custard filling, and your favorite toppings.

What to do with leftover egg whites?

Leftover egg whites can be used to make meringue cookies.

milhojas cake recipe side view

Does Napoleon cake need to be refrigerated?

Yes, Napoleon cake needs to be refrigerated because it includes dairy products and eggs.

How long does it keep?

Your Milhojas cake or Napoleon is best when eaten right away because the puff pastry will be nice and crisp. The longer it sits, the more likely it is for the pastry to become soggy. If you have leftovers, they can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for 1-2 days.

Napoleon custard

To make a true Napoleon custard you’ll need 2 cups whole milk, ¼ cup sugar, and bring those to a simmer over low heat. Mix ¼ cup cornstarch, 1/3 cup sugar, together in a mixing bowl. Add 2 large egg yolks, and 1 large egg into the cornstarch mixture. Add the egg mixture to the milk mixture and whisk continually until it starts to boil. Remove from heat. Cover with plastic wrap in cool in the refrigerator.

Troubleshooting custard cream

Some folks tend to be overwhelmed by making homemade custard cream filling. But taking the time to give it a try can make the difference.

To keep custard cream from becoming lumpy, it’s important to whisk the mixture continually and mix the ingredients in the order directed.

Keep it from burning by working with as low heat as possible and stirring continually.

milhojas cake recipe homemade custard

What is Napoleon Cake

A napoleon cake is made up of three layers of puff pastry and alternated with two layers of pastry custard. It’s topped with your favorite toppings.

How to make Easy Napoleon Cake

To make easy Napoleon cake, we use a shortcut of buying frozen puff pastry and then making homemade custard for the cream layers. Just follow our step-by-step instructions below.

Milhojas de crema y frambuesas

When raspberries are available, one of our favorite ways to make this layered puff pastry is with cream and raspberries. It makes it visually lovely and wonderfully tasty. The added dimension of the red raspberries to the tops of each piece of Milhojas cake is beautiful.

Colombian Milhojas: Custard Puff Pastry with Whipping Cream

Whether making Milhojas cake, Napoleon cake, or Mille-feuille, the filling recipes can vary depending where in the world you are or depending on the chef’s preferred filling. Often times Colombian Milhojas use custard or whipped cream filling, as well as a combination of the two.

Milhojas Con Arequipe (Columbian Dulce De Leche Pastry)

Arequipe or dulce de leche is a sweet milk made caramel like that is used for pastry filling or cake frosting. It’s well known and used in places like Columbia, South America.

milhojas cake recipe with raspberries and sugar

Milhoja Recipe | How To Make A Dulce de Leche Napoleon

You might have heard of a Dulce de Leche Napoleon. This sweet treat is made using our recipe below as well as adding the dulce de leche sauce either in one of the filling layers or on top of the piece of cake itself. See our topping ideas above for how to make dulce de leche.

Making Chilean Torta Milhojas or Dulce de Leche Cake

Dulce de leche and milhojas is also a traditional classic Chilean dessert. Just as we’ve described previously, it’s a sweet cake made with puff pastry and is filled with dulce de leche.

Nutrition Information

It is estimated that there are six servings in this recipe. The nutrition information is based on 1/6th of the recipe and is estimated as follows:

Calories 388
Total Fat 24.4 g
Saturated Fat 12 g
Cholesterol 55 mg
Sodium 115 mg
Total Carbohydrates 37.7 g
Dietary Fiber 0.1 g
Total Sugars 33 g
Protein 1.4 g

Please note that nutrition information will vary based on the ingredients and brand of ingredients used.

milhojas cake recipe top view with forkk

How To Make Milhojas Cake Recipe

To make the delicious Milhojas cake recipe, there are three main parts including the puff pastry, cream filling, and topping or garnish. We’ll walk you through the step by step process below to make this wonderful treat.

Equipment

Baking sheet
Fork
Parchment paper
Saucepan
Piping bag and tip (optional)

Ingredients

For the Puff Pastry Layers

1 box Puff Pastry sheets (2 sheets)
Pinch of flour for surface
Sprinkle of granulated sugar

For the Custard Filling

2 cups whole milk
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup corn starch
1/3 cup sugar
2 egg yolks
1 egg
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp vanilla

Garnish

1 box Raspberries
¼ cup Powdered Sugar

Directions

1. Remove puff pastry sheets from the freezer and place them at room temperature to thaw. This will take approximately 1-2 hours.

2. Wash raspberries under cool water and spread them out on a towel to dry.

Instructions for Milhojas Cake Recipe

For Puff Pastry:

1. Preheat oven to 400F degrees.

2. Sprinkle flour on work surface and sprinkle a bit of flour on the puff pastry sheet.

3. Flatten dough out with a rolling pin.

4. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and sprinkle with granulated sugar to taste. Poke holes using a fork, across the entire puff pastry sheet to keep it from rising too much.

5. Bake at 400F degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

6. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.

7. Cut into uniform rectangles.

For Cream Layer:

  1. Place milk and ¼ cup sugar in a saucepan and begin to simmer.
  2. Mix cornstarch and 1/3 cup sugar in a mixing bowl.
  3. Beat egg yolks and large egg and add to cornstarch mixture.
  4. Slowly add milk mixture to egg mixture and which constantly. Place back in saucepan and return to heat until it boils.
  5. Remove from heat and add vanilla and butter. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until fully cooled.

To Assemble Milhojas Cake:

1. To assemble one Milhojas cake, place cream layer on two rectangles, then stack with a plain rectangle on top, using a total of 3 rectangles for a single serving.

2. Garnish with raspberries or desired topping. Sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve and enjoy.

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Sarah
Sarah is known for her extra fancy yeast breads, melt in your mouth pies, and everything salads. She has won awards as a home cook, and is passionate about helping others feel smarter in the kitchen. Sarah is the cooking genius of the sister duo.

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