Chilean Mille-feuille Cake - Pilar Hernández's Chilean Kitchen
Mille-feuille with dulce de leche is the most traditional cake in Chile. This recipe is from my great-aunt. I think I've eaten this cake dozens of times and I love it. It's delicious freshly made or after it's rested for a few days.
- 3 cups (375 grams) of sifted all-purpose flour.
- 250 grams of butter, at room temperature
- 3 egg yolks, at room temperature
- ¾ cup of whole milk
- 1 tablespoon of pisco or rum
- 1 pinch of salt, omit if using salted butter
- 3 cups of dulce de leche
- 2 1/2 cups (300 grams) of ground walnuts
- 1 cup of plum, raspberry or cherry jam, optional
- ¼ cup (30 grams) of powdered sugar
- Sift the flour and salt, and place in a bowl. Add the butter in pieces, the egg yolks, milk, and liqueur, and work until a medium-consistency dough forms.
- Do not work with your hands; use a fork, two knives, or a pasta machine with the dough hook or paddle attachment. The important thing is not to use your hands because your body heat will melt the butter, and the bits of butter left in the dough are what give it its crispness when baked. Wrap in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator until the next day or for at least two hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350F or 180C.
- Divide the dough into 14 portions, roll out on a floured surface until very thin, cut into rounds using a cardboard or plate as a guide (diameter 20-23 cm), prick with a fork almost all over the surface.
- Bake for 5-7 minutes, until barely golden, then let cool.
- To fill, spread the dulce de leche between each layer, adding ground walnuts every three layers. Alternatively, you can alternate every four layers with a layer of tangy jam.
- Finally, cover with dulce de leche and sprinkle with a mixture of nuts, powdered sugar, and the leftover pastry crumbs.
- Let it rest in the refrigerator and serve.
In my family, we always add layers of tart jam: raspberry, plum, or cherry. For every three layers of dulce de leche, we use one layer of jam; this helps to keep it from being too sweet. Also, it's served in small pieces and is wonderful with a cup of tea.
The pastry for this cake is somewhere between a mille-feuille and a shortcrust pastry. The best of both worlds. Other fillings alternate dulce de leche with Chantilly cream, as in the Banana Pompadour Cake. Or dulce de leche and pastry cream. As you can see, there are many options.
What filling do you recommend using in the USA for mille-feuille cake?
I always use Nestlé's La Lechera dulce de leche in a jar. They sell it at almost all Walmarts and Safeways. Also at Latin stores and on Amazon (affiliate link).
I don't recommend using Argentinian Dulce de Leche because it has quite a lot of vanilla and it changes the flavor of Chilean things.
Description
The most traditional cake in Chile.
