Description

This recipe creates a stunning Orange-Zest Caramel Vanilla Custard Puff Pastry Cake, featuring flaky puff pastry, creamy vanilla custard with orange zest, and rich homemade caramel. It’s a delightful combination of textures and flavors perfect for special occasions.

Ingredients

Scale

500g (18oz) puff pastry, 2 sheets
500ml (2 cups) whole milk
250ml (1 cup) heavy cream
4 large egg yolks
150g (¾ cup) granulated sugar, divided
2 tsp (10ml) vanilla extract
2 tsp orange zest & 2 tbsp (30ml) orange juice
30ml (2 tbsp) honey
30g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter, divided
Pinch fine sea salt
30g (1oz) sliced almonds, toasted
30g (¼ cup) powdered sugar (optional)

Instructions

Prepare Pastry: Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F), line baking sheets with parchment. Roll out pastry to 3mm thickness.
Dock Pastry: Prick pastry with a fork to prevent excessive puffing.
Bake Pastry: Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown. Cool completely.
Make Custard: Heat milk, cream, 100g sugar, and vanilla until simmering.
Temper Yolks: Whisk yolks and 50g sugar. Slowly drizzle hot milk into yolks while whisking.
Cook Custard: Return to low heat, stir until thickened (82°C / 180°F).
Finish Custard: Stir in 20g butter, salt, zest, and juice. Chill for 30 minutes.
Make Caramel: Melt 10g butter, add sugar and honey, cook until amber.
Combine: Fold half the caramel into the custard.
Assemble: Layer pastry, custard, almonds, and top with pastry.
Glaze & Chill: Drizzle with remaining caramel, dust with sugar (optional). Chill for 1 hour.

Notes

Chilling the custard and pastry is crucial for optimal texture. Use high-quality all-butter puff pastry for the best results.

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Category: Dessert
Method: Baking
Cuisine: French

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 slice
Calories: 450 kcal
Sugar: 30 g
Sodium: 150 mg
Fat: 25 g
Saturated Fat: 15 g
Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
Trans Fat: 0 g
Carbohydrates: 40 g
Fiber: 2 g
Protein: 8 g
Cholesterol: 100 mg

Keywords: puff pastry,custard,caramel,orange,dessert,cake,baking,vanilla