Layered Strawberries And Cream Puff Pastry Cake
Sweet, creamy, flaky, light, and refreshing – this layered strawberries & cream puff pastry cake is the perfect dessert for a hot summer's day. Freshly baked cinnamon sugar puff pastry sticks, rich and creamy whipped vanilla cream, fresh strawberries, and toasted almonds all get layered and rolled up into 1 impressive cake. It's a delicious dream of a dessert, from the first bite right down to the last!
Yield: 1
Prep Time: 35 minutes
Cooking Time: 25 minutes
Inactive Time: 6½ hours
Difficulty Level: Moderate
You'll Need:
For the puff pastry sticks:
- 1 puff pastry sheet
- ¼ stick melted butter
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 tsp cinnamon
For the vanilla cream:
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ cup corn starch
- 1 pinch of salt
- 1 vanilla bean
- 2 cups milk
- 1 egg yolk
- 4 cups heavy whipping cream
- 9 oz strawberries
For the topping:
- ¾ cup toasted sliced almonds
- 5 strawberries
- fresh mint
Here's How:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking tray with parchment paper. For the puff pastry sticks, unroll the sheet of puff pastry dough on a clean work surface and stir together the cinnamon and sugar in a small mixing bowl. Brush melted butter over the surface of the puff pastry sheet and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over its surface. Use a pizza cutter to cut the puff pastry dough horizontally into even strips, each about ¾ of an inch wide. Place the strips of puff pastry dough on the baking tray lined with parchment paper, transfer the baking tray to the oven, and bake at 350°F for 20–25 minutes until golden brown.
2. For the vanilla pudding, scrape the caviar out of the vanilla bean pod. Gradually heat the corn starch, vanilla bean caviar, salt, and milk in a saucepan and slowly bring the mixture to a boil. Once the mixture has been brought to a boil, remove the vanilla pudding from the heat and let it cool for 10 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in the egg yolk. Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap, transfer the bowl to the refrigerator, and chill for 30 minutes. Remove the puff pastry sticks from the oven and let them cool for 1 hour. Once the vanilla pudding has chilled, whip the heavy whipping cream and carefully fold it into the pudding.
3. Thinly slice the strawberries and set them aside briefly. Place a new piece of parchment paper on your work surface and cover about ½ of it with an even layer of vanilla cream. Position 5 of the puff pastry sticks next to one another horizontally on top of the vanilla cream.
4. Spread another layer of vanilla cream on top of the puff pastry sticks, then add a layer of sliced strawberries on top.
5. Repeat the layering process with the remainder of the ingredients in the following order: vanilla cream, 4 puff pastry sticks, vanilla cream, strawberries, vanilla cream, 3 puff pastry sticks, vanilla cream.
6. Use the parchment paper underneath the layered puff pastry cake to roll everything up into a snug log, transfer the cake to the refrigerator, and chill for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.
7. Once the strawberries & cream puff pasty cake has chilled, remove the parchment paper and decorate the exterior with toasted sliced almonds, sliced strawberries, and fresh mint.
This gorgeous, light cake is a simple sweet treat that's perfect for the summer months. Strawberries always go well with vanilla cream, and the added texture and flavor of the cinnamon sugar puff pastry sticks make this dessert both dynamic and memorable!
Get the recipe for the Caramel Apple Cake Roll featured in the bonus video.