【Puff pastry cake with egg custard filling】
by MaomaoMom
Puff pastry treats are my family’s favorite. Making puff pastry is a long and tedious process that takes several hours to prepare. It requires rolling, folding and resting the pastry several times before you can continue with the recipe. For that reason, many even some chefs on TV prefer to use the puff pastry bought from supermarket.
Chinese baking has similar puff pastry treats such as the famous airy flaky egg tarts which are served in most Chinese restaurants as Dim Sum. Traditionally, Chinese puff pastry dough is made from lard and flour. However, in my recipes I use mostly corn oil as a healthy alternative. If it is done right, the result is amazing. You can truly enjoy these multi-layered and flaky delights without much guilt. This puff pastry cake with egg custard filling is my son’s favorite treat.
Prepare time: 1.5 hours
Cook time: 25 minutes
Level: Medium
Serves: 12 servings
Ingredients:
Egg custard filling:
1) 3 extra large egg yolks, ½ cup sugar (105g), 1/3 cup+1 tbsp milk (88g), 3 tbsp all purpose flour (34g);
2) 2.5 tbsp dry milk powder (14g), 2.5 tbsp butter (35g);
Puff pastry:
3) 1 cup unsifted all purpose flour (160 g), 2 tbsp fine sugar (28g);
4) 1/3 cup + 4 tsp water (88 g), 1.5 tbsp lard (22g), 1.5 tbsp corn oil (20g);
5) 2 tsp all purpose flour;
6) ½ cup + 3 tbsp unsifted cake & pastry flour (97g), ¼ cup corn oil (53g)
Egg wash:
7) 1 egg yolk + 2 tsp water, whisk well.
Directions:
Egg custard filling:
1: Place all ingredients of Ingredient 1) in a medium size microwave safe bowl, whisk well with a fork (Picture 1). Add in milk powder and butter mix of Ingredient 2) and whisk well (Picture 2). Place the bowl in the microwave, heat on high for 40 seconds. Stir the content and then heat for 30 seconds, reheat with 20 second intervals until fully cooked (Picture 3). Let it cool then divide into 12 equal portions. Form into balls with both palms then set aside (Picture 4).
Dough:
3: Combine all ingredients of Ingredient 3) in a container and mix well (Picture 5). Add in all ingredients of Ingredient 4) to form soft dough. The dough can be quite sticky. Add 2 tsp flour and knead to form smooth dough (Picture 6). Cover with a damp cloth and let it stand for 20 minutes.
Oil paste:
4: Combine all ingredients of Ingredient 6) in a small container (Picture 7). Mix well with a spoon (Picture 8), then cover and set aside.
Puff pastry:
5: Rub some corn oil on both hands and working surface. Knead the dough a few times and divide into 12 equal portions. Roll out each portion into an oval about 10 cm long, and smooth on 1/12 of oil paste (Picture 9). Fold the dough twice: fold the bottom third up and the top third down (Picture 10). Turn 90 deg., press down and roll out into a 4×12 cm rectangle (Picture 11). Again, fold the bottom third up and the top third down (Picture 12).
6: Roll the dough out into a 12×16 cm rectangle (Picture 13). Fold from left to right to form a slender roll (Picture 14). Roll from bottom to top (Pictures 15 and 16). Cover with food wrap while working on the remaining 11 portions.
7: Press down the dough and roll out into an 8 cm circle. Place one egg custard ball (Picture 17) on top. Carefully work the dough up to cover the filling and seal the edge (Picture 18). Place it upside down inside a 7 cm round cookie cutter. Gently press with fingers to about 1.3 cm thick (Picture 19). Repeat for the remaining 11 portions.
8: Preheat oven to 375F, place all 12 pieces on a parchment paper lined baking sheet (Picture 20) and brush with egg wash. Bake for 20-22 minutes, broil low for 1-2 minutes for desired color. Cool before serving.
Tips：Leftover can be stored in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Prior to serving, heat in the microwave oven for 40 seconds and bake at 350F for 6 minutes.
