Milhojas is a popular dessert in Colombia and Latin America. It's very easy to make at home and doesn't require a lot of ingredients.
What is Milhojas?
It translates to "thousand leaves cake". It is basically puff pastry layers filled with a velvety pastry cream and topped with dulce de leche or arequipe.
In Colombia there are different fillings options for this desserts. I am sharing my favorite version " Milhojas de Arequipe".
One of my favorite Colombian desserts is Milhojas, a pastry delight. It is a popular dessert in Latin America and there are many different variations. It is made with simple ingredients, but it is absolutely delicious.
The other night I was craving an arequipe dessert. Not just any dessert, mind you, I was craving Milhojas from a bakery in Medellin, Colombia called Astor. Too bad, because I live 6 hours away by airplane 🙂 So guys, I made it myself and it was easy and fantastic.
Ingredients to Make Milhojas con Arequipe
You will find the printable recipe card with exact amounts and directions below.
Puff Pastry: You can make your own, but it's a lot of work. I recommend using frozen puff pastry.
Milk: I recommend using whole milk to make the pastry cream.
Sugar: Granulated sugar.
Salt: Just a pinch to balance the flavors.
Vanilla extract: Always use a good quality vanilla extract for your recipes.
Cornstarch: To thicken the cream.
Egg: This recipe only uses the yolks. You can use the left over egg whites to make meringue cookies.
Butter: Unsalted butter.
Arequipe: Also known as dulce de leche. You can make your own at home with my recipe or buy it at your local market.
How to Make Milhojas
Make the Cream:
- In a medium saucepan place the milk and bring to a simmer. Meanwhile, in a small bowl stir together the sugar, cornstarch and salt.
- Gradually add the cornstarch mixture to the milk and cook stirring often about 6 minutes or until thickens. Whisk in the yolks and cook for about 2 minutes more stirring often.
- Stir in the butter and vanilla extract and remove from the heat.
- Let it cool at room temperature, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Assemble:
- Using a fork, split each pastry into 2 layers. Spread pastry cream on 1 pastry layer. Repeat layers. Top with arequipe or dulce de leche.
Tips to Make Milhojas
The pastry cream can be made up to 24 hours in advance. Cover well with plastic wrap and refrigerate until 1 hour before using. Give it a quick whisk when ready to add it to your milhoja recipe.
When your pastry cream is cooking over heat stir well and constantly until is thick.
Can I Store Milhojas
I prefer serving the milhojas right after assembling, because it will lose the crispiness if you keep it in the fridge too long, but you can place it in a sealed container up to 2 days.
Other Desserts To Try:
Coffee Flavored Cake (Torta de Café)
Guava Pastries (Pastelitos de Guayaba)
Coffee Mouse (Esponjado de Café
Milhojas con Arequipe Recipe (Colombian Dulce de Leche Pastry)
Ingredients
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry thawed
For the filling (pastry cream)
- 1 ½ cups milk
- ½ cup sugar
- Pinch salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 egg yolks beaten
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 cup arequipe or dulce de leche
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Cut pastry into 3 strips along fold marks. Place on a baking sheet and poke a few holes in the each pastry with a fork. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden. Remove from baking sheets and let them cool on a rack.
Make the Cream:
- In a medium saucepan place the milk and bring to a simmer. Meanwhile, in a small bowl stir together the sugar, cornstarch and salt.
- Gradually add the cornstarch mixture to the milk and cook stirring often about 6 minutes or until thickens. Whisk in the yolks and cook for about 2 minutes more stirring often.
- Stir in the butter and vanilla extract and remove from the heat.
- Let it cool at room temperature, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Assemble:
- Using a fork, split each pastry into 2 layers. Spread pastry cream on 1 pastry layer. Repeat layers. Top with arequipe or dulce de leche.
Abigail B.
Looks delicious! I'd like to use this recipe for a missions fair at my church, and I need to male about 300 servings. It's just so that people can sample it, so how many mini servings could I get out of one recipe? (This says 4 servings, so I I'm curious how big one slice is.)
Zoe
These look amazing! I'd love to make them for culture week, as I am doing a report on Colombia. How many does this recipe make?
Erica Dinho
6 to 8 servings
Ari
How many servings does this make? I'd like to make some for my spanish class.
Bonnie K
I made these and they were amazing!!!!!
grace
this is food porn at its finest, erica! this looks spectacular and i wish i had my own slab right now. 🙂
Brandy
Just returned from a vacation in Colombia. Getting ready for an evening of sharing our photos with family & asked my hubby what to make for dessert. He said this dessert. I thought I'd never find the recipe & would have to wing it....but here it is! THANKS!
Deborah
I lived in South America for 10 years, and met people from all across the region, and this cake was always known as a Chilean speciality.
Valerie
Thanks, Erica! I'm making this today for Colombian Dinner night! A friend of mine is Colombian and I visited Medellin over the Christmas holiday with her. I tried to fit the entire Astor store in my suitcase. All the treats are decedent. I can't wait to try this tonight. This is going to be a surprise for my friend!
Trisha
Can this be made the day before or would the pastry become too moist?
Erica
Trisha. You should eat it the same day!