Mitzpe Hayamim, The French Version

It all began when I decided to create a summery dessert for Gali, allowing her to sit on our apartment’s terrace and experience the essence of Biarritz. I chose mille-feuille, a delightful French dessert consisting of layers of puff pastry with crème pâtissière in between. However, I decided to put my own twist on it by transforming it into an amazing ice cream cake, substituting the custard with homemade ice cream for that perfect summer treat.

Whenever I develop recipes, I always gather a generous amount of ingredients because perfecting a dessert often takes a few tries. Consequently, I ended up with an abundant surplus of puff pastry and that’s when the idea struck me to create another delectable dessert.

But what to make with it? I pondered this question for two days until one morning during my run, an autumn breeze (though it was summer) accompanied me along the Seine. It brought a feeling of the approaching Tishrei holidays, just before Rosh Hashanah. I sensed the change of weather, the beginning of a transitional season, and the refreshing morning chill. In that moment, inspiration hit me—I didn’t have to look far. I could give a French twist to everyone’s favorite Mitzpe Hayamim cake!

Not that this cake needed an update, but I couldn’t resist the urge to try it with a French puff pastry instead of its usual crispy dough base. The result—wow! Now, I might be a bit biased since this is one of my all-time favorite cakes, but the combination of the sweet and dense filling with the flaky puff pastry is simply wonderful. The neutral dough adds a subtle saltiness that elevates the overall flavor and creates an excellent balance of tastes and textures.

For my experiment, I decided to make a small cake, but of course, you can easily double the quantities—perhaps even desirable 🙂. This delightful treat is perfect for any occasion and will transport your taste buds to a heavenly French experience. Enjoy!

Mitzpe Hayamim, The French Version

Ingredients
Puff Pastry:
Butter puff pastry (very cold, ready for work)
1 egg whisked with 1 tsp of milk for brushing

Caramel and Nuts Layer:
100g sweetened condensed milk (or 50g condensed milk, 50g heavy whipping cream)
100g butter, cubed
60g brown sugar (I use Muscovado)
15g honey or date honey (Silan)
180g roasted nuts, chopped. I use a mix of hazelnuts, pecans and walnuts

Chocolate Ganache:
110g heavy whipping cream 
110g dark chocolate, chopped (at least 70% cocoa)
10g honey

Preparation
1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius and line a large flat baking tray with parchment paper.
2. Puff Pastry: Cut a rectangle from the dough measuring 24×20 cm and two strips measuring 24 cm long and two strips measuring 20 cm long (about 2 cm wide). Place the large dough rectangle on the baking paper, prick it with a fork, and brush it with an egg and milk mixture. Position the strips along the edges of the rectangle to form walls, and brush the surface of the strips with the egg and milk mixture.
3. Bake for about 10 minutes at 200 degrees Celsius, then reduce the temperature to 180 degrees Celsius and continue baking for about 25 minutes or until the dough is very golden. If the base of the dough rises too much during baking, carefully pierce it with a fork to release the air, but let the walls rise as much as possible. Remove from the oven and cool on a cooling rack.
4. Caramel and Nuts Layer: In a medium saucepan cook together condensed milk, butter, sugar and honey. Bring it to a boil and add the chopped nuts. Keep stirring and remove from heat.
5. Once the filling has cooled slightly, pour it onto the dough base and refrigerate for at least two hours.
6. Chocolate Ganache: In a medium saucepan, heat the cream until almost boiling. Pour the cream over the chocolate, wait a few seconds, and mix until you get a smooth cream. To avoid air bubbles, gently mix with a spatula placed at the center of the container without lifting it. After obtaining a smooth ganache, add honey and mix gently until the ganache is smooth and glossy. Pour the ganache over the cake and shake lightly from side to side to achieve a smooth layer, or create a more artistic look using a palette knife.
7. Place the cake in the refrigerator for two hours, cut it into desired cubes, and serve.

Bon-Appétit ans Shana Tova
Sharon