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Honey Almond Pastry Cake Recipe

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★★★★★

4.4 from 136 reviews

This Honey Almond Pastry Cake combines a flaky rough puff pastry layered with a smooth vanilla sponge cake and luscious homemade pastry cream, topped with a sticky, sweet honey almond glaze. The cake is assembled with alternating layers of sponge, cream, and honey almond pastry, resulting in a beautifully textured, rich dessert perfect for special occasions or an indulgent treat.

Ingredients

Scale

Rough Puff Pastry

  • 150 grams all purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 150 grams salted butter (cold)
  • 65 grams ice water

Pastry Cream

  • 80 grams granulated sugar
  • 60 grams corn starch
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 700 grams whole milk
  • 200 grams heavy cream
  • 4 egg yolks (large eggs)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
  • 45 grams salted butter

Vanilla Sponge Cake

  • 1 egg (large)
  • 75 grams granulated sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
  • Zest of 1 small orange (or half large orange)
  • 70 grams whole milk buttermilk
  • 45 grams olive oil
  • 75 grams all purpose flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Honey Almond Topping

  • 60 grams honey
  • 20 grams granulated sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 40 grams salted butter
  • 30 grams water
  • 70 grams sliced almonds

Instructions

  1. Make Rough Puff Pastry: Combine flour, salt, and sugar in a bowl. Thinly slice cold butter into the dry ingredients and flatten pieces with fingers. Drizzle ice water and mix lightly until shaggy dough forms. Shape into a square, chill 45 minutes. Roll, fold into thirds (letter fold), rotate, roll again, fold once more. Chill 45 minutes. Repeat rolling and folding twice more with chilling, then refrigerate until use.
  2. Prepare Pastry Cream: Place butter in a heatproof bowl with a sieve on top. Whisk corn starch and sugar in a pot, add milk, cream, egg yolks, salt, and vanilla bean paste. Heat over medium-low, whisking constantly until thickened. Strain over butter, whisk to incorporate. Cover with plastic to prevent skin. Cool to room temperature then chill completely.
  3. Bake Vanilla Sponge Cake: Grease 9×9″ pan with butter, line with parchment. Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk egg, sugar, salt, orange zest, vanilla, and almond extracts until smooth. Add buttermilk and oil, whisk. Stir in flour, baking soda, and baking powder until smooth. Pour into pan, smooth top. Bake 15 minutes, rotating pan halfway, until edges are golden and toothpick comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes, then invert using parchment and cool completely.
  4. Prepare Honey Almond Pastry: Preheat oven to 425°F. Roll out chilled rough puff pastry to 10″x15″, trim edges for clean sides. Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheet and prick surface all over with a fork. Bake 15 minutes. While baking, combine honey, sugar, cinnamon, salt, butter, and water in a saucepan, heat until bubbling, then remove from heat and stir in almonds. Flip baked pastry, pour honey almond topping evenly over surface. Reduce oven to 350°F, bake another 15 minutes, rotating pan halfway. Cool completely.
  5. Assemble the Cake: Slice cooled vanilla sponge into two 9″x4.5″ rectangles. Cut two pastry rectangles to same size; slice one pastry rectangle into 8 equal slices. Whisk chilled pastry cream smooth. Line half of 9×9″ pan with parchment, allowing overhang. Place one cake layer, pipe 1/4 to 1/3 of pastry cream on top. Layer with uncut honey almond pastry and gently press. Repeat with cake, pastry cream, and lastly the sliced honey almond pastry arranged as originally cut. Seal excess parchment around sides. Refrigerate at least 4 hours (up to 12) to set.
  6. Serve: Decorate top with leftover pastry cream or a dusting of powdered sugar, or both. Cut with a thick sharp knife following the pre-sliced top pastry lines. Enjoy the layered textures and flavors of this elegant dessert.

Notes

  • Keep butter and dough cold throughout pastry making for best flaky layers.
  • Use a bench scraper and flour to prevent sticking while rolling dough.
  • Chill pastry dough longer if butter is too soft during rolling.
  • Cover pastry cream surface with plastic wrap to avoid skin forming.
  • Rotate pans halfway through baking for even cooking.
  • Use parchment paper to lift cake and ease assembly.
  • Refrigerate the assembled cake well before serving to allow flavors to meld and cream to set.
  • Store extra pastry cream airtight in fridge for up to 3 days.

Keywords: Honey almond pastry cake, rough puff pastry, homemade pastry cream, vanilla sponge cake, layered dessert, honey almond topping

Find it online: https://flavorsbymaya.com/honey-almond-pastry-cake-recipe/