This easy recipe for a Dulce de Leche Mille Feuille (Napoleon) will be your new favorite dessert. Puff pastry sheets filled with dulce de leche pastry cream, whipped cream, and topped with a dulce de leche and chocolate design! Mille Feuille is the most impressive dessert!!

Dulce de Leche Millie Feuille on a white plate

Today is my 30th Birthday so I knew I had to celebrate with a fantastic dessert. So here I present to you this Dulce de Leche Mille-Feuille.

The first time I had a dulce de leche napoleon was at Porto's Bakery & Cafe. If you live in Southern California you have probably come across this famous Cuban Bakery. They produce so many desserts and breads, one of my all time favorites is their dulce de leche napoleon. It was life changing when I tried it.

So it was only a matter of time until I recreated it. I tested this recipe once about a year ago then three times recently- on top of that I also burned three trays of puff pastry- if you follow me on instagram you already knew that!!

I am thrilled to say I am so happy with the results, too happy, actually kinda mad because now that I can recreate a Portos dulce de leche Napoleon I have no excuses and can indulge all the time!! Yoga pants here I come!!

Let's get to the recipe

Jump to:

What are the ingredients for a dulce de leche napoleon?
How do you bake puff pastry for a napoleon?
What do you fill a napoleon with?
How do you assemble a napoleon?
Can you make Dulce de Leche Napoleon (Mille Feuille) ahead of time
How long does a Dulce de Leche Napoleon (Mille-Feuille) last
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Recipe Ratings & Comments

What are the ingredients for a dulce de leche napoleon?

Puff Pastry
Pastry Cream
Whipped Cream
Dulce de Leche
Chocolate

up close of a slice of dulce de leche napoleon

How do you bake puff pastry for a napoleon?

Let one puff pastry sheet thaw. When the pastry is pliable place it on a clean surface sprinkled with flour and roll out lengthwise and widthwise to a 10" X 12" rectangle. Cut the piece equally into thirds and then using a fork prick all over.

Gently place the pieces on a Silpat lined baking sheet, spaced evenly apart and place in the fridge or freezer to help chill it. When baking pastry you want it to be very cold when going into the oven. While the dough is chilling preheat your oven to 415F/213C.

rolling pin rolling out puff pastry on a silpat surface

hand holding a measuring tape measuring puff pastry

When you are ready to bake you can sprinkle the pastry with some granulated sugar if you want, then place a piece of parchment paper directly on top of the pastry and place a baking tray on top. This weight of the second tray helps weigh the pastry down, preventing the puffiness that you normally want with puff pastry.

baking sheet on top of puff pastry baking sheet

Bake for 20 minutes then remove the tray and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes or until golden brown. Place on a wire rack to cool completely. You must let it cool completely otherwise the cream filling will slide right off and melt.

What do you fill a napoleon with?

Traditionally it's just pastry cream but I love a layer of whipped cream.

Pasty Cream (Dulce de Leche in this case)
Whipped Cream

I advise making the dulce de leche pastry cream the day before but it's up to you. I have a whole post dedicated to making dulce de leche pastry cream- with step-by-step photos!

dulce de leche pastry cream in a glass bowl with a metal whisk

Since I want the whipped cream to stay thicker for this recipe I like to use a stabilized whipped cream- this post shows step-by-step photos on how to make stabilized whipped cream.

Once you have stiff peaks pour the whipped cream into a piping bag fitted with a medium round tip.

How do you assemble a napoleon?

To start I like to make sure I have everything ready to go. Rewhisk the dulce de leche pastry cream and place it in a piping bag fitted with a small-medium round tip Place melted chocolate, whipped cream, and slightly warmed dulce de leche all into their own piping bags.

I place each piping bag in a glass for easy storage-preventing leaking all over your surface.

whipped cream, chocolate, dulce de leche, and pastry cream all in piping bags in glasses

You can trim each puff pastry sheet to be exact or leave it rustic looking.

baked puff pastry sheets on a black cutting board with a knife

Start by making the top layer.

Using an offset spatula spread slightly warmed dulce de leche on top of on pastry sheet, ty to make it as smooth as possible.

With chocolate piping bag draw lines ¼" apart across the short way of the pastry. Use a toothpick to pull two lines evenly spaced perpendicular to the chocolate lines.

Pull the toothpick in two more lines in between the original lines and pull in the opposite direction. Set the pastry in the fridge to set while preparing the rest.

chocolate being piped on to the the top of a Mille Feuille

hand holding a toothpick to drag the chocolate on top of a mille feuille

Pipe the pastry cream in an even layer, be careful not to get right to the edge as the weight of the other layers will cause spreading. Top with piped whipped cream, then place the last layer of pastry on top and repeat.

pastry cream piped on top of puff pastry

hand holding piping bag full of whipped cream, piping on to a millie feuille

Place the dulce de leche designed pastry top on and from the sides slightly press down. Let chill for 30 minutes before serving.

dulce de leche napoleon on a white plate

To cut gently hold down and use a serrated knife to cut the pastry- there will be some cream oozing out- it's impossible to prevent!

Can you make Dulce de Leche Napoleon (Mille Feuille) ahead of time

You can make the pastry cream, whipped cream, and puff pastry layers a day ahead of time. Then assemble them on the day you want to serve it, a few hours ahead of time.

I would advise not assembling the mille-feuille more than 8 hours before serving.This Dulce de Leche Millie Feuille is best served the day assembled. Store any leftovers in the fridge!

How long does a Dulce de Leche Napoleon (Mille-Feuille) last

This dessert will last 2-3 days stored in the fridge in an airtight container. Keep in mind the longer it sits the less crunch of the puff pastry you will have. Thus why I suggest assembling it only up to 8 hours before serving time.

Next time I want to try a coffee inspired Napoleon with my coffee pastry cream recipe.

slices of dulce de leche millie feuille on round plates

Fancy some more caramel desserts?

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Recipe Card

Dulce de Leche Napoleon

Author: Elizabeth I Confessions of a Baking Queen
Prep Time: 45
Cook Time: 55
Total Time: 4 Hours 40 Minutes
Yield: 6-8 Servings 1x
Category: Dessert
Method: Bake
Cuisine: French

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Description

Ingredients

Units Scale

1 Recipe Dulce de Leche Pastry Cream

Whipped Cream

12oz (1 ½ Cups) Heavy Whipping Cream / Double Cream
2 Tablespoons Powdered Sugar
1 Tablespoon Dry Milk Powder

Additional Ingredients

1 Sheet Puff Pastry, thawed (From a 2ct/17.25oz Pack)
2-3oz Dulce De Leche
2oz Semi-Sweet or Dark Chocolate, melted

Instructions

Prepare Pastry Cream ( up to three days ahead of time)

Whipped Cream

Using the bowl of an electric mixer or large bowl with a whisk- place your bowl and whisk in the freezer for five minutes to chill before making the whipped cream.
Once the bowl is chilled add all ingredients, attach the whisk and beat on medium speed for 3-5 minutes, or until you have stiff peaks. Pour into a piping bag fitted with a medium round tip.

Puff Pastry

Let puff pastry sheet thaw. When the pastry is pliable place it on a clean surface sprinkled with flour and roll out to a 10" x 12" rectangle. Cut equally into thirds and prick all over with a fork. Place on a Silpat lined baking sheet and place in the fridge or freezer while you preheat the oven to 415F/213C.
When ready to bake place a piece of parchment paper on top of the pastry and place a baking tray on top. This helps weigh the pastry down, preventing the puffiness. Bake for 20 minutes then remove the tray and bake for an additional 5-10 minutes or until golden brown. Place on a wire rack to cool completely.

Assembly.

You can trim each puff pastry sheet to be exact or leave it rustic looking. Start by making the top layer.
Spread slightly warmed dulce de leche on top of on pastry sheet, use an offset spatula to create a smooth surface. Place melted chocolate into a piping bag fitted with a small round tip and draw lines ¼" apart across the short way of the pastry. Use a toothpick to pull three lines evenly spaced perpendicular to the chocolate lines. Pull the toothpick in three more lines in between the original lines and pull in the opposite direction. Set the pastry in the fridge to set while preparing the rest.
Rewhisk the dulce de leche pastry cream and place it in a piping bag fitted with a small-medium round tip. Pipe the pastry cream in an even layer, be careful not to get right to the edge as the weight of the other layers will cause spreading. Top with piped whipped cream, then place the last layer of pastry on top and repeat. Place the dulce de leche designed pastry top on and from the sides slightly press down. Let chill for 30 minutes before serving.
To cut gently hold down and use a serrated knife to cut the pastry- there will be some cream oozing out- it's impossible to prevent! Best eaten the day assembled. Store any leftovers in the fridge.