Raspberry & Pistachio Mille Feuille Cake

In a bowl whisk together the sugar, flour and egg then set aside.

Roughly chop or blend pistachios and set them aside.

In a saucepan gently heat the milk and vanilla until it reaches a soft boil. Pour into the egg mixture whilst whisking and make sure there are no lumps. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan on a medium heat and whisk until it forms a thick custard. Briefly remove from the heat and whisk vigorously and return to the heat until it has a looser and shiny texture.

Remove from the heat and add the butter then run the custard through a sieve to make sure it’s smooth and there are no lumps.

Gently fold in the pistachios and cover the surface of the custard using cling film and chill in the fridge for 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 200°c and use an 8inch cake pan to cut a circle from the pastry sheets. Place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper, brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake for 10 minutes until the pastry is golden brown then place on a cooling rack.

In a bowl whip the double cream and icing sugar and vanilla essence until you get medium peaks. Add in the cream cheese and whisk until evenly combined. It should be smooth and thick enough to hold its shape.

To assemble place a layer of pastry on your cake stand and spread a layer of the crème patisserie, pipe on dots of the whipped cream and layer on some raspberries. Add another layer of pastry and repeat the process. Add the final layer of pastry then top with fresh raspberries, pistachios and a dusting of icing sugar.

For best results refrigerate overnight to allow the cake to set and it’s ready to serve!