Budget Cake
Despite such a modest set of ingredients, the cake turned out very tasty. The cream is wonderful - sweet, thick, and not greasy. I recommend this recipe.
Updated : 02 June, 2026
Easy
About 45 min.
Ingredients
500 grams
Puff pastry
Cream
1.5 cup
Milk
2
Egg yolks
1 cup
Sugar
2 tablespoon
Wheat flour
50 grams
Butter
Table
Table of volume measurements:
- teaspoon - 5 ml
- dessert spoon - 10 ml
- tablespoon - 20 ml
- glass - 200 ml
Preparation
Step 1
How do you make a budget cake? Prepare the ingredients. Use specifically puff pastry without yeast. It does not rise as much and has a crisper texture resembling Napoleon-style layers. The pastry should be thawed in advance. The best way to do this is to move it from the freezer to the refrigerator compartment. This way it will thaw gently and behave better during baking. This recipe is for standard store-bought pastry made of two sheets.
Step 2
Line a baking sheet with regular baking paper. Place both sheets of pastry on it without rolling them out first.
Step 3
Bake the pastry in an oven preheated to 220°C (425°F), using the top-and-bottom heat setting. The baking time is 15-20 minutes. Also judge by the appearance of the pastry - it will rise significantly and become golden brown. Cool the baked layers.
Step 4
While the layers are baking and then cooling, prepare the cream. How do you make the cream? Take a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Put the sugar and flour into it, then add the egg yolks. While stirring constantly, pour in the milk. Whisk until smooth.
Step 5
Place the saucepan over low heat. Stirring constantly, first wait for the sugar to dissolve and then for the mixture to thicken. Be sure to stir all the time, otherwise it will start sticking to the bottom. If you are unsure of your cookware or technique, do this over a double boiler.
Step 6
The mixture should come to a boil - bubbles will begin to appear on the surface and it will puff gently. Turn off the heat immediately. The custard base for the cream is ready.
Step 7
Cool the base. Be sure to cover it with plastic wrap, placing the wrap directly on the surface of the mixture. Otherwise, a skin will form on top.
Step 8
When the base has cooled but is still warm, add the butter. Since this is a budget cake, only a small amount of butter goes into the cream, but that does not affect the taste. The only difference is that you do not need to whip it like a classic custard cream. It is enough just to mix the butter into the base. In its warm state, the butter blends in very well.
Step 9
Remove the top part from the baked layers, as it will be the most fragile. Use it to make crumbs that will decorate the top of the cake.
Step 10
Separate the layers themselves into several thinner sheets. I got 6 pieces.
Step 11
Assemble the cake. You can do this while the cream is still warm - that way it will soak into the pastry even better. Spread a few spoonfuls of cream over each layer. Also cover the top and sides of the cake with cream. The recipe makes a generous amount of cream, and I even had a little left over.
Step 12
Crush the reserved top pieces with your hands as finely as possible. Sprinkle the crumbs over the top and, if there is enough, over the sides of the cake. I had enough only for the top. Put the cake in the refrigerator for 2 hours so it can soak. Serve the finished cake with tea or coffee. Enjoy your meal!
Author note
Share the recipe
