French Food Friday...Apple & Blackberry Custard Croissant Cake

Recipe and photo from here

Bonjour mes belles,

I think that I should warn you now that the following recipe may not be suitable for those of you on a diet as after the first bite, you will not be able to stop eating it.

Rather ironically this recipe was found by me, a Kiwi and is written by a kiwi who is responsible for one of the most interesting food blogs that I have stumbled across in a very long time.

Apple & Blackberry Custard Croissant Cake

3 apples, peeled, cored and each cut into 12 wedges

1/3 cup water

1 tbsp caster sugar

5 good quality croissants, halved

2 cups fresh blackberries or boysenberries

4 eggs plus 2 egg yolks

3/4 cup whole milk

1 cup cream

1 1/4 cups caster sugar

3/4 cup ground almonds

1 tsp cinnamon or 1/2 tsp almond essence

1/3 cup flaked almonds

1 tbsp caster sugar

Preheat oven to 160˚C (325˚F) and line the base and sides of a 23cm spring form cake tin. Heat water and sugar in a large fry pan over a medium heat and cook apple wedges until the water has absorbed and the apples are tender. Take off the heat and leave to cool.

In a big jug, beat eggs, yolks, sugar, milk and cream until pale. In a separate bowl mix ground almonds with cinnamon (or add almond essence to cream).

Layer a couple of croissants into the prepared tin, covering the base fully. Sprinkle over half the blackberries, apples and almond mix. Layer up with the remaining croissants, apples, blackberries and almonds - and now you can tear the croissants as you wish. Press down gently.

Pour the cream, sugar and egg mixture over the croissants, coating everything fully. Leave to stand for an hour. Sprinkle with flaked almonds and sugar and bake for 45 minutes. The custard might puff up a little in the oven, then sink when you remove it - this is fine, it will set into a delicious creamy mix with the croissants.

Leave to cool for at least half an hour before serving with whipped cream and/or vanilla bean ice cream.

Serves 8 - 10.

bon appetite à tous, Leeann