The French pastry made from puff pastry, custard, and a fondant or icing topping is mille-feuille.
A traditional mille-feuille is assembled from three baked layers of pâte feuilletée alternating with two layers of crème pâtissière. The pastry is compressed and cut into neat portions, creating a crisp, delicate contrast with the smooth custard.
The name means “thousand leaves,” referring to the many thin layers created by folding butter and dough during puff-pastry production. Recipes resembling the dessert appeared in early modern European cookbooks, while the name mille-feuille is documented in the 18th century. Its modern form was influenced by the French chef Marie-Antoine Carême.
The top may be dusted with powdered sugar or covered with fondant, sometimes decorated in white-and-chocolate stripes that are combed into a marbled pattern. In the United States it is often called a Napoleon; in Britain, similar versions are known as vanilla or custard slices. Saint-Honoré, Paris-Brest, and Opéra cake are different French pastries.