Have you ever tried the Napoleon cake? The origin of this dessert is not very clear; some say it comes from Hungary, some from Russia, and some from France. Originally it was called “mille-feuille” (in French “thousand leaves”), so it is assumed that it was brought to Russia by the French at the beginning of the 19th century. This dessert is made with layers of puff pastry, custard, and buttercream. The Russian version has many layers and is covered with leftover puff pastry crumbs. My friend Tania, who is of Russian descent, passed the recipe on to me. I assure you it’s a real delight. With these quantities, you can make many discs, so it’s up to you how big to make them. I opted for small round discs, so I made two. You can also make rectangular or even square sheets, the important thing is to prick the pastry before baking in the static oven. If you decide to make them rectangular or square, leave one pastry for the final decoration.
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- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Medium
- Preparation time: 40 Minutes
- Portions: 8/10
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Napoleon Cake Ingredients
- 5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1.5 cups butter (cold)
- 1 cup water
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar (can be substituted with lemon juice)
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 cup milk
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup flour
- lemon zest
- 0.7 oz cognac
- 2 egg yolks
- 1.3 cups butter (soft)
- 2.9 cups condensed milk
Tools
- Metal Cylinder
Napoleon Cake Steps
The process of making Napoleon cake requires some patience, especially if you decide to prepare the puff pastry at home. If you want a simpler and quicker version, you can use ready-made puff pastry.
Start by preparing the dough. In a bowl, pour the flour, take the butter, which must be very cold, I recommend keeping it in the freezer before using it. Take a large-hole grater and grate the butter into the bowl, occasionally flouring it. Knead until you get a sandy mixture.
In a container, put the water, pinch of salt, egg yolks, and vinegar. Mix and pour everything into the bowl with the flour and butter. Knead until you get a smooth and elastic dough. Then let it rest for 30 minutes in the fridge.
Now prepare the cream. In a pot, break the eggs, add the sugar, and work with a whisk. Add sifted flour and cognac (or other liquor). Slowly pour in the milk, continuing to stir. There should be no lumps. Then put on the heat and let it cook until it thickens. Cover with plastic wrap and let cool. Prepare the buttercream by working the butter and sugar with an electric whisk. Then add it to the custard once cooled.
Take the dough and cut it into equal-weight balls. Roll out the balls, helping yourself with two sheets of parchment paper, and make a rectangle. Using a lid or a plate, cut a circle from each rectangle. Prick with a fork and bake everything. Let cook at 350°F for about 10 minutes or until golden.
The dough outside the circle will then be used to decorate the Napoleon. Bake all the balls. Take a metal circle and create the width of the circles. On a plate, spread a light layer of cream, place the first puff pastry disc, cover with cream, and continue until all the ingredients are used up.
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Remove the metal circle. Crumble the leftover puff pastry and use it to cover the entire cake. Let rest in the refrigerator for at least 5 hours before serving at the table..
To speed up the preparation of this dessert, you can use pre-packaged puff pastry.If you like, follow me on Facebook by clicking Il ricettario delle vergare and leave your like. I’ll be waiting for you, Ivana.
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