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Napoleon cake


Napoleon cake

Layers of puff pastry, butter cream and jam make up the sumptuous Napoleon cake, perfect for special occasions.

Napoleon cake, also known as Napoleon Cake , is a typical Russian dessert. Made up of layers of pastry-like pastry, butter cream and red fruit jam , it resembles mille-feuille in appearance. The preparation requires time and patience, although it is not particularly complex and for this reason it can be considered the dessert for special occasions.

Our advice is to prepare it in advance and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least one night so that the pastry has time to absorb the humidity of the filling and it is easier to cut out the slices. So let's see all the steps to make it happen.

Preparation of Napoleon cake
Preparation of Napoleon cake

Ingredients

For the pastry

  • Flour 00 – 500 g
  • Butter – 300 g
  • Eggs – 1
  • Water – 170 ml
  • Apple cider vinegar – 1 tbsp

For the custard

  • Milk – 250 ml
  • Sugar – 90 g
  • Egg yolks – 2
  • Flour – 50 g
  • Cognac – 1 tbsp

For the butter cream

  • Butter – 200 g
  • Sugar – 100 g

To complete

  • Red fruit jam – 200 g

Preparation

How to prepare the Napoleon cake recipe

1

First, dedicate yourself to the pastry. Cut the cold butter from the refrigerator into cubes and mix it with the flour until you obtain a sandy dough. You can carry out this step by hand, with a planetary mixer or with a mixer.

2

Add the egg , water and vinegar little by little and mix until you obtain a smooth and elastic dough. Divide it into 10 parts , place them on a tray and cover with cling film. Let them rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

3

In the meantime, dedicate yourself to preparing the cream. Break the eggs into a pan, add the sugar and cream using a whisk. Then add the sifted flour and mix well, dissolving any lumps.

4

Pour in the milk and cognac, then transfer to the heat and cook until it thickens and the first bubbles appear on the surface. Cover with cling film and leave to cool.

5

Now roll out the balls of dough, one by one, using two sheets of baking paper. It is important to get the thickness as thin as possible. Then cut out discs with a diameter of 20 cm using a plate or lid. Transfer to a baking tray lined with baking paper and prick the surface with a fork to prevent it from swelling during cooking. Cook at 180°C for 10 minutes . They should be golden and crispy.

6

Now prepare the butter cream by mixing the butter and sugar with an electric whisk. Then add it to the now cold custard and transfer it into a pocket.

7

On a serving plate, place just a little cream in the center and place the first disc of puff pastry so that it does not move. Cover with the cream and proceed in this way until all the ingredients are used up, obtaining the 10 layers. On the third, sixth and ninth layers, also spread a layer of red fruit jam.

8

Pulverize the leftover puff pastry and use them to cover the dessert, creating a beautiful decoration. Let everything harden in the refrigerator for at least

In this video you can see all the steps to make the various parts of the dessert and assemble them.

Conservation

The Napoleon cake will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, well covered with cling film.

Origin and history

This dessert seems to have been born in Russia in 1912 to celebrate the centenary of the country's liberation from the French invasion. Not much else is known about it except that today it is considered a truly national dessert and every family has its own secrets for obtaining the perfect balance of textures.

Then consider that outside of Europe, desserts of this kind are often called Napoleon . In essence, the mille feuille born in France in 1600 becomes millefeuille in Italy where it is expressed in the equally famousdiplomat recipe. The basis of these two recipes is puff pastry but it is not uncommon for the Napoleon cake itself to be prepared with ready-made puff pastry discs to speed up the steps.

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