napoleon cake

This Napoleon cake is simple and incredibly good. It is best served the following day after the cake layers have had a chance to soften from the cream.

Napoleon Cake Recipe

eggs

light brown sugar

milk

Tbsp flour

unsalted butter, (or 2 sticks butter, room temperature)

vanilla powder (optional)

walnuts

Whisk eggs and sugar in a medium sauce pan - do not beat, just mix.

Whisk in milk and flour and put the pot on medium-low heat.

Cook the mixture, stirring occasionally - (stir more often towards the end so it doesn't get lumpy) until it becomes thick, like pudding (approx 15-17 minutes).

Remove from heat and let it cool for 15 to 20 minutes. Prep the puff pastry in the mean time.

Once the mixture has cooled a little, add softened butter to the cream and beat the mixture on medium/high speed for a few minutes. Add 1/2 tsp vanilla powder. The cream is ready.

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Roll 1 of the puff pastry sheets onto a large sheet of parchment paper until the dough is double in size and nearly see-through. Thinner is better!

Cut the rolled out sheet into 4 equal squares (about 6"x6" each).

Poke Holes all over the top of the pastry or it will puff up. Make sure to really poke all the way through the dough.

Place the parchment paper with dough onto a large cookie sheet. Bake at 400°F for 12-13 minutes or until tops are golden. These are easy to burn so keep an eye on them! Set pastry aside, and place the same parchment paper on a cool surface. Re-use the paper to roll out and bake the next sheet of pastry.

Repeat steps 1 through 3 for the second sheet of pastry dough.

Once the frosting is finished, assemble the cake by placing 2 sheets of pastry side by side and spreading a generous amount of cream over the top.

Repeat with all of the pastry. Before glazing the top, gently press down on the cake to make it more compact.

To make the topping, Trim the edges of the cake to make it more uniform. Crumble the cut-off sections and sprinkle over the top. (If cut-off pieces do not crumble easily, you may need to bake them until they are browned). Sprinkle 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts evenly over the top.

How to Make Napoleon Cake Layers:

Cake was delicious, however it should be disclosed that the brown sugar changes the color in the cream, you get a lot of questions why it looks brown, also when recipe is updated to reflect doubling the recipe in the printing section it changes the butter quantity to the wrong amount, also the wording could be better "1/2 pound or 2 sticks" makes it easier to understand the recipe.

Love all of your recipes, especially this one

Made this cake many times. But this past time made it without the nuts and added a can of cooked condensed milk to the cream. It was so so good! Everyone loved it so much!

I made this today for Father's day. I am Brazilian and my husband is Ukrainian, and we live in US. I will tell you that Ukrainians have very high standards for food lol but everyone loved the cake. I made it 48 hours ahead and it was great. Thanks for the wonderful recipe Natasha. Every time I try something from your website it always turns out awesome. BTW I am loving the tips you are sending to be a better cooker 💓

This Napoleon cake comes out soft, moist and delicious! No more buying puff pastry for this cake, because you can now make it yourself at home.

Best Napoleon Cake Ever!

water (cold

salt

tbsp white vinegar

tbsp vodka (/cognac (omit if not using alcohol))

all-purpose flour ((5 cups = 23 oz))

½ sticks cold or frozen butter (cold (14 oz = 3.5 sticks))

all-purpose flour (2/3 cup = 3.5 oz by weight)

tbsp vanilla extract

¾ sticks unsalted butter ((1 3/4 sticks = 7 oz))

berries (blueberries, raspberries

Measure out all of the ingredients for the puff pastry and get your tools and utensils ready.

Wet Ingredients: Mix 2/3 cup cold water, 1 Tbsp vinegar &amp; 3 Tbsp vodka  (replace with water if not using) in a cup.In a separate cup whisk together 2 eggs and a 1/8 tsp salt. Combine mixtures of two cups and stir to combine.

Dry Ingredients: By food processor: Add 5 cups flour to the cup of your food processor. Now add 3 ½ sticks cold, cubed butter, and pulse or process until the crumbs are pea-size. By hand: Alternatively, pour the flour onto the cutting board, then add cold, cubed butter, and using a long, sharp knife keep cutting and mixing the mixture until the pieces are pea-size.

Add wet to dry: Add the liquid ingredients and continue pulsing or mixing until the dough starts sticking to itself a bit, but is not formed yet.

Form into a dough: Pour the content of the food processor bowl onto a work surface and start gathering and pressing the dough together with your hands, trying to work it as little as possible. Form a ball and knead it for a couple of seconds until a dough forms.

Shape &amp; Divide: Shape the dough into a log and then cut it into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball, cover, and refrigerate for about an hour to allow the liquid to hydrate the flour. This will also make it easier to roll the dough out later.

Make Puff Pastry or use store-bought puff pastry (see bottom of the recipe card for details)

Eggs &amp; Sugar: In a 6 qt pot whisk together 7 egg yolks &amp; 1 ½ - 2 ¼ cups sugar adding about ¼ cup  of milk to make it easier to mix into a smooth mixture.      Flour &amp; Milk: Add the [/adjustable]⅔cups flour and whisk again, forming a very uniform, clump-free batter. Add another ¼ cup[/adjustable] of milk to make it easier.

Heat the remaining milk in a saucepot or a microwave. If heating on a stovetop, make sure to heat over medium-low heat and stir continously to prevent scorching.

Temper eggs: Temper the egg yolk mixture by slowly pouring the hot milk in, all the while mixing. Adding the hot milk gradually will prevent the eggs from curdling and separating.Cook: Now set over medium heat and cook for 2-3 minutes past coming to a boil, whisking constantly to prevent scorching. Add 1 Tbsp of vanilla extract and stir to incorporate.

Add butter: Add [/adjustable]1 ¾ sticks butter, allow to melt and stir the custard into a smooth mixture. Alternatively, you can beat the butter into the cooled to room temperature custard. [/adjustable]

Cool custard: Allow the custard to cool by pouring it into a jelly roll baking sheet, covering it with plastic wrap so it touches the custard, which will prevent a film from forming. Do not refrigerate, just bring to room temperature.

Make the Egg Yolk Custard

Preheat oven to 400F °. Set the rack in the middle.

How to roll the puff pastry cake layers: Place a damp kitchen towel on the table, then put an upside-down jelly roll baking pan on top. The kitchen towel will help prevent to prevent the baking sheet from moving as you roll. Roll out 1 dough ball into a 11-12 inch circle, dusting the top surface with flour as needed. Pierce with a fork about every 1 inch - this will prevent large bubbles from forming as it bakes.Alternatively, you can lightly wet your rolling surface, then place a piece of foil larger than 12 inches and smooth it out to adhere to the table. Now roll the dough on top of it. The foil won&#x27;t move, giving you a steady rolling surface. Working this way, you can pre-roll all the cake layers,  nonstop while some of them are baking.

Bake: Bake each puff pastry cake layer for 5-7 minutes or until lightly golden. Then, remove from the oven and place a 10-inch plate or lid on top and cut around it with a sharp knife collecting all scraps to a bowl. Allow to cool. Repeat with the rest of the dough.

Crumble all the cake scraps.

Bake the puff pastry cake layers

Place a dab of frosting on a serving platter, top with the first cake layer and press to adhere.

Optional: To keep the cake edges perfectly straight fasten a 10-inch cake ring or an adjustable cake ring around the first cake layer. The rest of the cake will be assembled inside this ring. If you do not have one, just omit this step and assemble free-hand.

Reserve and refrigerate about 1 cup of custard for covering the sides, later. Now, spread about 4 large spoonfuls of Napoleon Custard into an even layer. Repeat with the rest of the custard and cake, finishing with a layer of custard on top.

Sprinkle the top with some of the crumbled up cake scraps to keep the custard from drying out. Leave the cake at room temperature for 12 hours, then refrigerate for another 12 hours. Or just refrigerate the cake for 48 hours before continuing with the next step.

Unmold the cake by running a thin knife between the cake and the ring. Remove the ring.

Take the reserved custard and smooth over the sides of the cake. Set the cake on a cake stand, over a baking sheet. Take a handful of cake scraps and press them against the sides of the cake, allowing the rest to fall into the baking sheet. Continue going around the cake sides in the above-described manner. Sprinkle the leftover puff pastry cake crumbs over the top of the cake. Top with berries and sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired.

Serve chilled.

Assemble the Napoleon Cake

Hello! I plan to make this but don't want to use frozen puff pastry, but rather plan to make it with the recipe that you provided for the layers :) I want to make a sheet cake, though - is it going to be possible to make a sheet cake by using the recipe that you provided for the cake layers? If so, how would I go about shaping the layer (since with a round cake, we use a 9 inch springform bottom or a round cake pan), what would you recommend using when trying to get perfect rectangles for the sheet cake? :) also, would I have to adjust the measurements do you think? (Doubling them or something along those lines?) Please let me know when you get a chance. Thank you!

Hello, I searched In google for “best Napoleon recipe”. This is the site that came up first. I had all ingredients and started baking the cake, but to my surprise in this ones recipe you forgot to indicate “poke with fork” I had few layers turn out crazy. But I fixed that really quickly, knowing something isn’t right. Your other Napoleon recipes indicate that, and I thank you for that. Your a wonderful baker:) God bless you with all you do, your a lot of help to me especially with my horrible baking skills. appreciate it

The best recipe for classic Torte Napoleon, with buttery and flaky cake layers and a homemade custard filling!

Torte Napoleon Recipe (video)

fine sea salt

water

vodka

white vinegar

butter (cubed)

all-purpose flour

white granulated sugar

cornstarch

tbsp flour

unsalted butter

tsp vanilla extract

black tea (for soaking)

Prepare the puff pastry dough first. Cube the butter and place it into the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes, until nicely chilled. I recommend using a food processor to break the butter into the flour. Depending on the size of your food processor, the flour and butter may need to be halved. Place half the butter and flour into the food processor and pulse for a minute, until fine crumbs form. Empty the flour and butter mixture into an extra large bowl, then do the same for the remaining butter and flour.

In a large measuring cup or bowl, combine the wet ingredients: eggs, water, vodka, vinegar and salt. Whisk the ingredients together for a few minutes until a smooth mixture forms. Create a well in the dry ingredients, then pour in the wet ingredients. Use a spatula to combine the flour with the water, creating a soft dough. Once the dough starts to come together, switch to mixing with your hands.

Knead the dough very minimally, just until the flour is incorporated and no dry patches remain. Do not over knead the dough. Using a sharp knife or bench scraper, divide the dough evenly into 12 pieces; I like to use a kitchen scale for accuracy. Roll each piece gently into a ball, then place onto a tray. Cover the tray with plastic wrap and place the dough into the refrigerator to chill; about 1 hour in the refrigerator, 30 minutes in the freezer.

After chilling the dough, preheat the oven to 375F. Prepare 2 silicone mats. Work with 2 pieces of dough at a time, keeping the rest chilled. Gently shape each piece into a disk, then use a rolling pin to roll out the dough into an 8-inch circle. Use an 8-inch pan or round of parchment paper to cut the dough evenly; keep the scraps on the pan. Save the baked scarps for garnishing the cake.

Transfer the silicone mat onto a baking sheet and bake the layers for 8 to 10 minutes at 375F, until the pastry is golden brown. Remove the layers from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack. Prepare the remaining layers the same way. I like to use 2 mats so I can prepare the next layers while one pan is baking.

Puff Pastry Cake Layers:

While the dough is cooling and baking, prepare the vanilla custard. Place the egg yolks and sugar into a large mixing bowl. In a small ramekin, combine the cornstarch and water, creating a slurry. Add the slurry to the egg yolks, then whisk vigorously for 2 to 3 minutes, until the mixture is light and creamy. Pour the milk into a large pot and add the flour, then whisk until smooth.

Cook the milk over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the milk is steaming but not boiling. Slowly temper the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture - add a cup at a time into the yolks, mixing well after each addition. Once the two mixtures have been combined, pour the custard base into the pot. Cook the custard over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, for 8 to 10 minutes, until the custard thickens into a pudding. It should hold its shape on the back of a spoon. If the custard starts to clump, whisk for a minute until smooth.

Once custard is thickened, remove it from heat and add the butter and vanilla. Whisk until the butter is completely melted. Cover the custard with a lid or plastic wrap and cool completely at room temperature.

Vanilla Custard Filling:

To assemble the cake, first allow the layers and the custard to cool completely. First, soak each layer lightly with the sweetened black tea, using a pastry brush. Add 1/4 cup of vanilla custard between each layer, using an offset spatula to spread the custard evenly. Use the remaining custard to frost the top and sides of the cake.

Place the baked pastry scraps into a ziplock bag and crush the pieces with a rolling pin into fine crumbs. Press the crumbs into the sides and top of the cake gently. Allow the cake to set and chill in the refrigerator overnight. When ready to serve, remove it from the refrigerator at least 1 hour prior to allow the layers to soften. If desired, drizzle the cake with melted chocolate and sliced fresh strawberries.

Assembling the Cake:

Hello! I plan to make this but don’t want to use frozen puff pastry, but rather plan to make it with the recipe that you provided for the layers 🙂 I want to make a sheet cake, though – is it going to be possible to make a sheet cake by using the recipe that you provided for the cake layers? If so, how would I go about shaping the layer (since with a round cake, we use a 9 inch springform bottom or a round cake pan), what would you recommend using when trying to get perfect rectangles for the sheet cake? 🙂 also, would I have to adjust the measurements do you think? (Doubling them or something along those lines?) Please let me know when you get a chance. Thank you!

This was my first time attending to bake a Napoleon cake and it turned out so good. It’s a bit time consuming but well worth it. Thank you for detailed instructions and your video!!!

Time consuming but oh so worth it! Almost exactly like babushka would make it. Thank you for sharing!

My favorite cake! This cake is challenging to make but your recipe makes it easy. It was one of the first cakes I baked and it turned out perfect from the first try. Now this is the only recipe I use for Napoleon cake.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OYrqJLWZ3Q

FULL RECIPE HERE: :
The BEST recipe for the famous Torte Napoleon! Made with 12 layers of buttery, flaky puff pastry and creamy vanilla custard! Perfect for any occasion!
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Classic Torte Napoleon - The Best Recipe! With Homemade Custard Filling!!

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Napoleon Cake Recipe

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Top 3 napoleon cake recipes from across the web

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