Classic Napoleon cake recipe with custard: cooking features and recommendations

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

Lovers of delicious tea with a slice of cream cake will find this article useful. Those with a sweet tooth will now recognize the classic Napoleon cake recipe and will be able to easily make it at home with available ingredients. The set of products is minimal and inexpensive, you only need to add an unbearable desire to bake the desired dessert yourself. So, let's start diving into the culinary subtleties and nuances of several recipe options - classic, simplified and quick!

Description

Cake "Napoleon" - a classic Soviet recipe and familiar to many. Since then, we remember this amazing sweetness. Today in stores there is something completely different from what people are accustomed to at least once tasting the real "Napoleon": thin layers of crispy brittle dough, delicate custardcream and appetizing topping of puff crumbs.

Classic dough recipe

What products are needed:

• margarine - 1.5 packs;
• wheat flour (highest grade) - 2 tbsp.;
• cold water - 70 ml;
• s alt - a couple of pinches;
• egg - 1 pc. (C0 or C1);
• vinegar (wine, apple, table) - 1 tsp.

The classic Napoleon cake recipe looks like this step by step:

1. On a wide cutting board, sift the flour and place soft margarine in it. Chop the mass with a knife until you get a lot of crumbs, about the same size.
2. Separately, in a bowl, beat the egg with a fork or hand whisk. Add water, s alt and vinegar. In this mass, transfer the flour crumbs. Knead the dough with quick active movements.
3. Chill a little in the freezer, wrapping in a bag or film.
4. Then remove and divide into 7-9 pieces.
5. Roll each with a rolling pin into a circle, bake on a baking sheet on baking paper until golden brown - 7-10 minutes. Ready cakes will be layered and slightly swollen. Don't worry, this is how it should be.
6. Then cut the cakes in an even circle. Grind the scraps and use to sprinkle the cake.
7. Cakes must be thoroughly smeared with cream and evenly spread one on top of the other. Don't be afraid if the cakes turn out a little convex, with an uneven surface - they will become soft when infused with cream. Lubricate the top cake as well. Decorate the sides of the cake with cream.
8. Thensprinkle with crumbs from scraps.
9. Put the cake in the refrigerator - it will infuse, and the cakes will be soaked with cream, it will turn out very tasty.

Custard with milk

The famous cake "Napoleon" (classic Soviet recipe) involves impregnation with custard from milk and eggs. Instead of the usual vanillin powder, add natural vanilla from the pod to it. Fresh seeds will give a unique aroma and velvety creaminess.

What products are needed:

• milk (preferably homemade or store-bought with a high percentage of fat content) - 4 tbsp.;
• granulated sugar or powder - 2 tbsp.;
• vanilla pod - 1 pc.;
• flour (wheat premium) - 2 tbsp. l.;
• chicken egg yolks - 3-4 pcs. (from large eggs);
• cocoa powder - optional.

How to cook:

1. Use ultra-pasteurized or pre-boiled homemade milk. Pour sugar, flour and seeds from a fresh vanilla pod into cool milk. Stir the mass - you need the grains of sugar to completely disperse.
2. Beat egg yolks separately until smooth. Transfer them to the milk mixture. Stir a little. If you want to make brown chocolate cream instead of cream, now add cocoa powder and mix the cream with it already.
3. Put on a slow fire. Grabbing the bottom and top of the mass, constantly stir the mass with a whisk or spoon. As soon as it starts to heat up, it will thicken. Wait for the desired consistency and remove from heat. stirring,cool the cream on the table, and then use it for its intended purpose.

If your cream is a little burnt or has a flaky consistency, it is recommended to strain it through a fine sieve.

Instead of milk, you can use cream as a base for cream.

Other cream options

The classic Napoleon cake recipe - with creamy custard. But if you wish, you can change the recipe and use a different cream:

• protein custard with sugar syrup;
• butter with condensed milk (whole or boiled);
• sour cream with powdered sugar.

Additional ingredients for taste and smell

To make your Napoleon cake (classic recipe) with custard individual and unique, use additional cake ingredients:

• nutmeg or vanilla in cream;
• ground nuts for cream, cakes or for sprinkling;
• a drop of liquor in cream;
• ground sesame or sunflower seeds for sprinkling or in dough for cakes;
• fresh chopped mint or dried powder - for dough;
• cocoa or instant coffee in dough or cream - for chocolate "Napoleon".

A simplified version of the classic Napoleon cake

What products are needed for the test:

• wheat flour premium - 400 g;
• butter (cow) - 1.5 packs;
• starch - 1 tbsp.l.;
• cold boiled water - 1/2 tbsp

For cream:

• milk or low fat cream - 800 ml;
• eggs - 2 pcs;
• sugar - 300 g;
• vanillin - a couple of pinches;
• wheat flour (highest grade) - 3 tbsp. l.

Preparing the cake "Napoleon" according to the classic recipe. The step by step recipe looks like this:

1. First, start with the dough, because it will still need to be kept in the refrigerator. Sift the wheat flour into a large bowl along with the cornstarch (it will improve the quality of the flour). Grate butter there too (you can also use margarine instead of butter).
2. Rub the mass until a crumbly consistency is formed, homogeneous in structure.
3. Pour in water and knead the dough. Wrap the lump in a bag and leave it in the refrigerator - you can even put it in the freezer. Standing time - 15-20 minutes.
4. It's just the time to make the cream. The custard option starts with milk. Divide it into two approximately equal parts. Put one on the stove to warm over low heat.
5. Mix the second with eggs, vanilla, sugar and flour. This mass should be beaten a little with a mixer, but only at the first speed. Otherwise, the whole kitchen will be covered with an even layer of cream blank!
6. Then remove the heated milk from the stove - warm, but not hot. Pour it into the milk-egg mass in a thin stream. Beat with a hand whisk.
7. Put the cream mixture over low heat and heat until thickened. Stir. When the consistency is right,Remove from heat and let cream cool to room temperature. Then refrigerate.
8. For cakes, divide the dough into 7-8 approximately equal parts. Roll each into a thin layer and pierce with a fork in several places. This is necessary so that the cakes do not swell during baking.
9. Bake each cake separately at 180-200 °C. About 7-8 minutes in a well-heated oven. If overcooked, they will be too brittle.
10. Form the baked cakes immediately in circles. This is easy to do by attaching a plate or pot lid to the cake.
11. Then lay the cakes on a plate in layers and coat with cream. At the end of the cream, which has flowed onto a plate, lift with a knife to the top of the cake. So you will also decorate the sides.
12. Put the remaining trimmings from the molding of the cakes into a blender and chop until coarse crumbs. Sprinkle it over the top and sides of the cake.

As you can see, the classic Napoleon cake recipe at home is quite simple. But you can make it even easier!

Recipe with store-bought puff pastry

An excellent version of a quick cake - with store-bought puff pastry. Moreover, you can take both yeast and yeast-free dough - there will not be much difference when cooking. The classic Napoleon cake recipe is transformed into a quick dessert with awesome cream. And for decoration, take pecans! They have an advantage over other types of nuts. Pecans do not require pre-cleaning.

What products are needed:

• puff pastry - 1 kg (two packs);
• cow butter - 1 pack;
• milk(better fatter) - 1 tbsp.;
• sweet powder - 1 tbsp;
• 3 egg yolks;
• wheat flour - 1.5 tbsp. l.;
• pecans - 100g;
• fresh berries and rosemary leaves for decoration.

The classic Napoleon cake recipe (quick version) is below:

1. So, the dough is ready, it remains only to thaw, cut into pieces and roll each into a layer. 1 kg will make 8 small layers.
2. Bake each in the oven at 200°C until browned, about 5-6 minutes. It is not necessary to overexpose, otherwise the cakes will be brown.
3. While the finished cakes are cooling, cut them into a shape - a circle or a square.
4. For cream, mix cold milk with sweet powder, egg yolks and flour. Stir and bring to a boil on the stove. Do not add a lot of flour, spoons should be without a slide. Otherwise, the cream will have a pronounced floury taste.
5. Separately, melt the butter in a water bath and pour into the cream. Beat the whole mass until smooth for a couple of seconds.
6. Chop the nuts in a blender.
7. Smear the cakes with cream, trim the top and sides of the cake with it. Sprinkle with nuts.
8. Put the dessert in the fridge for a couple of hours.
9. Wash and dry the berries and rosemary. Decorate the cake before serving.

Advice to the hostess

Make homemade puff pastry and freeze it in pieces in individual bags. So, if you want to cook homemade cakes or a cake, all that remains is to thaw the dough at room temperature.temperature. To do this, leave it in a bowl on the table for 5-6 hours.

Be sure to write down all the recipes in your cooking diary. Now you can cook for yourself and your loved ones both the Napoleon cake (a classic Soviet-era recipe) with cream, and a quick version of it in a hurry!