Homemade Napoleon cake. Napoleon cake with condensed milk

Cake "Napoleon" - a little history or why this cake is named after Napoleon Bonaparte

One of the versions of its creation is that it was baked in 1912 in honor of the 100th anniversary of Russia's victory over the French. No wonder the cakes are served triangular - in the shape of a commander’s hat.

However, let's take a break from history and start preparing the legendary dessert Napoleon cake at home. Our recipes will help you cope easily and with pleasure!

Cake Napoleon: “Family Tradition”

Cakes:
3 cups flour, 250g margarine, 3/4 cup water (very cold!), 0.5 tsp. slaked soda.

Sift the flour into a large bowl, put 1 pack of margarine in it (let it sit at room temperature for at least half an hour) and chop the flour and margarine into fine crumbs with a spatula.

Now add water and knead with your hands, at the end add 0.5 teaspoon of soda slaked with vinegar and after that knead a little, in a bowl and in the refrigerator for an hour; let him rest.

Custard for cake:

1. Take 2 packs of cream (10%) into a saucepan, add a glass of sugar and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
2. Separately, in a mug, mix a little more than 1 tbsp. l. flour and 1.5 tbsp. spoons of starch, gradually pour in one packet of cold cream (i.e., a total of three bags of 200 ml each) so that the mixture is free of lumps, mix well.
3. Pour this starch-flour mixture into boiling milk with sugar, or not into boiling milk, but remove it from the stove while pouring, so that it doesn’t run away. Pour in according to the principle of cooking semolina porridge - in a thin stream, stirring continuously (Very important!); otherwise lumps will form and then the cream will fail! The appearance and thickness are similar to that of semolina. Cool the cream.
4. Stir a pack (250) of butter (previously softened at room temperature) into the cooled (at room temperature) cream. First mix in a quarter of the butter, beat with a mixer at low speeds, then add more and more and beat well (but do not over-beat) the cream will be quite airy.

Let's go back to the test:

• Divide the dough into 7 pieces.
• Roll the piece into a ball and roll it out thinly into a circle on a floured surface.
• Measure with a lid (or something else) and transfer with a rolling pin to a baking sheet (I do not grease with anything), prick with a fork and place in an oven preheated to 200 degrees for 4-5 minutes. (until it starts to brown, pull it out onto a board and put the next one to bake.
• Set aside two of the best cake layers for the top and bottom. The worst goes on top.

Next is a non-classical approach to Napoleon (but our recipe is our family; I have no right to retreat!). Take a glass of walnuts (more is possible) and chop (but not too much, pieces should remain). Grind the cake for topping.

Now this is how I do it:

1. I lay out all the cakes on the table and spread the cream on them (to distribute evenly), on average two to three tablespoons.
2. Add: cake with cream, nuts, cake; at the end, sprinkle with nuts and sprinkles (you can dry the cake layer for the sprinkles a little more in the oven, just so it doesn’t burn).
3. Gently press the cake on top with your hands and leave at room temperature for 4-5 hours, then put it in the refrigerator.

The cake is very popular in our family - everyone loves it, both ours and others (guests, I mean). The result is creamy cream; but the fat content of the cake is not felt at all!
It’s true that it’s difficult for me to evaluate it myself; after all, for me this is a taste familiar from childhood, from Soviet times.

Napoleon cake: 2nd recipe

500 g butter, 4 cups flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 cup cold water.

Napoleon cake: 3rd recipe

3 cups flour, 1 egg, 250 g butter, 0.5 teaspoon salt, 3\4 cups water, 1 tablespoon vinegar.

Pour two glasses of flour onto a board and chop with butter, build a mound from the resulting mass and gradually pour water and an egg into its center, with salt and vinegar mixed in it.
Knead the dough by adding the remaining flour. Then divide the resulting dough into 8-9 parts. Leave in the cold for 1 hour, roll out into cakes.

Napoleon cake: 4 recipe

I came across the Slovak version of Napoleon, who is known there as Kremes. The cream seems to be a variation of custard, but the composition is slightly different - starch and milk. And one more thing - since Slovak cream holds its shape better due to starch, it is made and put in much more.
First, bake 1 pound (roughly speaking, half a kilo) of ready-made puff pastry for 10-15 minutes. The dough is rolled out to the size of the baking sheet.

Cream: 2 liters of milk, 8 eggs, separated into whites and yolks, 14 tablespoons of powdered sugar (400 g), corn starch 200 g

How to make cake cream

1. Boil approximately 1.5 liters of milk at 7-8 tbsp. spoons of powder.
2. Mix the remaining milk and beat with 8 yolks and all the starch.
3. Add this mixture to boiling milk and let it simmer for 30 seconds - 1 minute with constant stirring.
4. Beat all 8 egg whites with 8 tablespoons. spoons of sugar, adding it gradually as you beat.
5. Pour the boiling milk mixture into the whipped egg whites and stir with a spoon.
6. Cut the baked and cooled dough into 2 parts lengthwise (lid and bottom) and put cream between them.

As far as I remember, there was no coating on top. I did it once - not very difficult. If you do it together, it works quickly and without hassle. The taste of the cream is lighter than that of butter, it is airy and high.

Cake Napoleon: 5 recipe "Honey Napoleon"

For the cakes: 4 eggs, 4 cups flour, 4 tablespoons honey, 150g butter, 1 cup sugar, 1.5 teaspoons soda quenched with vinegar.
Cream: 1l 250g thick sour cream, 1.5 cups powdered sugar, 1 lemon.

Melt honey, sugar and butter in a water bath, cool slightly and beat in the eggs. Add slaked soda, flour and knead the dough. It turns out oily. Divide into 10 koloboks and put in the refrigerator (can be in the freezer). While the dough hardens, prepare the cream.

Grate the lemon along with the peel on a fine grater (those who don’t like its bitterness can cut off the peel). Beat sour cream with powdered sugar with a mixer, add grated lemon. Beat again and put in the refrigerator for now. Now take out one piece of dough at a time, roll out thin cakes on baking paper, pierce them with a fork and bake in an oven preheated to 180 degrees until golden brown.
It is better to make the cakes thin - then they are better soaked. The crumbs are dried, crushed and sprinkled over the entire cake. But the taste is equally delicate and melts in your mouth.

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To celebrate the centenary victory over Napoleon, a delicious cake was invented in Russia. It was made in a triangular shape, which symbolized the cocked hat of the great leader. Eating it meant victory over the emperor. I liked this delicacy so much that over time they began to prepare not only cakes, but also cake.

Over the many years of preparing this sweet dish, many recipes have been invented. But the most common is the classic Napoleon cake recipe. Many people, having prepared the dessert, will say that the taste is like that of their grandmother when they were children. This delicacy is easy to prepare. The main taste is provided by the cakes, and it is to them that you need to pay all the attention. According to this recipe, the cake will be airy, weighing about a kilogram.

Cooking steps step by step

Ingredients:

• egg – 2 pcs.;
• margarine – 300 g;
• flour – 150 g;
• water from the refrigerator;
• lemon juice – 0.5 teaspoon;
• flour – 450 g.

For cream:

• vanilla sugar;
• egg – 2 pcs.;
• unsalted butter – 300 g;
• milk – 180 ml;
• sugar – 1.5 tbsp.

Preparation:

1. Place the margarine in the freezer for two to three hours.
2. Cool the flour in the refrigerator for a couple of hours and sift it onto the table.
3. Chop the margarine into thin strips.
4. Mix with flour (150 g) and chop again with a knife. Squeeze thoroughly with your hands.
5. Press the mixture until it forms a tight ball.
6. Refrigerate.
7. Prepare another dough. Pour flour (450 g) into the container, but it is better to leave a little so as not to overdo it. The dough will be soft and not sticky to your hands.
8. Pour in lemon juice.
9. Pour very cold water into a glass to the top, add eggs.
10. Stir with a fork until dissolved.
11. Sift the flour onto the table.
12. Pour egg water into the flour.
13. Stir with a spoon, knead with your hands. If there is not enough flour, add. To prevent the finished, baked puff pastry from becoming tough, excess flour should not be added to it.
14. Roll out the dough, which was prepared second in line, into a rectangle. If you roll it too thin, it will tear.
15. Place the dough you prepared first in the middle. Now wrap the first dough with the second one, like an envelope. First, fold one edge, then from two opposite sides and cover with the remaining end.
16. Sprinkle the dish with flour, place the dough envelope seam side down and place in the refrigerator for half an hour. To avoid condensation, do not cover it on top.
17. Place the cooled product on the table in the same position as on the plate. Roll out into a small square.
18. Roll it back into an envelope and refrigerate for half an hour.
19. Roll it out again and send it to rest in the cold for the same amount of time. After these manipulations, you can begin making the cream.
20. Leave the butter without refrigeration for several hours until it becomes completely soft.
21. Break the eggs into a small bowl. Beat with sugar until the mixture turns white.
22. Add vanillin.
23. Pour milk into a saucepan and pour in the egg mixture. To ensure that the cream is uniform and without lumps, you must constantly stir with a whisk. Wait until it boils and remove immediately.
24. Set aside and cool.
25. For now, let's get back to the test. Cut the envelope into six equal parts. Roll out circles of equal shape. You can make one large layer and use a baking sheet.
26. To make it easier to roll out and prevent the dough from sticking, dust the table with flour.
27. Place a rolling pin on the edge of the dough and lightly roll the mixture onto it. Transfer to form. Roll out the dough to its size.
28. Make holes with a fork.
29. Bake for approximately 10 minutes. Pay attention to the appearance; if it turns brown, it means it’s ready.
30. Bake the cakes.
31. Let's return to the chilled creamy mass. Mash the butter with a spoon.
32. Add the cooked mass in butter in small parts, mixing well. Add it and mix until you have added all the cream.
33. The finished cream is appetizing and monochromatic. The oil should not separate from the total mass and flake off.
34. Grease the cakes with cream.
35. To ensure that the cake is uniform, press each subsequent layer with your hands over the entire area of ​​the cake.
36. Cut the resulting delicacy along the edges with a knife, forming an even round dish.
37. Crumble the resulting trimmed parts with your hands and sprinkle on the top layer.

In order for the dough for the puff pastry to work out, all products must be cold.

With vanilla custard

The cake melts in your mouth and has a delicate taste. Of course, compared to other types of desserts, Napoleon with custard takes quite a long time to prepare. But the efforts will not be in vain, because the recipe for making Napoleon at home cannot be compared with industrial products.

This is the most common delicacy at holidays not only among children, but also among adults. There are many options for the cream used, each housewife will have her own favorite. Consider the option with custard.

Ingredients:

Dough:

• milk – 250 ml;
• margarine – 300 g;
• flour - 4.5 cups;
• soda – 1 teaspoon.

Cream:

• milk – 1.5 liters;
• eggs – 4 pcs.;
• sugar – 500 g;
• butter – 250 g;
• flour – 6 tbsp. spoon;
• vanilla sugar – 1 sachet.

Decoration:

• nuts;
• powder.

Preparation:

Cakes:

1. Finely chop the margarine when cold.
2. Mix with flour, soda and rub with your hands.
3. Add cold milk to the flour mixture. Knead.
4. Roll several balls, depending on how many layers you want.
5. Roll out cold balls on a powdered table.
6. Place in the form.
7. Prick with a fork.
8. Bake in a hot oven until golden brown.

Cream:

1. Beat eggs with sugar.
2. Add flour.
3. Boil the milk separately.
4. Pour the mixture into the hot liquid.
5. Cook over low heat, stirring until it becomes thick.
6. Add butter and vanilla. Cool.

Cake:

1. Lubricate each layer with cream, sprinkling with nuts.
2. Once assembled, trim the edges.
3. Coat the sides with the rest of the cream.
4. Chop the trimmings and sprinkle onto the top crust.
5. Dust with powdered sugar.

Homemade Napoleon cake with quick puff pastry

Since Soviet times, this delicacy has been a desired dish on the table. An ordinary day turns into a holiday with the appearance of a sweet dessert. Previously, the housewife had to stand in the kitchen for hours to prepare it. Now, in the modern world, you can go to any store and buy ready-made dough that is not inferior in taste and quality to a homemade product. The result is the same, and time is saved.

The finished dough must be stored in the freezer; it must not be defrosted several times. To make the cake delicious, do not use oil to bake the cakes, cover with parchment paper.

Ingredients:

• walnut – 300 g;
• egg - 6 pcs.;
• puff pastry - 1.5 kg;
• milk – 1500 ml;
• flour – 6 tbsp. spoon;
• fine sugar - 3 cups.

Preparation:

1. The best way to defrost is time. Of course, modern ovens and microwave ovens have a special defrosting function, but they often fry the product.
2. Most often, you can buy rectangular dough in the store. Makes about six sheets in the required amount of weight. Cut them in half.
3. Roll out each part to a thickness of three millimeters.
4. Line a baking tray with baking paper.
5. Place the cake on it.
6. Prick with a fork. This is necessary so that the dough does not swell or deform.
7. It doesn’t take much time to prepare; five minutes is enough for each cake.

Cream:

1. Beat sugar and eggs until thick foam forms.
2. Boil the milk.
3. Pour the sweet mixture into milk.
4. To avoid curdling of the eggs, you must constantly stir the mixture.
5. After boiling, immediately remove from the burner and add vanillin.

Assembly:

1. Choose the worst shortbread and chop it.
2. Chop the nuts.
3. Grease the cakes with cream.
4. Sprinkle a layer of nuts in the middle of the dessert.
5. Assemble to the end of the cake, sprinkle the top with the remaining nuts.

Honey Napoleon

This recipe makes a not quite traditional cake. The honey included in the composition gives an amazing taste to this delicacy.

Ingredients:

• lemon – 1 pc.;
• egg – 4 pcs.;
• baking powder – 1 package;
• honey - 4 tbsp. spoons;
• unsalted butter – 150 g;
• sugar – 250 g;
• flour – 600 g;
• sour cream – 250 g;
• powdered sugar – 300 g.

Preparation:

1. Build a water bath: place a small saucepan in a large one, so that the top one is immersed in water.
2. Place butter, sugar and honey in the top bowl. Melt.
3. Beat the eggs separately.
4. Mix the melted mass, eggs, baking powder with flour.
5. Divide into ten parts and roll into balls. Send into the cold.
6. Grate the lemon and zest to add to the cream.
7. Beat sour cream and powder.
8. Mix with lemon.
9. Whisk everything together and cool.
10. Roll out the balls into any shape. It depends on what kind of cake it will be.
11. Bake individually until golden brown. There should be no burnt areas, so as not to spoil the taste of the cake.
12. Cool.
13. Coat each layer with cream.
14. Crumble the last cake and sprinkle over the top of the cake.

Napoleon "Family Tradition"

Ingredients:

Dough:

• baking powder - 1.5 tsp;
• flour – 450 g;
• cold water – 200 g;
• margarine – 250 g.

Cream:

• starch - 2 tbsp. spoons;
• cream 10% - 600 ml;
• flour – 150 g;
• butter – 250 g.

Preparation:

1. Sift flour into a deep pan.
2. Place margarine in the center.
3. Leave for half an hour.
4. After a while, chop into fine crumbs using a spatula.
5. Add baking powder and water.
6. Knead.
7. The dough loves the cold very much. To get the desired end result, refrigerate for half an hour.
8. Cut into seven pieces.
9. Form a ball.
10. Roll out separately.
11. Prick the dough in the pan with a fork.
12. Bake until golden brown.

Cream:

1. Pour 400 ml cream into a saucepan, adding sugar.
2. Boil.
3. Separately mix flour and starch.
4. Pour in 200 ml of cream (cold).
5. Mix well. There should be no lumps.
6. Pour the cold mixture into the hot sweet milk in a very thin stream. Keep stirring with your other hand.
7. When the cream has cooled, add the oil, which has been left in the room for some time and has become soft.
8. Beat with a mixer.

Coat each layer with cream. Leave in the kitchen for five hours to soak. To achieve the perfect taste, refrigerate for another four hours.

Slovak version of Napoleon, which is known there as Kremes

This cooking option differs from other recipes in that there is no butter as an ingredient in the cream. Instead, starch (corn) is used.

Prepare the dough according to any favorite recipe or do it easier and buy a ready-made semi-finished product.

Ingredients:

• corn starch – 200 g;
• powdered sugar – 400 g;
• yeast-free puff pastry – 500 g;
• cow's milk - 2 liters;
• eggs – 8 pcs.

Preparation:

1. Defrost the dough naturally.
2. Divide into four parts.
3. Roll out thinly.
4. Place the dough on a baking sheet and bake for five minutes.
5. Prepare all the cakes this way.

Cream:

1. Mix 500 ml of milk with starch and yolks, beat well.
2. Boil 1000 ml of milk.
3. Add half the powder.
4. Pour cold milk with starch. Stir.
5. Stirring quickly, keep on fire for a minute.
6. Beat the egg whites and powder with a mixer until they form a thick, fluffy foam.
7. Pour hot milk into the egg mixture. Stir.
8. Wait until completely cooled down.

Fold the cakes in layers, brushing with cream. It is necessary to soak the cake for several hours. The cream used in the recipe turns out to be thick, so compared to Napoleon cake prepared according to the classic recipe, it is placed between the layers in much larger quantities.

Napoleon cake is simple and very tasty at home

Even if you have no experience at all in making homemade cakes, this recipe will turn out the cake the first time. For baking, the minimum amount of ingredients is used and very little time is spent.

Ingredients:

• butter (ice) – 250 g;
• flour – 450 g;
• water (cold) – 100 ml.

For cream:

• milk – 1 liter;
• egg – 2 pcs.;
• sugar – 300 g;
• vanillin;
• flour – 4 tbsp. spoons.

Preparation:

1. For the dough, be sure to sift the flour.
2. Take a large grater and grate the butter.
3. Rub with your hands.
4. Fill with water.
5. Make a ball.
6. Let rest in the cold for half an hour.
7. Roll into a sausage.
8. Cut into eight pieces.
9. Now the main thing is to roll it out into a thin layer to get the same thickness. The thinner you roll it out, the tastier the cakes will be.
10. Place in the oven.
11. Prepares instantly. Five minutes and the cake is ready.
12. While one is preparing, prepare the other.

Cream:

1. Heat 500 ml of milk.
2. Using a mixer, beat 500 ml of milk, eggs, sugar, flour, vanillin. You can use a whisk. Just make sure that there are no lumps left from the flour.
3. As soon as the milk boils, pour the whipped mixture in a thin stream.
4. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Mix well, including the sides and bottom of the pan, otherwise the cream will burn.
5. It should look like thick semolina porridge. It will become thicker when it cools.
6. To assemble the cake, the cream needs to be at room temperature.

The cakes are brittle and fragile. Carefully assemble the cake, coating the layers with cream. Trim the edges and sprinkle the trimmings over the top of the cake. Be sure to soak in the night. Experienced housewives advise placing a cutting board on top and placing a container of water on top. Under the weight of the cakes, they will be better saturated with cream.

With custard sour cream

Ingredients

Dough:

• salt – 1 teaspoon;
• vinegar – 2 teaspoons;
• butter – 200 g;
• flour – 450 g;
• milk 150 ml;
• soda - a pinch.

Cream:

• vanillin;
• sugar – 250 g;
• sour cream – 500 g;
• walnuts;
• milk – 600 ml;
• starch - 2 tbsp. spoons;
• egg – 3 pcs.

Preparation

Dough:

1. Grind cold butter with flour to form crumbs.
2. Mix with remaining ingredients.
3. Knead.
4. Divide into 16 parts, roll into balls.
5. Dust the surface of the table with flour.
6. Roll out the dough.
7. Prick with a fork.
8. Bake for five minutes.

Cream:

1. Add starch to a glass of milk.
2. These include eggs. Beat.
3. Boil the remaining amount of milk.
4. Pour into cold milk. Beat.
5. Put on fire. Boil.
6. Add sour cream. Mix.

Forming the cake:

1. Place the cake on the bottom of the plate and coat with a layer of cream.
2. Apply cream to each subsequent cake layer, alternating layers.
3. Trim the edges.
4. Grease the top and sides with cream.
5. Chop the trimmings and sprinkle over the top and edges of the cake.

Napoleon cake in a frying pan

This version does not require much time to soak the cakes. After half an hour, the cake is ready to eat.

Ingredients:

• baking powder;
• flour – 450 g;
• salt;
• sugar – 250 g;
• butter – 50 g;
• egg - 3 pcs.

Cream:

• milk – 1 liter;
• egg – 3 pcs.;
• flour – 2 tbsp. spoons;
• sugar – 250 g;
• vanillin;
• walnuts.

Preparation:

1. Beat eggs and sugar.
2. Add salt, baking powder, butter, 400 g of flour (the rest will be needed when rolling out the dough).
3. Knead the dough.
4. Let stand for half an hour.
5. Roll out 14 cakes thinly along the diameter of the frying pan.
6. Fry on a dry surface.
7. If you need perfectly straight edges, cut it hot to the shape of a plate.
8. Lay in layers, soaking with cooled cream.
9. Sprinkle with scraps and nuts.

For cream:

1. Mix eggs, milk, sugar. Add flour.
2. Stir without lumps.
   • egg – 1 pc.;
   • flour – 3 tbsp;
   • water – 170 ml;
   • margarine – 250 g;
   • salt;
   • butter into cream – 300 g;
   • chocolate;
   • condensed milk – 400 g.

   Preparation:

   1. Cool all products, freeze margarine.
   2. Pour cold flour into the grated margarine.
   3. Mix water and egg.
   4. Knead the dough by mixing the ingredients.
   5. Roll into sausage.
   6. Divide into six parts.
   7. Cool for half an hour.
   8. Roll.
   9. Bake, first piercing each piece with a fork.
   10. Beat the butter. Pour condensed milk in a thin stream. Beat together for 10 minutes using a mixer.
   11. Grease the cakes with the resulting cream.
   12. Decorate the top with cake crumbs.

   Various serving and design options

   Any housewife wants the cake to be not only tasty, but also beautiful, so it’s worth decorating it in a special way.

   The most common and familiar design option is crumbs from leftover cakes.

   You can use sugar sprinkles. It comes in different colors and shapes. You can sprinkle a thick layer of decoration on the cream, make a drawing or post a congratulation.

   

   

   

   Using a stencil they create beautiful risks. The grated chocolate is sprinkled onto the stencil; when it is removed, a festive design remains on the surface.

   Any nuts are suitable for decoration. Sprinkling it in a thick layer will give you a beautiful appearance and exquisite taste.

   Protein cream can be painted in any color and create a culinary masterpiece by decorating it with different colors.

   A less common way to decorate a cake at home is to use mastic. With its help you can create amazingly beautiful culinary works. Cover the cake and decorate with themed figures, but this method requires certain knowledge and skill.

Napoleon cake is one of the most delicious desserts that is loved all over the world. In Italy and France it is called “A Thousand Layers”, and in Belgium and the Netherlands there is a similar recipe called “Tompus” cake, but with whipped cream and pink icing. Interestingly, it is often associated with Soviet times, when it was difficult to buy confectionery products, so many housewives learned in practice how to prepare Napoleon cake at home. This is why so many homemade recipes for Napoleon cake appeared, because each family had its own secrets for preparing this delicacy.

How did Napoleon cake come about?

In 1912, Russia was preparing to celebrate the centenary of the victory over Napoleon, and for this occasion, confectioners created a new triangular-shaped pastry made from puff pastry with custard prepared in milk and butter. The French take credit for themselves, adhering to two main versions of how this most delicate dessert was born.

The first story tells how a cunning court cook decided to please Bonaparte and, having bought an ordinary pie, cut it into many layers and coated it with whipped cream and strawberries. In the second story, the author of the recipe was Napoleon himself, whom Josephine caught in treason, and he had to come up with a reason on the fly why he ended up in the arms of the maid of honor. The recipe for the cake, which the maid of honor allegedly told him, became his alibi. Well, talented people are talented in everything!

How to cook homemade Napoleon

The main feature of the classic “Napoleon” is that the cakes are prepared without sugar, but they turn out very light, airy and extremely tasty. Not everyone knows what type of dough the Napoleon cake is made from, because when cut it turns out to be very layered. As a rule, puff pastry is used, although there are other recipe options. However, if you don’t have enough time, you can prepare the dough according to the unleavened recipe, like for dumplings. Typically, the cakes are made from ice water or milk, butter or high-quality margarine, salt, vinegar, which gives the cakes a flaky structure, and sifted premium wheat flour. Sometimes sour cream, milk, eggs, vodka, beer and cottage cheese are added to the dough. Roll out the prepared dough into 1–2 mm thick cakes and bake them for 8–15 minutes in an oven preheated to 200°C. The most important thing is not to cut the cakes after baking so that they do not break. Trim the finished cake, coated with cream, so that it turns out beautiful and neat.

Let's talk about how to prepare cream for Napoleon. The cake is usually made with custard, sour cream, butter and butter cream, to which chocolate is sometimes added. After frosting, the cake is left to soak for 10 hours or more. The finished dessert can be decorated with any nuts - it will become even tastier.

Cooking Napoleon cake at home: a few secrets

Don't add too much flour to the dough - it should roll out well, nothing more. Too steep a dough will make the cakes tough and not very tasty - the cake will lose its tenderness and will not soak well. The cakes should also be quite thin, but you shouldn’t skimp on the cream: the more of it, the tastier the cake.

Take fatty butter or margarine and be sure to cool it before kneading the dough, but the butter should not be frozen, otherwise you will not be able to roll out the cake, it will begin to tear.

Cakes for Napoleon may swell, so prick them with a fork before baking, then they will turn out perfectly smooth. If you want to get a tender and juicy cake, coat the cakes immediately after they are ready, and for a crispy effect it is better to apply the cream to the cakes before serving.

Napoleon cake: step-by-step recipe

Now check out the recipe for a delicious Napoleon cake with custard. It’s not difficult to prepare, but it will bring so much joy to your loved ones! So, you will need the following products: for the dough: water - 160 ml, sifted flour - 400 g, butter or margarine - 260 g, salt - ⅓ tsp, vinegar - 15 ml; for cream: sugar - 300 g, milk - 700 ml, butter - 200 g, chicken eggs - 2 pcs., starch - 20 g, vanilla to taste.

Cooking method:

1. Combine salt, flour and butter in a bowl and grind them until crumbly.

2. Mix ice water with vinegar.

3. Pour water into the butter crumbs, stirring constantly.

4. Knead the dough very quickly.

5. Divide the dough into 10 or more equal pieces (depending on how big your cake will be).

6. Form into balls, wrap them in film and place in the refrigerator for an hour.

7. Place baking paper or a sheet of parchment on the table, grease it with oil and roll out each bun in turn.

8. Place a plate or pan lid over the crust and trim off any excess. Mix the trimmings with the next kolobok.

9. Make several punctures with a fork on the surface of the cake.

10. Transfer the cake with paper to a baking sheet and bake for 7–10 minutes at 200°C.

11. For the cream, mix sugar with starch and vanilla in a small saucepan.

12. Add eggs to the saucepan and beat well.

13. Pour milk into this mixture.

14. Place the saucepan on the stove and cook, stirring constantly, until the cream begins to gurgle.

15. Add butter to the cooled custard mixture.

16. Beat the cream well.

17. Grease the dish with cream, lay out the cake, cover it with 3 tbsp. l. cream. Repeat with all the cakes, reserving one for the topping.

18. Leave the cake for 2 hours to soak.

19. Spread the cream on the sides of the cake and sprinkle it with crumbled cake.

20. Leave the cake for 10 hours.

The master class on making Napoleon cake is over, the amazingly tender and melt-in-your-mouth dessert is ready!

Unusual "Napoleon" on beer

A cake made from beer dough turns out to be unusually tender and crumbly and smells very appetizing.

Mix 400 g of sifted flour and 250 g of cold butter, cut into thin slices. Chop the butter with a knife, mix with flour and pour in 200 ml of cold beer. Knead the dough; if it turns out too damp, add more flour according to your eye. Divide the dough into 10 pieces and chill them in the refrigerator.

Prepare the cream from 400 g of softened butter, cut into pieces, and 450 g of condensed milk - beat everything well, you can add vanilla to the cream if desired.

Then take pieces of dough out of the refrigerator one by one and roll them into cakes of the desired diameter, and then bake in the oven for no more than 10 minutes at a temperature of 180–210°C. Assemble the cake in the standard way, coat the cakes with cream, sprinkle with crushed cake, and then put it in the refrigerator to soak. Before serving, decorate the cake with fresh strawberries.

This is a real delicacy!

"Napoleon" from ready-made puff pastry

If you don't have time to prepare the cake from start to finish, you can use store-bought puff pastry. So, buy 1 kg of dough, defrost it, unwrap it and cut each layer into four pieces, so that you end up with eight pieces. Roll each part into a round cake with a greased rolling pin and trim the edges with a plate. Pierce the crust with a fork and then bake in the oven for 10–15 minutes at 180–200°C, checking for doneness with a wooden stick. Bake the scraps too along with the cakes.

For the cream, beat a can of condensed milk and 200 g of soft butter in a mixer. Separately, whisk 300ml of the heavy cream until it becomes thick, then carefully fold it into the buttercream using a wooden spatula.

Coat the cakes generously with cream, sprinkle them with chopped trimmings, chopped walnuts and refrigerate for at least 10 hours.

The cake, made from ready-made store-bought dough, turns out to be very layered - just the way it should be!

Delicate curd "Napoleon"

Fans of curd sweets will be happy with this version of the cake. Its taste will not disappoint you!

Mix 350 g of cottage cheese with 1 tsp. salt, and grind 400 g of flour with 350 g of butter until crumbs form. Mix cottage cheese with butter and flour, knead the dough, adding more flour if necessary.

Divide the dough into 8-9 parts, roll into balls and refrigerate for an hour. While the dough is cooling, prepare the cream from 500 ml of fat sour cream and 200 g of sugar by whisking the ingredients in a mixer.

Roll out the cakes from each ball, bake them on oiled parchment for 10–12 minutes at 200°C. Coat the cakes with cream and sprinkle the crushed cake on top. It turns out impressive and very tasty!

You can find a variety of recipes with photos of Napoleon cake on our website. If you also love this dessert, share your cake variations and secrets with our readers. Sweets brighten up life and lift your spirits, so don’t deprive yourself of desserts and pamper your loved ones more often!

(old proven recipe)

Homemade Napoleon cake is perhaps the most delicious for me. The recipe for this Napoleon cake with custard, which was inherited from my grandmother, was sent to us by Olga Tulupova (unfortunately, without a photo). But when I started preparing it for release, it turned out that I knew this old recipe for Napoleon cake; for many years I have been baking it for my family on major holidays.

Anyuta.

On the Internet I came across countless recipes for the deservedly beloved Napoleon. I prepared it often, but the result was somehow not pleasing. And there was a reason for that. Our family has a recipe for the most delicious Napoleon cake, which is over 60 years old. The recipe came from Grandma Anya. Due to numerous moves, the recipe was safely lost in the depths of numerous things. Granny is already 87 years old and she doesn’t remember the recipe exactly. But then I found it by chance - joy knew no bounds. As a child, it seemed fabulously tasty to me. And even now my opinion has not changed.

For the test you will need:

• 1 liter jar (as a means of measurement)
• 1 glass 250 grams.
• 350 g margarine or butter
• liter jar of wheat flour,
• 1 egg,
• 1 tsp. vinegar or vodka,
• water.

Take a large bowl and chop the margarine and flour in it. I grate the margarine and then grind it with flour until it becomes fine crumbs. I break an egg into an empty glass, add water so that the glass is full, and add a teaspoon of vinegar or vodka. I mix and pour this mixture over the flour and margarine and continue chopping with a knife until smooth on the work surface.

Then I take out the dough for “Napoleon” for 40 minutes. to the cold.

Next, the ball of dough needs to be divided into parts for the cakes. Grandma’s recipe yields 7-8 donuts. I have 12 or more crumpets. The quantity may depend on the size of the baking sheet.

Each Napoleon cake layer is rolled out thinly. Before baking the first donut, I grease the baking sheet with vegetable oil, this is enough (you can just lightly sprinkle it with flour).

Thin cake layers (crumpets) for Napoleon cake bake quickly, so don’t go far from the oven. After baking, I immediately trim the edges to give the desired shape.

Then I assemble the Napoleon layer cake, coating each donut with cream. Decorate Napoleon as you wish.

Traditionally, I make crumbs from the scraps and sprinkle on the top and sides of the cake.

Now about the cream. I use custard.

Custard for Napoleon cake

For the cream recipe we will need:

• 2 glasses of milk,
• 2 eggs,
• 1 tbsp. l. flour,
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 250 gr. butter,
• a packet of vanillin.

How to make custard

To avoid lumps, I beat the eggs with sugar with a mixer until the sugar dissolves, then add flour, as in a sponge cake. There is a little secret - before adding flour to the cream, you need to fry it a little in a frying pan without oil until light brown - this improves the taste of the cream. Add flour, milk. Mix.

Put the custard on the stove to cook, bring to a boil over low heat, stirring all the time so that there are no lumps. Once the mixture thickens, remove from heat.

Cool the custard in the milk and eggs, add it in parts to the softened butter,

and beat again with a mixer until smooth.

To add a piquant taste to the cream, you can add lemon or orange zest.

Let homemade Napoleon cake with custard soak for at least half a day.

Enjoy your tea!

Another recipe:

Not everyone knows how to bake the well-known and beloved Napoleon cake themselves. Some people are afraid to get involved with a difficult dessert and this is completely in vain, because there is nothing complicated in preparing this wonderful cake, the main thing is to follow the recipe exactly and not be nervous.

Homemade Napoleon cake with custard

The butter for preparing the dough should be well chilled, and for the cream – at room temperature.

You can add more sugar to the cream, especially if you prefer very sweet desserts.

Wheat flour for the cream can be replaced with a little more starch, corn or potato.

Required ingredients:

• fresh egg – 1 pc.,
• cold water – 250 ml,
• salt - a pinch,
• butter – 250 grams,
• wheat flour – 700 grams.

• milk – 1 liter,
• fresh eggs – 6 pcs.,
• vanillin - a pinch,
• granulated sugar – 250 grams,
• butter – 200 grams,
• wheat flour – 120 grams.

Description of the cooking process:

Sift the flour into a large bowl and add the diced butter.

Using a sharp knife, chop the combined ingredients into homogeneous crumbs.

Add a raw egg and a pinch of salt to cold water, and then beat everything thoroughly with a fork into a homogeneous mass.

Pour the resulting mixture into the flour crumbs and quickly knead the dough, and it is better to do this not with a spoon, but with your hands.

Finish kneading the dough on a floured surface. The finished dough should come together and not stick to your hands at all. Wrap it in cling film and place it in the refrigerator for a while.

For the cream, combine eggs and granulated sugar into a fluffy mass.

Heat the milk on the stove in a large saucepan. Pour about 1 glass of it into the eggs, and then add vanillin and flour in several stages, working intensively with a whisk all this time.

Very carefully add the egg mass into the hot milk and, stirring continuously, continue to cook over low heat for about 20 minutes after boiling. The cream should become so thick that a spoon leaves a mark on its surface. Once this happens, place the custard in a cool place to cool completely.

Meanwhile, divide the chilled dough into 8-9 parts, and roll each of them one by one into a thin crust and prick with a fork. This can be done either on a baking sheet or on parchment paper - depending on what shape you have in mind for the cake. It is important that while one piece of dough is being rolled out, the rest are in the refrigerator.

Bake the cakes in an oven preheated to 180 degrees, which will take about 10 minutes for each cake.

Allow the finished cakes to cool, and while this is happening, beat the cold custard with soft butter into a homogeneous fluffy mass. In principle, if you like lighter desserts, then you don’t need to add butter to the cream at all.

Place the first cake on a dish and very carefully coat it with cream.

Carefully place the second cake layer on top and continue the process as many times as necessary.

Trim each of the cakes a little so that their shape is perfect, and use the resulting crumbs as a sprinkle for the top of the cake.

You can cut and enjoy the Napoleon cake no earlier than 6 hours after assembly, otherwise the cakes will not have time to soak properly. However, for the sake of such a perfect taste, you can endure a little, because then the pleasure will be unforgettable.

Another recipe for Napoleon cake

Recipe by Ekaterina Marutova

I would like to immediately note that the size of the cake was quite impressive, so if you do not need such a large cake, you can reduce the amount of ingredients in the recipe for this homemade Napoleon cake by at least 2 times. The cake in the photo turned out to be the size of a large square baking tray from the oven.

Required:

For the test:

• flour - approximately 1 kg - from the refrigerator.
• margarine – 4 packs (200 grams each) – should be kept in the freezer before cooking.
• eggs - 2 pcs. also chilled in the refrigerator.
• salt -1 tsp.
• vinegar - 2 tbsp. l.
• cold water – approximately 400 ml (I’ll write about why during preparation).

Custard for Napoleon cake:

• milk - 4 glasses.
• sugar - 1.5 cups.
• eggs - 4 pcs.
• flour - 4 tbsp. l.
• butter – 300 g.
• vanillin – 1 pack.
• powdered sugar – 2 tbsp. l.

How to make Napoleon cake with custard

First let's make the dough.

Sift about half the flour onto the table, and use a coarse grater to grate all the margarine (which should be in the freezer before use). When you add margarine, you need to sprinkle it with flour at the same time. Having grated all the margarine, add the rest of the flour and mix quickly.

Mix eggs, vinegar and salt in a deep bowl or large measuring mug (with milliliter marks) and add water so that the entire volume is 500 ml. That is why in the recipe for the Napoleon cake dough, which I gave above, the approximate amount of water is indicated. We do everything quickly.

Pour this mixture into the margarine-flour mixture and try to knead the dough as quickly as possible. Divide the finished dough into 4 equal parts, place each in a separate bag and place in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours.

While our dough is in the refrigerator, let's prepare custard with milk and butter to soak the Napoleon cake.

Pour the milk into a deep saucepan, bring to a boil, adding sugar.

Separately, you need to combine the eggs with flour and gradually add half the hot milk with sugar, stir until smooth.

Then quickly pour the remaining milk and sugar into the mixture.

While stirring well, you need to bring the custard with milk to a boil and immediately turn it off. NO NEED to boil!

The custard base for the cream is ready; it needs to be cooled before combining with butter. Separately, you need to beat the softened butter, gradually add the cooled custard and vanilla to it.

When the time the dough has been in the refrigerator is up, take out one part and roll it out (sprinkling the table with flour) to a thickness of 4 mm.

Place the homemade dough (very similar to puff pastry) on a baking sheet (which needs to be slightly moistened at the edges), press the edges a little and use a fork to make punctures in several places across the entire surface of the crust. This is necessary so that the cake does not swell.

Place the baking sheet in the oven preheated to 200 degrees. The beautiful ruddy color that you will see will hint to you that the cake is ready. Take out the prepared Napoleon cake layer and place it on a wooden board.

We bake the remaining cakes according to the same principle.

When all the layers for the Napoleon cake are ready, you can assemble our cake: if you baked a small cake with only 2 layers, then you need to cut each layer in half. If the cakes are not quite even, they need to be shaped by cutting them with a sharp knife. We will need the scraps for sprinkling the cake.

Place the first cake on a board or baking sheet and pour over the custard, distributing it evenly over the entire surface. Place the second cake layer, press lightly and coat with cream again. We do this with all the cakes.

When the assembly is completed, carefully cover the top and sides with the remaining custard, grind the trimmings from the cakes in a mortar or using a blender and sprinkle the entire cake with crumbs.

Sprinkle powdered sugar on top and decorate as desired. It is advisable to let the cake soak in the refrigerator for several hours.

We cut the delicious homemade Napoleon cake with custard into portioned pieces, put the kettle on and serve our sweet dessert to the table.

I have been baking Napoleon according to this recipe for 10 years now and this cake has become my signature dish!!! In our family, Napoleon cake is always a holiday! If anyone has a different opinion regarding this famous dessert, I can say with complete confidence that you have not tried the real Napoleon. All the quick options made from ready-made puff pastry are not even close to it. Tasty, but not that good.

Unfortunately, in our time, the store-bought equivalent bears little resemblance to the classic Napoleon cake, so the only option to try a real, most delicious layer cake with delicate custard is to prepare it yourself at home. It's a hassle, but it's worth it!

I hope my step-by-step photo recipe is useful to you.

To prepare you will need very simple and affordable products:

Ingredients:

For the test:
- Wheat flour (premium grade) - 6 cups,
- Margarine or butter – 2 packs (200 grams each),
- Chicken eggs – 2 pieces,
- Salt – 1 teaspoon,
- Water - 450 ml.

For the custard:
- Chicken eggs – 4 pieces,
- Granulated sugar – 0.5 kg,
- Butter – 0.5 kg,
- Wheat flour – 4 tbsp. spoons,
- Cow's milk – 1 liter.

Preparing the cakes:

Please note that the cake dough must be kneaded using a knife. This way, cold butter will not melt from the warmth of your hands and will take the amount of flour that is needed. Otherwise, if you overdo it with flour, you risk getting a very hard dough. Whereas, ideally, thin cakes should be crispy and at the same time tender.

Lightly freeze margarine or butter, this will make it easier to work with. Sift flour onto a work surface. Finely chop the frozen butter into the flour with a knife, adding it from the edge to the center. As a result, you should get dry crumbs.

Now take a half-liter jar and break two chicken eggs into it, fill the rest of the jar with water. Shake the contents thoroughly with a fork, adding salt.

We form a slide from the resulting flour crumbs, make a depression in it and begin to add liquid from the jar.

Again everything will need to be “chopped” with a large knife,

Those. You don’t even have to get your hands dirty in the dough.

We add the liquid mixture in parts until it runs out and work with a knife all the time.

Before your eyes, the sand crumbs turn into a homogeneous dough.

As a result of this work, you should get a homogeneous lump.

The finished dough for the Napoleon cake needs to be divided into 16 equal lumps, placed on a board, wrapped in cling film or a bag, and placed in the refrigerator for 20 - 30 minutes. Or freeze slightly in the freezer.

Then we take the dough out of the refrigerator and roll each lump into a thin flat cake, using a minimal amount of flour to sprinkle the table.

The cake should be as thin as possible, literally translucent. Any form. It's easier to roll out rectangles to fit the baking tray. With round cakes it is a little more difficult; they need to be cut raw or ready, and the quantity will be larger.

The dough is quite elastic, don’t be afraid to tear it when transferring it to a baking sheet. Even if this happens, there is nothing terrible about it. The cakes can be pricked with a fork in several places so that they swell less.

Place the baking sheet in the oven, which needs to be preheated to 180 - 200 degrees. Bake the base until a beautiful golden color. While one cake is baking, roll out the next one.

As a result, you should have 16 ruddy puff pastries, rectangular or slightly more round.

Preparing the custard:

Don't look for a better recipe, I assure you, this one is perfect!

To prepare it, you need to beat chicken eggs and wheat flour in a deep bowl until smooth. It's easier to use a blender.

In a separate tall saucepan with a thick bottom, heat the milk and dissolve the granulated sugar in it. There is a lot of cream, the dishes should be capacious. And under no circumstances use an enamel or aluminum saucepan. In the first it will burn, in the second it will color the cream gray when whipped with butter.

Pour the egg mixture into the hot milk and sugar in a thin stream. Stir constantly while doing this. Cook the custard over low heat with constant stirring.

Cook until pureed. Cool the custard mixture to room temperature. Stir several times while cooling to prevent a crust from appearing.

The butter must be removed from the refrigerator in advance so that it becomes soft. Before combining with the cream, the butter must be whipped until smooth.

Only then add the cooled cream to the butter in small portions. Not the other way around!

Beat with a mixer until smooth.

All that remains is to assemble our gorgeous cake.

Assembly:

I'll show you how to make sure your cake plate stays clean when you assemble it. A sheet of baking paper - this small detail is the little secret of your accuracy. Line the bottom of a dish or tray with parchment or paper.

Grease the first cake with custard, cover with the second and press to make the cake denser.

Repeat until all layers have been laid down. Don't forget to compact it. Napoleon must be tight!

It's time to remove the sheet of paper, hold the cake with one hand and pull out the sheet with the other.

You need to make crumbs from scraps or one cake. You can crumble them with your fingers, or you can put them in a bag and roll it with a rolling pin. Sprinkle the top and sides of the cake with the resulting crumbs. My sides are not sprinkled with anything. You can add chopped walnuts or chocolate grated into the crumbs to this crumb according to your taste, this will not make the cake any worse.

We leave the finished cake in the refrigerator for soaking and hardening of the cream, this may take at least 3 hours, it is better to wait overnight.

I think I’ve convinced you that making Napoleon at home is quite simple and affordable, the main thing is that you have the desire!

In the Guinness Book of Records, sweet Napoleon is mentioned as the largest cake weighing 1.5 tons, it was baked by culinary specialists in the city of Zelenograd.

This layer cake can be found in many cuisines around the world, but it will be called differently. For example, in England you will be served a “Vanilla slice”, but in Italy and France you can order a “Millefeuille” in any cafe and they will bring you a piece of an airy multi-layer cake, known to you as “Napoleon”, by the way, in translation Mille-feuille means "Thousand Layers". But Americans, like us, know this layer cake called “Napoleon”.

There are a great many stories about the creation of this famous dessert, but I would like to tell you one of the most unusual and, in my opinion, the most piquant. As you know, Bonaparte was a big fan of hitting on pretty girls. So one day, while flirting with another cute maid of honor, his wife caught him. And in order to get out of this very spicy situation, Napoleon told her about how he whispered in the ear of a beautiful girl about his newly invented recipe for a delicious cake, which, it turns out, is what made the girl so flushed! The wife pretended to believe her husband, but demanded proof. Bonaparte hastily dictated the recipe for the cake, a complete improvisation. Of course, Bonaparte's cook made some adjustments to the recipe. As a result, for breakfast, the couple had an extraordinary cake on the table, which got its name - Napoleon, in honor of its author.

Well, if we talk about the plausible history of the creation of this beloved cake, it was baked for the first time in 1912 by Moscow confectioners for the 100th anniversary of the victory over the French and gave it the name Napoleon.

All you have to do is defeat your “Frenchman” in the kitchen; the step-by-step photo recipe presented today will help you. Perhaps this cake will become your signature sweet dish, like mine. I have been baking it for more than 10 years, and I thank Natalya Pyatkova for the recipe.