You can try Napoleon everywhere: not a single menu of the slightest large cafe is complete without this truly “king” of pastries, in any grocery store you will find several varieties of delicacies. But undoubtedly, the most delicious Napoleon cake is the one that was baked at home with love and soul.
Chopped Napoleon
To prepare the dough for this dessert, you will need:
- margarine - 400 grams;
- wheat flour - 4 glasses;
- water - 1 glass;
- salt - on the tip of the knife.
The cream requires the following products:
- milk - 2 glasses;
- eggs - 2 pcs.;
- wheat flour - 4 tablespoons;
- sugar - 3 glasses;
- butter - 300 grams.
Cake decoration:
- walnuts - 100 grams;
- cake crumb.
Dough preparation
Chop the margarine with flour. To do this, cut it into small pieces, put it in a bowl and gradually add flour in small portions, while constantly “chopping” this mass with a knife. The margarine should be at room temperature, but not very soft so as not to stick to the knife.
Add salt to the water and mix a glass of room temperature water into the margarine-flour mixture. The dough should be steep, but moderately soft so as not to stick to your hands. From the specified number of ingredients, 6 donuts should be obtained. Divide the dough into 6 pieces and refrigerate for 1 hour.
After the dough has cooled, roll out thin cakes (no more than 1 cm) and bake in a preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes. Check the readiness of the pastry for a golden crust. Each cake is baked separately. Since the dough is very fragile, the cakes must be removed from the baking sheet already cooled, very carefully so that they do not crumble in your hands. If the piece still breaks off, it doesn't matter. You can glue it with cream while assembling the cake, or use it as a sprinkle.
How to make a cream for chopped Napoleon
First you need to boil the milk. Grind eggs with two glasses of sugar, stir in flour and pour this mass into boiling milk in a thin stream, stirring constantly. Cook for about 10 minutes, not forgetting to stir. Remove the cooked mass from the stove and allow to cool well.
Grind the softened butter with a glass of sugar and add the cooled custard mixture in portions. Beat everything thoroughly with a mixer. Beat for about 10 minutes.
Assembling the cake
It is best to start with the strongest resulting crumpet. Use it as the base of the cake. Grind walnuts in a blender or grind with a rolling pin. Liberally grease each layer of cake with cream and sprinkle with chopped walnuts. Break the spoiled edges of the crumpets with your hands into crumbs and cover the sides of the finished cake with this sprinkling. Top with walnut quarters. Put the finished cake in the refrigerator overnight (at least 8-9 hours). This time is enough for Napoleon to soak well and just melt in your mouth.
