Napoleon cake with custard is a popular and beloved delicacy by many. You will have to work hard on delicate flaky pastries, but the result will be a dessert that can decorate any festive table. The classic recipe will help you to cook Napoleon cake at home correctly, and later you can experiment and create unique branded pastries.
Cooking cream for "Napoleon"
Classic "Napoleon" involves soaking the layers of baked goods with custard, which should be prepared in advance. It is recommended to prepare the impregnation for future use if you like soft pastries that melt in your mouth. To do this, mix 5 tablespoons of sifted premium wheat flour with two glasses of granulated sugar.
Add 4 large chicken eggs, beaten with a mixer, pour in a liter of hot milk and keep the mixture over medium heat until boiling. Stir the sweet substance constantly while preparing the cream for the puff Napoleon so that it does not burn and is homogeneous. Cool the thickened mixture. Place 250 g of softened butter in a chilled cream, add a pinch of vanillin and beat with a mixer until white.
Helpful advice:
Napoleon cake: a simple dough recipe
To make the Napoleon cake at home truly delicious and tender, carefully follow the recipe when kneading the dough. Grate a 250 g stick of butter (or 150 g butter and 100 g margarine) on a grater and mix the resulting mass with a pinch of table salt, 100 ml of water and a teaspoon of vinegar.
Sift 3 cups of premium wheat flour so that it is saturated with oxygen, then add portions into the butter and knead into a homogeneous dough for "Napoleon". Divide it into a dozen equal parts, wrap each in plastic and keep in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
Layered "Napoleon": baking and soaking the cake
The most important secret of the Napoleon cake, the preparation of which is therefore considered difficult - very thin, almost "paper" layers of baking. Each piece of chilled (!) Dough must be rolled out into a rectangle 1 mm thick.
Cover the baking sheet with baking paper, then very carefully transfer the cake to it, pierce it with a fork and bake in the oven at 200 ° C. It is very important not to let the layers of "Napoleon" burn, so it is enough to keep each cake in the oven for 5 minutes.
Thickly grease the cooled cakes with custard, coat the sides and top of the cake. Cut the baked goods to a shape (for example, rectangular or square), chop up the trimmings. Sprinkle the Napoleon with a mixture of crumbs, any chopped roasted nuts. You have got a dessert for any occasion, including a great New Year's cake.
Helpful advice:
How to decorate Napoleon
- Mix 100 g of cocoa with the same amount of icing sugar, add 75 ml of milk and boil. Keep on fire with stirring for 5 minutes, add 2 tablespoons of butter and let cool until warm. Pour over the "Napoleon" that has stood in the cold for a bit with chocolate icing and cool the finished dessert.
- Fry whole walnuts, hazelnuts, or almonds in a cast iron skillet with butter and granulated sugar. After caramelizing the nuts, they can be used to decorate the top of the cake.
Now you know how to make Napoleon cake at home. Before using the delicacy, keep it in a cold place for 24 hours, then the cakes will be well saturated and the dessert will melt in your mouth.
