The "Napoleon" cake successfully combines a multi-layered crunchy component with delicate butter cream. To bake a cake according to the classic recipe, you need to have enough time left. But the result will live up to expectations.
Classic Napoleon cake - making dough
The process of making a real "Napoleon" is quite laborious, but the result is worth it. Most of the time is spent waiting for the dough to cool; these minutes can be spent usefully - to relax or do other things.
Here are the foods you need to prepare:
- 2 cups flour + 3 tbsp. flour for butter dough;
- 250 butter or margarine for baking;
- 170 g of ice water;
- a pinch of salt.
Sometimes not very conscientious compilers of puff pastry sin by adding various fats, instead of butter and butter margarine. Your cake will differ in the inclusion of only natural ingredients in it.
Beat the egg into the water, stir with a fork until smooth. Sift flour into a deep bowl. Make a hole in the middle, pour in the egg mixture, add salt, sweep out the dough. Do this until it comes off your hands and becomes smooth. Roll it into a thick rectangle, put it in the refrigerator for 20 minutes. In the meantime, make a butter dough. To do this, add 3 tablespoons to the oil softened at kitchen temperature. flour. Stir the mixture with a spoon until smooth. Give it a rectangle shape. Place in the freezer for 25 minutes.
Layer creation process
Take out the first dough, roll it out into a thin rectangle. Put butter on half of this dough. To get enough butter, cut off the strips with a knife and place them in half of the dough. Cover with the other half, pinch the edges. At the same time, no air should remain inside. Otherwise, when rolling, it will come out, making holes in the dough.
After you have blinded the edges well, wrap the dough in a towel and place it in the freezer for 25 minutes. After this time, place the dough on a floured table, roll it out to one side to form a narrow rectangle.
Fold 2 times in half, rolling up the smaller edge. Place the dough back in the freezer for 25 minutes. Roll it out in the same way and fold it in half again 2 times. The more times you carry out this procedure, the more layers there will be in the finished Napoleon.
Repeat this operation 1-2 more times, the last one - roll out the dough so that later 2 identical rectangles can be cut out of it. Place them on a baking sheet, prick each in 5-6 places with a fork, place it in the oven. Bake at 180 ° C. When the cakes rise and turn golden, take them out and cool.
Cream
In a heavy-bottomed saucepan or ladle, combine 1 cup milk with 1 egg, 4 tablespoons. sugar and 1, 5 tbsp. flour. Put the dishes over medium heat, do not leave, stir the contents often. As soon as it begins to thicken, dim the heat to a minimum, work harder with a whisk. Let the cream simmer for 20 seconds, remove from heat, cool.
Hold a piece of butter weighing 200 g in the kitchen for about 25 minutes so that it becomes soft. Put 2 tablespoons in it. cream, beat with a mixer. When the mass becomes homogeneous, add the same amount of cream, beat. Do this until the custard runs out.
Cut the edges of the cakes evenly, layer them with cream, spread them on the top and sides of the Napoleon cake, Sprinkle them with crumbs from the scraps. Put the sweetness in the refrigerator for 2 hours, after which the delicious dessert is ready.
