This delicacy rightfully occupies one of the first places among desserts. The classic cake recipe cannot be called simple because of the main component - puff pastry, the preparation of which takes time and skill. However, this should not stop the hostess. There is a simple recipe for making Napoleon cake from ready-made puff pastry, which is freely sold in grocery supermarkets.
Ingredients
To prepare "Napoleon" you will need:
- yeast-free puff pastry - 2-3 packs of 500 g each;
- wheat flour - 4-5 tbsp. spoons;
- milk 3, 2% - ¾ liters;
- granulated sugar - 250 g;
- butter (can be replaced with margarine) - 400 g;
- chicken eggs - 3 pcs.;
- vanilla sugar - 1 sachet;
- refined vegetable oil (for lubricating the rolling pin and table) - 1 tbsp.
Cooking cakes
Defrost the dough slightly, place each roll on a table sprinkled with flour or oiled vegetable oil, and cut it into three equal squares. If you want a round cake, use a large plate with a diameter of 22-26 cm. Roll each square to just over the diameter of the plate and cut out a circle. Lubricate the rolling pin with vegetable oil. In total, you should get 6-9 cakes. The thinner the layers of dough are, the better they will be further saturated with cream.
Do not remove the dough scraps. They will also need to be baked in the oven. They are useful for sprinkling the finished cake. Chop each crust frequently with a fork so that the dough does not swell when baking.
Preheat oven to 180-200 degrees. Grease a baking sheet with oil or cover with parchment. Bake each circle separately for 10-15 minutes. In the last batch, send the dough trimmings to the oven, carefully placing them on a baking sheet. The baking time will depend on the thickness of the crust. If the dough is rolled out very thinly, then the cake will be ready in 4-5 minutes.
Custard for Napoleon cake
To make a delicious custard, take an enamel saucepan, pour milk into it and put it on low heat. Pour a glass of sugar into it. Stir the mixture continuously until all the sugar is dissolved. No need to bring to a boil.
In another container, beat eggs with flour, add 4-5 tablespoons of milk, beat thoroughly again so that the mixture is elastic, unique without lumps.
Then pour the mixture of eggs and flour into the milk with sugar and put the pan on the stove again. Bring to a boil over low heat, stirring constantly. As soon as your cream starts to boil, remove it from the heat.
Soften the butter and beat with vanilla, add to the cooled cream, without ceasing to beat. You should get a mass that resembles thick sour cream in consistency. If you use 1 pack of oil (180-200 g), then the cream will turn out to be more liquid, but less high in calories.
Spread all the cakes generously with cream and stack on top of each other. Also coat the formed cake with cream. Put the baked dough scraps in a deep plate and grind them into crumbs with a mortar and sprinkle them over the whole cake - on top and sides.
Cover the finished cake with a box or saucepan and put in the cold for 12 hours to soak in the cream. Then it can be served.
