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Napoleon cake
Tort Napoleon (торт Наполеон): many thin pastry layers stacked with vanilla custard cream
Legend links this cake to 1912, the centenary of Napoleon's retreat from Moscow, when St Petersburg confectioners cut triangular pastries shaped like his hat. By Soviet times it had grown into the tall round cake every family baked for birthdays and New Year's Eve. Eight wafer-thin rounds of quick flaky pastry are stacked with vanilla custard enriched with butter, then left overnight so the layers soften into something between a mille-feuille and a tender sponge; crushed trimmings give the snowy finish. Where most people go wrong is serving it the same day; without the long rest in the fridge it is crisp and dry instead of melting. Chef's tip: roll each piece of pastry straight onto baking paper and trim it around a 24 cm plate before baking, so you never have to lift thin raw dough.
- Total time
- 240 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 16 oz plain flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 9 oz unsalted buttervery cold
- 1 egg
- ½ cup ice-cold water
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
For the custard cream
- 4 ¼ cups whole milk
- 3 eggs
- 9 oz caster sugar
- 2 ⅛ oz plain flour
- 1 oz cornflour
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 5 ½ oz unsalted buttersoftened
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Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Mix the 16 oz plain flour and ½ tsp salt in a bowl and grate in the cold 9 oz unsalted butter. Rub together quickly until you have rough crumbs with a few flakes of butter left.
8 minStep 2: Beat the 1 egg with the ½ cup ice-cold water and 1 tbsp white wine vinegar, stir it in with a fork and press the dough together without kneading. Divide into 8 balls, wrap and chill for 1 hour.
65 minStep 3: For the custard, heat the 4 ¼ cups whole milk until steaming. In a bowl whisk the 3 eggs, 9 oz caster sugar, 2 ⅛ oz plain flour and 1 oz cornflour until smooth.
8 minStep 4: Whisk the hot milk gradually into the egg mixture, pour it back into the pan and cook over a medium heat, whisking, for 6–8 minutes, until thick and bubbling for a full minute.
8 minStep 5: Stir in the 2 tsp vanilla extract, press cling film onto the surface and cool completely, about 1 hour.
60 minStep 6: Heat the oven to 400°F (350°F fan). Roll each ball on baking paper to 2 mm thick, trim to a 24 cm circle around a plate (keep the trimmings) and prick all over. Bake one at a time for 6–8 minutes, until pale golden and blistered. Bake the trimmings too.
60 minStep 7: Beat the 5 ½ oz unsalted butter for 3 minutes until fluffy, then beat in the cold custard a spoonful at a time until silky.
6 minStep 8: Stack the pastry rounds on a plate, spreading a thin layer of cream on each and pressing gently. Cover the top and sides with the rest of the cream.
15 minStep 9: Crush the trimmings and press them over the top and sides. Chill for at least 8 hours, or overnight, until soft enough to cut cleanly.
10 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 55 g
- Fat
- 30 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does napoleon cake take?
- About 240 minutes in total: 180 minutes to prepare and 60 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of unsalted butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
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