Napoleon cake made from ready-made puff pastry - the simplest recipes for a delicious dessert. Napoleon layer cake made from store-bought dough Recipe for a cake with puff pastry

02.02.2024

Not every housewife can boast of the ability to bake a delicious Napoleon cake. To prepare homemade puff pastry, you need to have special skills and follow the recipe exactly. Modern sweet tooths are lucky, since their favorite cake can be prepared from dough prepared by professional confectioners. Accordingly, the risk of failure is minimal. The housewife only needs to roll out the dough and prepare the custard herself.

Cake recipe made from store-bought puff pastry

Ingredients for cooking:

1 package of puff pastry without yeast (1 kg);
100 g chopped walnuts for decoration.

a) If you decide to cook it yourself:

4 eggs;
liter carton of milk;
2 cups sugar;
3 spoons of flour.

b) Using dry concentrate:

3 packs of custard;
1 liter of milk.

Sequence of cake preparation

Frozen dough must be gradually heated. In the warm season, the mass is defrosted on the way from the store. If this does not happen, transfer the dough from the freezer to the refrigerator overnight. An hour before cooking, expose to air.
Remove the packaging and divide the strip into 8 equal parts.
Each strip must be divided in half to make 16 cakes.
The shortbread should be rolled out as thin as possible. The shape must be selected to match the size of the baking sheets. When forming the cakes, the table and rolling pin are thoroughly sprinkled with flour.
Place parchment paper on the baking container, lay out the crust and sprinkle with flour. Before baking, the layers must be pierced with a fork to make the cakes airy.
Place the baking sheet in the oven, preheated to 200 degrees. The cakes are baked for 5-12 minutes.
Once the cakes have acquired a golden color, remove them from the oven. All 16 servings are prepared in this way.

Preparation of cream:

A) On your own:

Beat eggs with sugar in a blender to prepare a homogeneous mass.
The milk is heated over low heat. A mixture of eggs and sugar is gradually added to it.
To prevent the cream from burning and to ensure that the mixture is homogeneous during cooking, the mixture must be stirred.
Flour is gradually added to the cream after the egg-sugar mass.
After boiling, the cream should be removed from the stove and cooled.

B) From the finished concentrate:

Each custard package describes the preparation method in detail.

Pour the composition of the sachet into cold milk and bring to a boil over low heat. In order to prevent the appearance of lumps, the ingredients can be blended with a blender before brewing. As a rule, 1 sachet of dry cream is designed for 250-300 ml of milk.
The resulting mass is generously applied to the cooled cakes.

For Napoleon puff with custard, leave 1 cake layer for decoration. It is pre-crushed and mixed with nuts.

The cake is served on the table a few hours later. The cakes should be thoroughly soaked in cream.

Napoleon layer cake first appeared in the late 19th century. French confectioners originally prepared it in the form of a cake decorated with custard, whipped cream and strawberries. Modern masters add new ingredients to an old recipe. Now, you can try the cake with butter cream or condensed milk. At home, Napoleon cake is most often prepared from ready-made puff pastry with custard or according to old grandmother's recipes.

Cut the dough using sharp movements with a sharp knife. Otherwise, the cakes will not be thin and crispy;
Do not allow the dough to re-freeze;
The cakes must be baked on baking paper without fat;
It is strictly forbidden to put the dough in a cold oven;
To soak the cake faster, you can place a cutting board on top. At the same time, you should not press so as not to deform or squeeze out the cream;
Smart housewives prepare the cakes the day before making the cake. This is very convenient on holidays when you need to prepare a large number of dishes.

Often, homemade Napoleon differs from the one purchased in a candy store by the lack of crunch and too thick cake layers. In order for the cake to turn out perfect, and for the guests to ask for the recipe, you must follow all the recommendations and start cooking in a good mood.

Napoleon cake

You can easily make Napoleon cake from ready-made puff pastry using this recipe. Napoleon made from puff pastry is quick and easy, every piece

1 hour 15 minutes

380 kcal

4.75/5 (53)

Kitchen appliances and utensils: oven, mixer, knife, spoon, fork, pan, deep bowl, glass, whisk.

According to the traditions of my family, I always bake for the holidays. So, on the eve of my birthday, I discovered this quick, delicious, tender cake“Napoleon” made from store-bought puff pastry according to a recipe from my godfather, whose baking is quick and easy, each piece simply melts in your mouth, and the aftertaste remains light and tender.

I have always been interested in the question why this cake is called “Napoleon”. It turns out that there are many versions of the origin of the name and legends about the country in which this layer cake was invented.

For example, in Italy and France it is called millefeuille. Is there also a version that to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Napoleon’s expulsion from Russia, a new dessert was made - a puff pastry with cream, baked in the shape of a triangle? which was associated with the famous Napoleon hat. Hungary has its own “Napoleon”, pieces of which are served cut into fairly large squares.

Required Products

For cream:

Ingredients for the crust:

How to choose the right ingredients

Napoleon cake can be prepared from ready-made frozen puff pastry yeast-free dough, as well as from ready-made puff pastry dough, bought at the nearest supermarket - there is no significant difference, since each layer of the cake is smeared with cream. The difference between these types of dough is that the non-yeast dough is drier, and the yeast dough is more tender and rises better; I prefer to use the yeast dough at home. You can make it from unleavened food, or from rich food - as much as your body allows. Using ready-made puff pastry allows us to bake a rather “lazy” but very tasty cake! The recipe is simple, this “Napoleon” is made very quickly.

So, make your own Napoleon cake with store-bought puff pastry: a step-by-step recipe with photos.

Napoleon from ready-made puff pastry - step by step

Stage 1 test preparation

Packaging of ready-made puff pastry, rectangular in shape (2 packages of 500 g or 1 package of 1 kg).

Stage 2 preparation of cream

Milk – 1 l.
Eggs – 3 pcs. (or 2 large pieces).
Flour – 3 tablespoons.
Butter – 40 g.

Sugar – 1 cup or to taste.
Cream (fat) – 300 ml.
Vanilla sugar – 1 sachet.

Please note that if you want to get a more even cake, do it as follows:

We coat 6 cake layers, put 7 cake layers on top without cream.
Place a dry, clean cutting board on top of it and place a weight (a jar of water) for 10 minutes. The cake will take on a more even appearance.
Afterwards, grease the top cake with cream and sprinkle with crumbs.

Puff pastry cake Napoleon is ready! You can eat it right away - then it will be crispier. Or you can leave it to soak, it will become soft and melt in your mouth!

The choice is yours. Bon appetit!!!

How to make a Napoleon cake from puff pastry truly festive and original? Show your imagination and decorate the cakes with chocolate chips, fresh berries, sliced fruits, nuts, almonds, caramel decorations, etc.

Video of making Napoleon cake

Below is a video from the king of desserts, Alexander Seleznev, where he tells how to quickly prepare the dough for the Napoleon cake yourself, and demonstrates a master class on caramel decor. Words cannot describe it - watch and enjoy!

Making this Napoleon cake from puff pastry without yeast is much faster and easier than the classic version of the recipe. Since the dough is completely ready, there is no need to knead it or roll it out for a long time. I make Napoleon with a delicious custard made with milk. If desired, the cream can be replaced with the one you like best.

Not everyone and not always have a lot of free time to prepare a cake for the holiday. Therefore, in my opinion, any housewife should have such quick recipes. And even the simplest and most well-known cake can be varied, for example, by adding sliced bananas to it, which will only make it tastier. A Napoleon cake recipe made from ready-made puff pastry will not leave you indifferent, and even a beginner can cope with the preparation. Try this dessert and you will be pleased.

Ingredients:

Puff pastry without yeast – 1500 g
Milk – 500 ml
Flour – 1.5 tbsp
Sugar – 0.5 tbsp.
Chicken egg – 1 pc.
Butter – 100 g

Number of servings: 12

European cuisine

Cake baking time: 15 minutes

Cooking method: in the oven

Calorie content: 336 kcal per 100 g

How to make Napoleon from ready-made puff pastry

Making a Napoleon cake from ready-made puff pastry is as easy as shelling pears, and the good news is that you don’t have to waste time kneading the dough. I take puff pastry without yeast, there are 4 sheets in a pack, for the cake I need 6 sheets, that is, 1.5 packs. I immediately take it out of the package and leave it to defrost.

Sprinkle the work surface with flour, place the dough on it and roll it out a little. Next, I put a plate on it and cut out a circle with a knife.

Place a sheet of parchment on a baking sheet and carefully place the cut out circles on top. We also put the pieces that are left from the circle to bake, they will come in handy. Then I make cuts on all the cakes so that they do not swell and bake well.

I bake them in the oven at 200 degrees for 15-20 minutes, depending on your oven and the thickness of the rolled out cakes.

I bake all 6 cakes in the same way. You don’t have to make the cake round, you can make it rectangular, it will be larger and you won’t have to cut so much.

I break the baked scraps into small pieces or chop them using a blender, which will only speed up the process.

Now I'm preparing custard for the cake. It's quite simple to prepare. I first take the butter out of the refrigerator so that it melts. Pour sugar, flour into a saucepan with a thick bottom and beat in the egg.

Mix the added ingredients well to obtain a homogeneous mixture.

Then I begin to pour in the milk a little at a time, stirring all the time.

When the mixture is mixed, put it on medium heat.

As soon as the cream boils, remove it from the heat and leave to cool. If you like a very well-soaked cake, then feel free to make a double portion of cream.

The longer the cream cools, the thicker it becomes. To make it cool faster, I put it in cold water. In principle, you can leave the cream like this and not add anything else to it, but since I want to show you a classic recipe, I need to finish it a little more.

In a bowl with already melted butter, add the cooled cream a couple of tablespoons and mix.

Thus, I got a delicious custard for Napoleon from ready-made puff pastry. If you take not butter, but a vegetable-cream mixture, you will get a cream with the same small flakes as mine. This doesn’t affect the taste in any way, but it certainly doesn’t look ideal.

After this, I begin to form the dessert. I put the bottom cake on a tray or dish, coat it with cream, then the skin again, and so on until the end.

Puff pastry napoleon with custard is almost ready. Now I take the shredded scraps and sprinkle them on the top and sides of the cake.

And finally, I put the napoleon made of puff pastry without yeast in the refrigerator so that it soaks. This will take 12 hours. You can make dough from this dough, the preparation of which will take you a minimum of time. Bon appetit!

Every housewife who prefers homemade cakes and homemade pastries has her own secret for making puff pastry. Like any other dough, puff pastry has its own subtleties and nuances when kneading. There are three main cooking methods, which I would call: fast, simple and classic. How to make puff pastry at home using each of the selected cooking methods will be discussed here.

Whatever recipe you choose, you will need: 250 grams of butter, 3 cups of flour, a pinch of salt, 2/3 cup of water, 1 tablespoon of vinegar.

A quick way to make puff pastry or in a hurry.

The water is cooled in the freezer, the butter is melted until liquid, then everything is combined, salt and vinegar are added.

Roll out thin cakes (2-3 mm), place them on a baking sheet, pricking them lightly with a fork.

An easy way to make puff pastry.

The water is cooled, the oil is grated on a coarse grater, all the ingredients are combined, and the dough is kneaded.

Divide into 6-12 parts (depending on the size of the baked cakes), place in the refrigerator for an hour.

Then, roll out the cakes, the thickness of which should be 2-3 mm, place them on a baking sheet, lightly pricking them with a fork.

Puff pastry is a classic way to prepare it.

The butter is softened at room temperature and divided into 3 parts.

Knead the dough from flour, water, salt and vinegar.

On a table sprinkled with flour, roll out the cake and grease it with one piece of butter (like a sandwich). Fold it in an envelope or roll it into a tube and put it in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.

Then, roll out the cake again and grease it with butter. Repeat this for each piece of butter.

Cut the required piece from the finished dough and roll out the cakes to 2-3 mm thick, place them on a baking sheet, pricking them lightly with a fork.

In all three cases, bake at 180°C (with convection) or 200°C (in standard mode) for up to 15 minutes.

ADVIСE:

If you want to get more pronounced layers when baking, roll the dough in one direction only.

It's good to let the dough sit before baking. It would be ideal if you knead it in the evening and bake it in the morning.

Typically, cakes are baked on two baking sheets at the same time. This will significantly speed up the cooking process.

When the dough is ready, it's time to start making the cream. The most common cream for Napoleon is custard.

In the classic version, 4 pieces are taken per 1 liter of milk. egg yolks, 400 g sugar, 150 g flour, vanilla/cognac as desired.

Preparation begins by boiling the milk.

Combine the remaining ingredients and stir until the mixture is smooth. Then carefully pour in the milk, stirring well and put on the fire.

Cook the cream, stirring thoroughly. When it reaches the state of sour cream, set aside to cool.

Remember that refrigerated custard will thicken even more.

We grease our puff pastries with cream and decorate the cake with scraps. ready to eat, but it’s better to let it brew for about twelve hours. He will become much more tender. But this is a matter of taste.

Often the portion of cream is increased by 1.5-2 times. In this case, the cake turns out wetter.

OK it's all over Now. We master the cooking method you like, try everything and choose the best one for yourself, and make sure that Napoleon cake is very easy to prepare at home. The mastered puff pastry recipe can be used for various types of baked goods: snacks, croissants, puff pastries, both sweet and savory.

Few people have not heard about the famous Napoleon cake and have not tried it at least once. The beloved taste of this delicacy is known in every family, because it is an integral part of almost any celebration. Unfortunately, preparing the classic version takes a lot of time, so not every modern housewife will dare to create this confectionery miracle on her own. But there is a worthy alternative - a recipe for Napoleon cake made from puff pastry. This product can be purchased at almost any grocery store. It will become the basis for a sweet dish that can be made simply and quickly. But, if you don’t like store-bought products, then there is a recipe for your favorite cake made from homemade dough.

Let's look at step by step and with photos how to make Napoleon cake from puff pastry at home.

Cake Napoleon from ready-made puff pastry without yeast

A simple and quick recipe that won’t take much time, and the dish is in no way inferior in taste to the classic version.

For cooking you will need:

Ready dough (puff pastry without yeast, rolled into a roll) – 2 packs of half a kilo;
Condensed milk - one jar;
A pack of softened butter of good quality (82.5%);
Cold fat 33% cream – 250 ml.

The cooking scheme is as follows:

Defrost the dough, then carefully unroll the roll and cut it into equal parts. The best option is four squares. They will be thin, which will allow the dessert to be better soaked and it will turn out more tasty;
You can make a square shaped cake. But if you want a round one, then you need to select a plate of a suitable diameter and carefully roll out each layer, giving it a size slightly larger than that of the selected plate, before lightly greasing the rolling pin and the working surface with vegetable oil;
From the resulting blank, cut out a circle along the diameter of the plate and make punctures with a fork along its entire surface. We do not throw away the trimmings, but put them aside, covering them with any container;
We cover a baking sheet with baking paper and place our dough circle on it, then put it in the oven, heated to 200 degrees. The baking process continues for 15 minutes until a light golden hue is achieved. Similarly, you need to bake the remaining cakes and the remaining trimmings. Don’t be alarmed if the shortcakes turn out too fluffy; after soaking, they will take on the required shape;
Now the cream. Combine condensed milk with butter and mix evenly (but do not beat) with a mixer at low speed;
In a separate container, beat the cream until thick so that it does not fall out if the container is turned over. But you don’t need to beat it until it reaches the consistency of butter. Then we transfer them to the mass from the previous step and gently knead with a spatula until smooth;
Let's assemble our masterpiece. Shortbreads, generously coated with cream, are laid out on top of each other. Don't forget about the top and sides;
Decorate the delicacy with chopped shortbread scraps;
Place the Napoleon cake from the prepared puff pastry in the refrigerator for 12 hours to soak. It is better to cover it, for example, with a saucepan, so that it does not absorb foreign odors.

It is best to cut the prepared dish with a large serrated bread knife. Of course, it turns out less soaked than in the classic version, but it is much easier and faster to prepare.