The Best Napoleon Cake
Napoleon Cake (Napoleon Tort) is an absolute classic! Popular across the Eastern and Central Europe, this cake is a French-Russian fusion that is simply divine! Made with flaky pastry made with butter and creme fraiche, and layered with rich and creamy creme mousseline, my version of Napoleon Cake also features a couple of layers of tart blackcurrant jam to cut through the sweetness! Not at all difficult to make, and oh-so-good!
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Pastry:
- 200 g plain flour
- 125 g unsalted butter fridge cold
- 100 g creme fraiche
- 1 small egg
- a pinch of salt
For Creme Mousseline:
- 250 ml milk
- 110 g caster sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon cornflour (6g)
- 1 teaspoon plain flour (6g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste
- 100 g unsalted butter softened
Extras:
- 2 tablespoon blackcurrant or cranberry jam
Instructions
- Place the plain flour and a pinch of salt onto a large chopping board or granite kitchen surface (something you can cut on). Coarsely grate the fridge cold butter onto the flour. Keep dipping the butter into flour to help it not stick to the grater.
- Using a long-bladed knife chop and slice the butter and flour mixture in various directions until you have a mixture resembling course breadcrumbs.
- Lightly whisk a small egg in a bowl. Make a well in the middle of your buttery flour mixture. Add almost all of the egg and 100g of creme fraiche. Using a knife, chop and slice the mixture to incorporate the wet ingredients into the flour. You may need to add the remaining egg if your mixture is very dry.
- Bring the mixture into a ball and knead just enough to bring it together. Then roll into a log. Cut the log into 8 rounds. Wrap them separately in cling film and place in the fridge for 2 hours.
- In the meantime, make creme mousseline. In a small bowl, whisk the caster sugar, plain flour, cornflower, an egg and vanilla paste into a paste. Heat the milk until it just reaches boiling point. Keeping the milk on low heat, slowly add the egg and sugar mixture into the milk, whisking vigorously at all times to prevent the egg from scrambling.
- Once incorporated, increase the heat to medium and stirring continuously, cook for another 5 minutes until the mixture has thickened and covers the back of the spoon. Take it off the heat and leave to cool completely.
- Using an electric mixer, beat the butter until light and fluffy. A tablespoon at a time, keep adding the cooled custard into the butter and keep beating until all the custard is incorporated. Set aside for later (but don't refrigerate at this point).
- Preheat the oven to 200°C Fan. Once your pastry has chilled for at least 2 hours, roll each of the rounds into thin (1-2mm thick) sheets on a floured surface. Using a plate or another round object (we used a 7in plate) cut even rounds of the pastry and move the offcuts. Place the rounds on the baking parchment-lined trays put in the oven for 9-11 minutes until the pastry is crisp and just starting to brown. Bake the offcuts too (we'll use those to decorate the cake).
- Once all the pastry rounds and offcuts are baked, leave them to cool completely.
- To assemble the cake, place a pastry round smooth side down. Spread a generous tablespoon or a bit more of creme mousseline on top of the pastry round going straigh to the edges. Place another round of pastry on top and press down lightly. Keep on layering, but on two of the layers, skip the creme mousseline and spread a tablespoon of blackcurrant jam instead. I did that on my 2nd and 6th pastry sheets. Finish with a pastry round with the smooth side facing up.
- Cover the top and the sides with the remaining creme mousseline. Using your hands crush the offcuts into crumbs. Press them onto the top and the sides of your Napoleon Cake. You can decorate the cake with chocolate or fruit, but traditionally Torte Napoleon has very minimalist look.
- Chill the cake in the fridge for at least 12 hours before serving!
Nutrition
Calories: 381kcalCarbohydrates: 36gProtein: 5gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 103mgSodium: 33mgPotassium: 108mgFiber: 1gSugar: 16gVitamin A: 832IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 58mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!