Napoleon cake

Looking for more delicious cake recipes? Look no further! Try this decadent Tiramisu cake, this quiche and easy Castella cake, or this creamy and rich Matcha cake.

Ingredients You Will Need

For the Cake Layers

All-purpose flour: The base of the pastry dough. Keep everything cold when working with it for the flakiest result.

Unsalted butter: Very cold butter is the key to a flaky pastry. Grating it directly into the flour keeps the pieces small and evenly distributed without warming up the dough.

Egg: Adds richness and helps bind the dough together. Use it cold straight from the fridge.

Ice-cold water: Brings the dough together without developing too much gluten, which keeps the pastry tender and flaky rather than tough.

Apple cider vinegar: A small amount of acid relaxes the gluten in the dough, making it easier to roll out thin and giving the baked layers a more tender, delicate texture.

Salt and sugar: Season the dough and add a subtle sweetness to the pastry layers.

For the Cream

Egg yolks: The base of the pastry cream. They give it a rich, golden color and a luxurious, custardy flavor.

Granulated sugar: Sweetens the cream and helps it thicken properly as it cooks.

Cornstarch: Thickens the pastry cream to a smooth, stable consistency that holds its shape between the layers.

Whole milk: Gives the pastry cream its body and creamy texture. Use whole milk for the richest result.

Unsalted butter: Stirred in at the end while the cream is still hot, it adds richness and gives the cream a beautiful, glossy finish.

Vanilla extract: Adds a warm, classic flavor that runs through every layer of the finished cake.

Heavy whipping cream: Whipped and folded into the cooled pastry cream to lighten it and give it a softer, more mousse-like texture.

Powdered sugar: Sweetens the whipped cream and helps stabilize it.

Keep everything cold when making the pastry. This is the most important rule for flaky pastry. Cold butter, cold egg, ice-cold water - the moment the butter starts to warm up and melt into the flour, you lose the flakiness. Work quickly and don't hesitate to pop the dough back in the fridge if it starts to feel soft.

Grate the butter. Rather than cutting cold butter into the flour with a knife, grating it on the large holes of a box grater gives you perfectly even, small pieces that distribute throughout the flour quickly and with minimal handling. It's a game changer for pastry dough.

Don't knead the dough. Just press it together until it forms a ball. Kneading develops gluten, which makes pastry tough rather than flaky. The less you work it, the better.

Roll the dough directly on parchment paper. This makes it much easier to transfer to the baking sheet without the fragile dough tearing, and it means one less thing to wash up.

The layers shrink during baking. Roll each ball out to a 9½-10 inch (24-25 cm) circle - it will shrink down to about 7 inches (18 cm) in the oven. Cut out the neat disk after baking, not before.

Don't rush the pastry cream. Whisk it constantly over medium heat and don't walk away from the stove. Once it starts to thicken it can go from perfect to lumpy very quickly. The moment it reaches a pudding-like consistency, lower the heat and cook for a further 1-2 minutes to make sure the cornstarch flavor is fully cooked out.

Press the plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the cream. This prevents a skin from forming on top as it cools. A skin can create lumps in the finished cream that are difficult to whisk out.

The overnight rest is non-negotiable. Napoleon cake needs time in the fridge for the pastry cream to slowly soften the layers. Six hours is the minimum, but overnight is always better. The texture on day two is significantly better than the day it's assembled.

Make the pastry cream: Cook the sugar, cornstarch, salt, egg yolks, vanilla, and milk together over medium heat until thickened. Stir in the butter, cover with plastic wrap directly on the surface, and chill until cold.

Make the dough: Combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Grate in the cold butter and work into a coarse meal. Add the egg, water, and vinegar mixture and bring the dough together without kneading. Shape into a log, divide into 9 pieces, roll into balls, and freeze until cold but pliable.

Bake the layers: Roll each ball into a 9½-10 inch (24-25 cm) circle on parchment paper, prick all over with a fork, and bake at 200C (400F) for 10-12 minutes until golden. Cut out a 7-inch (18 cm) disk from each layer after baking and save the trimmings.

Finish the cream: Whip the cold pastry cream until smooth, then fold in the whipped heavy cream.

Assemble: Stack the layers with approximately ⅓ cup (85g) of cream between each one. Crumb coat the outside, blitz the trimmings into crumbs in a food processor, and coat the top and sides. Refrigerate for a minimum of 6 hours or overnight before serving.

Yes, if you're short on time, store-bought puff pastry is a perfectly good shortcut. The only thing to keep in mind with this method is that you will have a rectangular cake rather than a round one. However, it can still be decorated beautifully.

I recommend using something like Trader Joe's puff pastry because of the ingredient list, sheet size, and weight, though you can use any brand you prefer. You will need two packages, which gives you four sheets of puff pastry. Take one sheet and unroll it onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving the remaining sheets in the refrigerator. Roll it out slightly using a rolling pin. Then, cut the sheet in half and space the halves at least an inch apart. Do not prick them with a fork, as you want them to puff up as much as possible. Bake according to the package instructions. Once done, remove from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack. Meanwhile, bake the next sheet.

When all the sheets are baked and have cooled to room temperature, split each one into two or three layers. Take one of the layers, preferably the crispiest, and pulse it in a food processor to make crumbs for decorating the cake.

After that, you can prepare the cream and assemble this delicious yet very easy Napoleon cake.