Napoleon Cake with Cream

⏳ Time

2 hours 30 minutes

🥕 Ingredients

🍽️ Servings

Description

This is an old recipe, with the main unit of measurement being a cup. I use 200 ml, and it all works out. I mix the icing into the butter with a tablespoon, but I've heard that my grandmother used a teaspoon. I understand 'whip' as 'stir with a spoon', and it's important to use high-quality butter; I usually choose imported brands like Valio, Thousand Lakes, or President — in general, only 82%. If you slightly overbake the layers and they turn brown, it's not a problem; the cream is very sweet, and it will still taste good.

Ingredients

Butter - 15.9 oz
Whole egg - 2 pieces
Wheat Flour - 3 cups
Milk - 2 cups
Sour Cream - 1 can
Sugar - 2 cups
Vanillin - to taste

Step by Step guide

Step 1

Prepare the cream. It's better to take the butter for the cream (250 g) out of the refrigerator in advance so that it softens, but the part that will go into the dough (200 g) should be cold.

Step 2

Thoroughly rub half a cup of sugar and 1 tablespoon of flour with the yolks, pour in half a cup of milk, and stir until the mixture becomes somewhat homogeneous. Add vanillin (you can use vanilla sugar or essence — whichever you prefer).

Step 3

Pour the remaining 1.5 cups of milk into a pot, place it over low heat, and while stirring, add 1.5 cups of sugar. Without waiting for the milk to boil, carefully pour in the result of the previous step. As soon as the first bubbles appear, remove from heat and place in a cool place to cool. The so-called icing is ready.

Step 4

Place 250 grams of butter in a large bowl and mash it with a spoon. Gradually mix in the cooled icing, one spoonful at a time. Whip a little with a spoon — and the cream is ready.

Step 5

Now let's move on to the dough (you can make the dough in the interval between steps 3 and 4 while the icing cools). Mix the flour with the remaining butter (200 g) and sour cream, and chop well with a knife. Divide the resulting uneven mass into 6 parts, shape them into balls, and wrap in plastic wrap in the refrigerator.

Step 6

Preheat the oven to 302°F. Take one ball of dough at a time and roll it out, sprinkling with flour to prevent sticking to the surface and rolling pin. Use a form (or do it by eye) to cut out a circle from the rolled-out dough and place it on a greased baking sheet along with the scraps from the circle — they will be used for crumbs on top. Place the baking sheet in the oven for 10–20 minutes; the dough should turn golden but not brown. Repeat this process 5 times.

Step 7

Stack the finished layers on top of each other, generously spreading cream between them. Cover the top layer with cream as well, and sprinkle the 'scraps' on top. It's ready. Now it's best to refrigerate the cake for a few hours — and you can enjoy one of the most delicious, if not the healthiest, desserts in the world.