Classic Napoleon Cake

Classic Napoleon cake is eight thin, flaky layers generously coated with a delicate custard cream made with milk. The dough is made with cold butter and a splash of vodka, so the layers turn out crisp and flaky, and after a night in the fridge the cake soaks through beautifully. I recommend assembling it the evening before - buon appetito!

Classic Napoleon Cake

Homemade Napoleon cake made of eight thin flaky layers with classic milk custard cream.

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Prep Time 50 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Chilling the dough 2 hours hrs

Total Time 3 hours hrs 50 minutes mins

Servings: 12 servings

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

Layers

• 400 g flour
• 250 g butter or margarine cold
• 120 ml water warm
• 1 pinch salt
• 0.5 tsp vodka

Cream

• 1 l milk
• 1.5-2 cup sugar
• 5 tbsp flour
• 2 eggs
• 100 g butter
• vanillin

Method

 

1. Sift the flour with salt into a mound, grate in the cold butter, and rub together with your hands into crumbs.
2. Pour the warm water with vodka into the flour mixture and knead the dough. Shape it into a log, cut into 8 pieces, roll into balls and chill in the fridge for a couple of hours.
3. Roll out each ball very thin right on parchment paper, trim to shape, and keep the trimmings on the baking sheet for crumbs. Prick the layers with a fork.
4. Bake the layers at 200-220°C for 7-10 minutes, watching your oven. Let the finished layers cool completely.
5. For the cream, pour a liter of milk into a saucepan and set over heat. In a bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs, flour and vanillin until smooth, add a little warm milk and stir.
6. Pour the mixture back into the milk in a thin stream and simmer over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened with the first bubbles.
7. Immediately transfer the finished cream to another container, add the butter, mix, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface and cool.
8. Generously spread cream over the layers, stacking them one on top of another without pressing down. Coat the sides with crumbs.
   
9. Assemble the cake in the pan, wrap in foil and leave overnight to soak through. Decorate as desired before serving.
   

Tips

• Roll out the layers right on parchment paper - it's much easier to move them to the baking sheet without tearing.
• Bake the trimmings along with the layers - they'll turn into crumbs for coating the cake.
• Watch your oven for baking time: the layers should only lightly brown.
• It's handy to leave the assembled cake right in the pan, wrapped in foil - overnight it will soak through evenly.