Napoleon Cake
Description
Homemade baked goods for tea. Friends, I’m sharing this recipe with you. What I want to point out: do not replace the margarine in the dough with butter. Use a good butter margarine. Be patient and let’s get started. Nothing is complicated; you only need 2–3 hours of free time and a good mood! I’m telling you, the bake is ready. Serve at the table.
Instructions
- 1
Step 1
Prepare all necessary ingredients. The margarine for the dough should be chilled from the refrigerator. The butter for the cream should be at room temperature.
- 2
Step 2
Start by preparing the dough. Cut the margarine into pieces and place it in a convenient metal bowl together with the flour. Cut the flour and margarine with a knife. Do not touch the dough with your hands at all, only at the end of the preparation, when you need to gather it into a ball.
- 3
Step 3
Add an egg to the dough and continue chopping. Neutralize the baking soda with vinegar and add it to the mixture. Chop a little.
- 4
Step 4
Prepare the water. Add it to the dough in small portions and rub in. The water may be from half a cup and more. Base it on the dough’s consistency. Add more and rub in.
- 5
Step 5
You should get a mass like this. Gather it into a ball with your hands, but do not knead it under any circumstances.
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Step 6
Divide the ball into 6 equal parts and place it in the refrigerator for 30–40 minutes.
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Step 7
While the dough is cooling, start preparing the cream. In a saucepan, add 2 cups of sugar and 3 tbsp of flour.
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Step 8
Mix and add the egg. But you can also make the cream without the egg, if desired.
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Step 9
In a separate container, heat the milk until hot and gradually pour it into the sugar mixture, stirring constantly to avoid lumps.
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Step 10
Place it over low heat and constantly stir so the cream doesn’t burn, cook until it thickens. In consistency it should turn out like low‑fat sour cream. It will take 15–20 minutes. Then remove from heat and set aside to cool.
- 11
Step 11
While the cream cools, let's continue working with the dough. If you want a tall cake with 11–12 layers, level them on a flat plate with a 19 cm diameter. If you prefer a wide cake with 7–8 layers, level them on a plate with a 25 cm diameter. I chose the first option. Keep the surface on which you roll out the dough and the rolling pin constantly dusted with flour. Take one ball of dough (the rest can stay in the refrigerator for now), roll it out thin, about 2 mm thick, and cut out a layer with a knife using the plate as a guide.
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Step 12
The dough scrap that resulted from cutting with a plate, combine it with the next scrap and roll it out again to get a new crust. Continue this way until the dough runs out. Place the finished crusts (or a crust, if large) on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake until golden in a preheated 200 °C oven for 7–8 minutes.
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Step 13
A small cake baked from leftovers or a whole one will be used to decorate the cake, crumbling it into pieces. Cool the finished cakes.
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Step 14
In the meantime, the custard part of the cream has cooled, let's continue the preparation. Beat room‑temperature butter with 1 cup of sugar in a mixer for about 15–20 minutes. Until the sugar is completely dissolved.
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Step 15
Then add the cooled custard mixture, one tablespoon at a time, and continue beating.
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Step 16
It should turn out a silky, homogeneous cream.
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Step 17
Generously spread the layers with cream, stacking them on top of each other.
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Step 18
Break one layer and decorate the top and sides of the cake. Also add chopped walnuts. Place the finished cake in the refrigerator for 10–12 hours or longer. I first place the cake on a flat glass board, and after it has set in the refrigerator, I transfer it to a cake stand.
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Step 19
Family “Napoleon” is ready!
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Step 20
All together as a family!