Cake Napoleon - general principles and methods of preparation
Cake "Napoleon" is a truly royal treat! It is not in vain that he bears the "name" of the commander who left an unforgettable imprint in history. At the mention of him, one involuntarily returns to childhood, recalls warm evenings at the family table, grandiose holidays arranged in our honor and, of course, gentle mother's hands, without which there would be nothing of this.
But, despite the French name, directly indicating the famous conqueror, the Napoleon cake has nothing to do with it. According to one version, the dessert "found itself" in the second half of the 19th century, and the name was given to it by Russian chefs because of its unusual shape, similar to the hat of the French emperor. According to the scriptures, initially “Napoleon” was not even a cake, but a large cake in the form of a triangular headdress of Bonaparte. There are other versions of the origin of the name of the dessert, but we will not focus on them.
So what is this "Napoleon"? According to culinary terminology, “Napoleon” is a puff pastry (cake or cake), traditionally made from puff pastry and a creamy base, which can consist of any ingredients: whether it is soft sour cream with condensed milk or soft butter with nuts, milk, sugar and protein, or whipped cream with cocoa, or cottage cheese with yogurt. There are, in principle, many options.
In terms of choosing custard for the cake, focus only on your imagination and tastes. It should also be noted that much will depend on the cream base, including the quality and calorie content of the finished product, so be sure to pay attention to this.
Napoleon Cake - Food Preparation
First you need to decide on the recipe (which we will do a bit later), and then decide what ingredients we will use to prepare the cream. Invariably, only one thing - the basis of the Napoleon cake should be puff pastry!
It is important that the cakes subsequently turn out to be porous, thin and crunchy. If you follow this rule - dessert for tea will turn out to be just fine. But to make such a dough at home is very difficult. As a rule, this process requires a lot of attention to yourself and iron endurance. Therefore, many housewives, in order to partly ease the task, acquire ready-made dough. However, can a store be tastier than your own, home? Of course not.
Cake Napoleon - the best recipes
Recipe 1: Napoleon Cake "Family Evening"
It’s good to pass the evening sitting around the family table and taste a piece of cake prepared according to this recipe, which is an unfading classic. A simple, but “boring” recipe will certainly appeal to all family members. And not only…
Ingredients:
For the test:
- 800 gr. premium flour
- cream margarine 200 gr. (butter)
- sour cream 100 gr.
- one chicken egg
- half a glass of sugar
- a pinch of salt
For cream:
- a glass of sugar
- two eggs
- 2 table. l flour
- 250 gr. fat cream
- 250 gr. butter
- a bag of vanilla sugar
Cooking method:
1. Knead the dough (we will use this recipe in the future): pour half of all the flour onto the surface of the table (board), put soft creamy margarine in it and chop with a knife to make butter crumbs, which we place in a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients (for test). Knead, constantly pouring the remaining flour. Knead for a long time! Until it ceases to be sticky, after which the flour is no longer poured, but knead for another 3-5 minutes. We cut the finished dough into ten parts, of which we roll the balls and put it in the cold.
2. Prepare the cream: pour into a pan of water (about half or two-thirds) and put on the stove. Beat eggs, add sugar. Set eggs with sugar in a water bath, stirring occasionally. Keep the mixture in the bath until the water is very hot. Next, add cream and vanilla to it. Stirring, we are waiting for the complete dissolution of sugar. Then slowly and evenly pour flour. We interfere constantly so that there are no lumps. After boiling water, we reduce the heat and simmer the mixture for another 15 minutes. The mass should thicken. We clean and cool.
While our cream cools, beat the butter (you can with a mixer), put it in the cream and whisk again until smooth. We remove the resulting custard in the refrigerator.
3. Bake: preheat the oven (200 degrees). At this time, we take out the cooled balls of dough and roll them out in a thin layer. Cut the future cakes with a flat round plate (diameter about 25-30 cm). Bake each cake for 7-10 minutes. Then we cool them a little and begin to fold the cake.
4. Fold the cake: on the flat plate we lay out the cakes one by one, greasing each one with custard (do not forget about the edges). Leave 1-2 shortbreads for crumbs, which need to sprinkle the folded cake on all sides. Ready “Napoleon” is removed in a cold place for impregnation for several hours, or better - for the whole night.
Recipe 2: Napoleon Cake with Bananas
Very tasty and original! A cake prepared according to this recipe will perfectly fit both the everyday menu and the holiday menu. The dough (puff) can be purchased at the store or prepared according to the recipe described above (see recipe 1).
Ingredients for Cream:
- a jar of condensed milk
- soft butter 300 gr.
- 3-4 ripe bananas
Cooking method:
1. We make the skin according to the recipe 1. We bake each for seven, ten minutes, slightly cool.
2. Cooking cream: grate bananas. Beat the drain thoroughly. butter with condensed milk and remove in the cold for a few minutes. Then we get the mixture and start spreading the cake, coating each cake with cream and covering with a layer of grated banana. The last layer is cake, richly covered with cream (banana puree does not need to be lubricated). Sprinkle the finished cake with crumbs and put them in the cold for ten to twelve hours.
Recipe 3: Napoleon Cake with White Chocolate and Strawberries
An amazing dish worthy of only a momentous event. The unusual combination of white chocolate and strawberries will not leave anyone indifferent. And most importantly - no one will guess what the cake is made of.
Ingredients:
- 200 gr. puff pastry
- 250 gr. white chocolate
- one and a half glasses of fat cream
- one and a half glasses of strawberries (finely chopped)
Cooking method:
1. Preheat the oven to 200-250 gr. Divide the dough sheet rolled into a thin layer into three parts, and bake each until cooked and cool for about ten minutes.
2. Put six cubes of white chocolate in 50 ml of cream and dissolve them in the microwave. Mix everything and leave to cool.
3. Whip the remaining cream with a mixer to a dense soft foam. Mix half with the chocolate-cream mixture until smooth. The cream is ready.
4. We spread the cake, coating each cake with a plentiful layer of cream. Sprinkle crumbs on top and put the dessert in the cold for ten to twelve hours. Then we get it and enjoy it! Enjoy your meal!
Cake Napoleon - tips from experienced chefs
- For the preparation of cakes, it is better to use butter, not margarine. The fatter it is, the tastier the cake will be;
- If the dough sticks to the surface of the table and hands, add more flour, otherwise you risk reducing the quality of the cakes;
- When lubricating the “Napoleon” cream, do not press hard on the crumpets, as they can break, and also become tougher;
- The cake will be much tastier if you keep it in the cold for a whole day.
