Napoleon cake with chocolate custard
12 servings
120 minutes
The 'Napoleon' cake with chocolate custard is an exquisite combination of puff pastry and delicate cream, inspired by the classic French dessert. Despite its name, this dessert is particularly popular in Russian cuisine, becoming a symbol of celebrations and family gatherings. Each layer of airy pastry is soaked in velvety chocolate cream, creating a harmony of flavors that combines light sweetness, creamy tenderness, and a hint of chocolate bitterness. After overnight chilling, the cake becomes even richer as its layers absorb the cream, gaining incredible juiciness. The 'Napoleon' with chocolate cream is the perfect ending to a cozy evening.
1
Thaw the ready puff pastry. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees. Start with the dough. Sprinkle the sheet with flour (about 150 grams of flour will be used for all sheets) and roll it out into a rectangle or square until it is thin but not transparent; the sheet should increase in size by 1.5–2 times.
- Wheat flour: 75 g
2
Roll out the dough and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Poke the dough with a fork as much as possible. Bake: 4–7 minutes on one side, flip the dough and bake for another 4–7 minutes on the other side. The crust should turn golden brown. Roll out each layer this way and bake them. You will get four layers. You need 3 layers for the cake, and the fourth will be used for crumbs. Let the layers cool.
3
Custard cream. Take a pot of 1.5–2 liters. Pour in milk and heat it up. Separate the yolks from the whites; only yolks are needed for the cream. Take a container of at least 1 liter, add sugar, vanillin or vanilla sugar, and flour to the yolks and mix thoroughly. Slowly pour half of the hot milk into the yolk-sugar mixture in a thin stream while whisking immediately. Now slowly pour this mixture into the pot with the remaining milk in a thin stream while heating it and stirring constantly until it thickens. Make sure the cream doesn't burn. The cream is ready when it boils and thickens. Let it cool slightly so it's not too hot and add chocolate pieces; stir until melted.
- Milk: 750 ml
- Egg yolk: 6 pieces
- Sugar: 200 g
- Vanilla sugar: 1.5 teaspoon
- Wheat flour: 75 g
- Chocolate: 100 g
4
Cool the cream. Once the cream has cooled (it can be used warm), generously spread it on the baked layers. Coat the top and all edges of the cake with cream. Take the layer set aside for crumbs, chop it finely, break it or blend it in a blender. Sprinkle the entire cake, top and edges with crumbs.
5
Place in the refrigerator, preferably overnight, but for at least 4 hours.