Napoleon" with strawberry layer
10 servings
120 minutes
Napoleon cake is a true masterpiece of Russian cuisine with deep historical roots. Its layered cakes soaked in delicate custard offer an exquisite combination of crunchy texture and creamy softness. In this version, the traditional recipe is enriched with a strawberry layer that adds freshness and a slight tanginess, making the dessert particularly refined. The strawberry perfectly complements the gentle milky flavor of the cream, creating a harmonious blend. The scraps of the cakes crushed into crumbs give the cake a finished look and appetizing crunch. This dessert is ideal for festive occasions, family celebrations, and cozy evenings at home. After prolonged soaking in the refrigerator, its flavor fully unfolds, turning each piece into a true gastronomic delight.
1
Let's start with the test! Add lemon juice to cold water. Whisk the eggs until light foam forms, add the prepared lemon water and salt, mix everything, and set aside. Take frozen butter and grate it on a coarse grater, you can also chop it finely with a knife, but in my opinion, it's easier and faster with a grater. Pour the flour (550 grams, set aside the remaining 100 for the cream) onto the work surface, place the butter on top, and chop it with a knife into very small pieces. Gather the resulting mass into a small mound and make a well in it, pour the egg mixture into this well. Knead the dough until it becomes elastic. Divide the large piece of dough into equal parts, from which we will bake the layers later. From this amount of ingredients, I get 7-8 layers, we form them into balls, wrap them in food film, and put them in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
- Water: 150 ml
- Lemon juice: 2 tablespoons
- Chicken egg: 2 pieces
- Salt: pinch
- Butter: 300 g
- Wheat flour: 650 g
2
Then roll each ball on baking paper or a silicone mat and cut out a circle of the desired diameter; I use a flat large plate that is 26 cm in diameter. Then this circle should be pierced with a fork all around the perimeter so that the crust bakes quickly and evenly, and we send it to the oven preheated to 180 degrees for 5-6 minutes (the scraps left from the circle are baked together with it); they may cook faster, so we focus on the browning of the crust; when it turns golden, we take it out!
3
Now let's prepare the cream. This is one recipe for custard cream that I use; it has a delicate milky taste and is not too fatty. So, we beat the yolks with sugar and vanilla sugar, add 100 grams of flour, and mix. We pour the milk into a saucepan and bring it to a boil, then add it to the yolks and mix everything. We place the entire mixture on low heat, stirring, until it thickens.
- Egg yolk: 8 pieces
- Sugar: 450 g
- Vanilla sugar: 2 teaspoons
- Wheat flour: 650 g
- Milk: 1 l
4
To make the strawberry layer, it's enough to blend the strawberries.
- Strawberry: 300 g
5
Let's assemble the cake! Place the baked layer in the mold, spread it with cooled cream, then add crushed strawberries on top of the cream, place the second layer on top, and continue until the entire cake is assembled, making sure to generously spread cream so each piece is well soaked. The very top of the cake can be left without strawberries.
6
I chose the most classic decoration for the cake. We take the trimmings from the cake we baked with the layers and blend them into crumbs, which we sprinkle over the entire cake, including the sides.
- Wheat flour: 650 g
7
The cake needs to be placed in the fridge for about 8 hours to soak well.