Napoleon Cake - General Principles and Methods of Cooking
Cake "Napoleon" is a truly royal delicacy! It’s not for nothing 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 nothing would have happened.
But, despite the French name, directly indicating the famous conqueror, the cake "Napoleon" 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 cooks because of its unusual shape, similar to the hat of the French emperor. According to the scriptures, originally “Napoleon” was not even a cake, but a large cake in the form of Bonaparte’s triangular headdress. 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 creamy basis, which can consist of any ingredients: be it sour cream with condensed milk or soft butter with nuts, milk, sugar and protein, or whipped cream with cocoa, or cottage cheese with yogurt. Options, in principle, many.
In terms of choosing the custard for the cake, focus only on your imagination and tastes. It should also be noted that much will depend on the creamy basis, including the quality and caloric 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 little later), and then decide what ingredients we will use to make the cream. Only one thing remains unchanged - the basis of the “Napoleon” cake should be puff pastry! It is important that the cakes subsequently turn out porous, thin and crunchy. If you follow this rule - dessert for tea will turn out just canceled. But to cook such a dough at home is very difficult. As a rule, this process requires a lot of attention and iron exposure. Therefore, many hostesses, in part to facilitate the task, acquire ready-made dough. However, how can a store shop taste better than its own? Of course not.
Napoleon Cake - the best recipes
Recipe 1: Napoleon Cake “Family Evening”
How to pass the evening well, sitting around the family table, and try a piece of cake prepared according to this recipe, which is a timeless classic. A simple but not boring recipe will certainly appeal to all family members. And not only…
Ingredients:
For the test:
- 800 gr. flour a / c
- Creamy margarine 200 gr. (butter)
- sour cream 100 gr.
- one chicken egg
- half a cup of sugar
- a pinch of salt
For cream:
- a glass of sugar
- two eggs
- 2 table. l flour
- 250 gr. heavy cream
- 250 gr. butter
- 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 cream margarine into it and chop it with a knife, which turned out butter crumb, which we put in a bowl and supplement it with other ingredients (for test). Knead, constantly pouring the remaining flour. Knead out 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. Cut the dough into ten pieces, of which we roll the balls and remove them in the cold.
2. Cooking cream: pour water into the pot (about half or two thirds) and put it 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 the cream and vanilla. Stirring, waiting for the complete dissolution of sugar. Then slowly and evenly pour the flour. We interfere constantly to avoid lumps. After boiling water, reduce the heat and weary the mixture for another 15 minutes. The mass should thicken. We clean and cool. While our cream is cool, whip butter (you can with a mixer), put it in cream and whisk again until smooth. Remove the resulting custard in the fridge.
3. Bake: preheat oven (200 degrees). At this time we get the cooled balls of dough and roll them out with a thin layer. Cut out the future cakes using a flat plate of a round shape (diameter about 25-30 cm). We bake each cake for 7-10 minutes. Then cool them a little and start folding the cake.
4. Fold the cake: lay the cakes alternately on a flat plate, richly lubricating each custard (do not forget about the edges). 1-2 leaves leave for the crumb, which is necessary to sprinkle the folded cake on all sides. Ready “Napoleon” we remove in a cold place to soak for several hours, and better - all night.
Recipe 2: Napoleon Cake with Bananas
Very tasty and original! A cake made according to this recipe will perfectly fit into both the daily menu and the festive one. The dough (puff) can be purchased at the store or prepared according to the above recipe (see recipe 1).
Ingredients for cream:
- jar of condensed milk
- soft butter 300 gr.
- 3-4 ripe bananas
Cooking Method:
1. Make the skin according to the recipe 1. Bake each for seven, ten minutes, slightly cooled.
2. Cooking cream: grate bananas. Carefully whip drain. butter with condensed milk and remove in the cold for a few minutes. Then we get the mixture and begin to lay out the cake, covering each cake with cream and covering with a layer of grated banana. The last layer - the cake, richly covered with cream (banana puree do not need to lubricate). Sprinkle the finished cake with the crumbs and put them into the cold for ten to twelve hours.
Recipe 3: Napoleon Cake with White Chocolate and Strawberries
Amazing dish worthy of only a significant event. The unusual combination of white chocolate and strawberry will not leave anyone indifferent. And most importantly - no one will guess what exactly the cake was made from. Ingredients:
- 200 gr. puff pastry
- 250 gr. white chocolate
- one and a half glasses of fat cream
- one and a half glasses of strawberry (finely chopped)
Cooking Method:
1. Heat up to 200-250 grams oven. Divide the thin layer of dough 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. All mix and leave to cool.
3. Beat the remaining cream with a mixer until thick soft foam. Mix half with chocolate-cream mixture until smooth. The cream is ready.
4. Spread the cake, covering each cake with a rich layer of cream. Sprinkle crumbs on top and remove the dessert in the cold for ten to twelve hours. Then get and enjoy! Enjoy your meal!
Napoleon Cake - tips from experienced chefs
- For the preparation of cake layers it is better to use butter, and not margarine. The fatter it gets, the tastier the cake will turn out;
- If the dough sticks to the surface of the table and hands, add more flour, otherwise you risk reducing the quality of the cake layers;
- When lubricating “Napoleon” with a cream, do not press hard on the cakes, as they may break and also become more rigid;
- The cake will be much tastier if you keep it in the cold all day.
