Napoleon cake is one of the most successful confectionery products of our time. It is difficult to imagine a restaurant without this dessert. There are two versions of the origin of the cake “Napoleon”. One of them claims that it was first prepared in 1912 in Moscow on the occasion of the centenary of the victory over Napoleon Bonaparte. Then it was not a sweet puff pastry cake, but a “Napoleon cake” with mushroom or minced meat inside.
Another version says that the sweet “Napoleon” was created in France in the 1850s
.
Confectioners used the then popular puff pastry and gave the cake a shape resembling Napoleon’s triangle. Over time, the shape of the dessert changed, but the name was retained.
Ingredients for the pastry:
- flour – 500 g;
- salt – a pinch;
- butter – 300 g;
- yolks – 4 pcs;
- sour cream – 130 g.
Ingredients for protein souffle:
- egg whites – 4 pcs;
- sugar – 200 g;
- cornstarch – 100 g;
- cherries – 500 g.
Ingredients for the cream:
- sugar – 200 g;
- flour – 1.5 tbsp;
- cornstarch – 1.5 tbsp;
- milk – 500 ml;
- vanilla sugar – 10 g;
- butter – 300 g.
Preparation of the cake “Napoleon”:
Sift flour for the dough, salt and rub cold butter into it. Grind the butter and flour into a creamy crumb
. Mix the yolks with sour cream and pour into the creamy crumb. Quickly knead the dough first with a spoon, then with your hands.
Wrap the dough in cellophane and leave in the refrigerator for 8 hours.
For the protein souffle, whip the whites with a mixer, gradually pour sugar into the white mass. Whites should be whipped to standing peaks, then you can pour starch to them and stir with a spatula.
Divide the dough into 6 equal parts. Roll out one of the dough pieces on parchment to an area equal to the baking tray.
Place ⅓
of the
soufflé on the dough, spreading it evenly
.
Sprinkle ⅓ of the cherries over the soufflé. Similarly roll out the second layer of dough, cover the soufflé with cherries.
Poke the top of the cake with a fork, bake it at 200 degrees for 20 minutes. Similarly create the other cakes, put out of the mold immediately after baking.
For the cream, mix sugar with starch and flour, pour in milk. Pour vanilla sugar into the mixture, cook over medium heat until thickened. Once thickened, cook the cream for 30 seconds. Do not forget to stir the custard base constantly.
Pour the custard base into the butter, whisk together until smooth. Brush each cake with cream and assemble the cake. Grease the walls and the top with cream.
Leave the cake for 8 hours in the refrigerator.
You can decorate the “Napoleon” with dragees, cherries, and the rest of the cream.
