The classic Napoleon cake, according to a Soviet-era recipe, is real and delicious, as it has been tested by more than one generation of housewives, even though its preparation is a very time-consuming process that requires a lot of time.

Currently, there are many lite versions of the preparation of "Napoleon". But each time it turns out insanely delicious puff cake soaked in delicate custard and sprinkled with crispy crumbs, which will not leave indifferent any sweet tooth.

The classic recipe of the Soviet era

Confectioners used to keep this recipe in the strictest confidence, but now it is available to all housewives in the world. So roll up your sleeves and go!

Ingredients for classic puff pastry:

  • 750 g of wheat flour;
  • 600 g of natural butter;
  • a pair of fresh eggs;
  • 200 ml of very cold water;
  • 1 tsp fine salt;
  • 2 tbsp. l quality vodka;

Ingredients for Classic Custard:

  • 4 fresh eggs;
  • 1-1.5 Art. granulated sugar;
  • liter of natural milk;
  • 200 g of natural plums. oils;
  • vanilla pod;
  • 120 g of wheat flour;
  • couple of art. spoons of quality cognac.

Cooking the dough:

In order for the dough to really be “right,” chill all the ingredients in advance.

  1. Chilled flour is sifted through a sieve with a fine mesh at least two times. Thus, the dough will turn out tender and airy consistency.
  2. Frozen oil is quickly rubbed into sifted flour. For convenience, a piece of oil should be dipped in flour before rubbing.Butter is mixed with flour.
  3. Cold eggs with alcohol, salt and ice water are beaten in a separate bowl with a whisk. By adding vodka, the cakes will be dry and airy.
  4. The resulting mixture is poured in small portions into flour mixed with butter. The output should be a tight test lump that does not stick to your hands.
  5. The finished dough is wrapped in polyethylene and put into the refrigerator for a couple of hours.

Cooking the right custard:

  1. In a saucepan, milk is mixed with sugar and vanilla pod. The mixture is put on fire. With constant stirring, wait until the sugar is completely dissolved.
  2. In a separate cup, eggs, flour and brandy are brought to a homogeneous state. After that, the mixture is poured into a hot stream in a hot stream, mixed and brought to a boil. Do not boil!
  3. The fire under the saucepan with cream is set to a minimum. The cream is boiled to a thick consistency.
  4. In the finished cream, removed from the fire, put butter, after which the mixture is whipped with an electric whisk until smooth.

Baking cakes and the assembly of the classic "Napoleon":

  1. Baking paper spreads on the cutting surface, after which ¼ part of the dough is rolled into a layer no more than 4 mm thick using a rolling pin. Punctures are made with a fork over the entire surface of the formation.
  2. Using a sharp and thin knife, the prepared layer is cut into 6 identical rectangles. Thus, 24 cakes of 12 by 14 cm in size are obtained.
  3. Cakes are baked in turn in a preheated oven to 200 degrees. Baking time - 3-5 minutes.
  4. One baked cake is painted in a bowl for sprinkling Napoleon. During the assembly of the dessert, each cake is smeared with a small portion of the cream, and its remnants are distributed on the surface and sides of the cake.
  5. The finished classic Napoleon cake is left in the room for better impregnation for 4-5 hours, and then is put away into the refrigerator for the night.

Cake "Napoleon" with honey flavor

Honey taste of the dough and a gentle cream with a hint of lemon will give an unrivaled result.

Required Products:

  • zest taken from one lemon;
  • 4 fresh eggs;
  • bag of factory baking powder;
  • 4 tbsp. l of natural honey;
  • 150 g of sweet cream butter;
  • a quarter kg of granulated sugar;
  • 600 g of wheat flour;
  • 250 g of fat sour cream;
  • 300 g of powdered sugar.

Cooking:

  1. In a water bath, butter with sugar and honey is heated.
  2. The eggs are beaten.
  3. Flour is mixed with baking powder.
  4. All prepared ingredients are combined. The dough is kneaded, which is divided into 10 parts and sent to the refrigerator.
  5. Sour cream and powder are whipped in a bowl, and finely grated lemon peel is added at the end. The cream is removed to cool.
  6. The chilled parts of the dough are thinly rolled into the form necessary for the cake.
  7. Cakes are baked in a warmed oven until golden brown.
  8. Each cake is smeared with sour cream and superimposed on each other.
  9. The cream-coated surface and sides are sprinkled with crushed crumbs of shortbread cookies.

Cooking in a pan in a hurry

Quick cooking and an unusual recipe for cottage cheese dough for Napoleon will appeal to the sweet tooth and admirers of cottage cheese.

Essential Ingredients:

  • a pack (200 g) of cottage cheese (you can take a product of any fat content, as well as use a soft curd mass - the main thing is that the product is the freshest);
  • 300 g of wheat flour;
  • a pair of fresh eggs;
  • one and a half Art. granulated sugar;
  • a pinch of vanillin;
  • half a liter package of fresh milk;
  • 100 g of sweet cream butter;
  • soda taken at the tip of a knife.

Cooking cottage cheese Napoleon:

  1. For a cream, a glass of granulated sugar is poured into a deep bowl and crushed with one egg. Then 1/3 of the flour and a pinch of vanillin are added. Everything is thoroughly mixed. Milk is poured into the mass, everything is mixed and put on fire. Cream for skin impregnation is boiled to a thick consistency and left to cool.Sweet cream butter is added to the cooled cream and whipped until lush.
  2. For the test, the remaining sugar is mixed with cottage cheese and egg. The remaining sifted flour and soda, slaked with vinegar or lemon juice, are poured into the sweet curd and egg mass. The finished dough should have a fairly dense consistency.
  3. The test lump is divided into 8-10 parts, which are rolled out according to the diameter of the non-stick pan and fried on both sides (without oil!) Over medium heat until cooked.
  4. Each cake is coated with cream. They alternately overlap. The remains of the cream are evenly smeared on the surface and sides of Napoleon.
  5. The remaining scraps of crusts are crushed into crumbs, which will serve as a kind of dessert decoration.

With vanilla custard

In addition to the traditional dough, you can use thin Armenian pita bread to make a quick Napoleon.

Ingredients:

  • 10 sheets of Armenian pita bread;
  • 400 g of sweet cream butter;
  • liter of homemade milk;
  • 1.5 tbsp. granulated sugar;
  • 2 g of vanillin;
  • 80 g of flour;
  • 4 homemade eggs.

Cooking:

  1. Milk is put on fire.
  2. For vanilla custard, eggs with sugar and sifted flour are ground in a bowl. At the end, pour a ladle of warm milk and mix thoroughly.
  3. With vigorous stirring, the egg mixture is quickly introduced into boiled milk. The cream is boiled until thick and removed from the stove.
  4. Oil and vanillin are laid out in a warm creamy mass. Everything is beaten to a homogeneous consistency.
  5. Lavash should be slightly dried in a dry frying pan. One pita bread is slightly overdried and crushed into crumbs.
  6. Lavash cake with vanilla cream is collected according to the traditional Napoleon scheme.

"Napoleon" from quick puff pastry

To make the cake especially tasty, the skin is baked on baking paper without the use of oil.

Required Products:

  • 1 kg of finished puff pastry;
  • a glass of walnut kernels;
  • a pinch of vanillin;
  • 4 fresh eggs;
  • liter of cow's milk;
  • 120 g of wheat flour;
  • 400 g of granulated sugar.

Cooking:

  1. Thawed dough is cut into 3 equal parts, each of which is rolled up to a thickness of 3 mm, pierced with a fork and baked until cooked in a preheated oven.
  2. Finished cakes are cut into equal parts of the required size.
  3. While the cakes are cooling, in a separate cup, sugar mixed well with eggs and flour is beaten well.
  4. The milk is brought to a boil, after which, with constant stirring, a sweet egg mixture is poured into it. The boiled cream is removed from the heat and mixed with vanilla. Leave to cool.
  5. One crust is crushed into crumbs.
  6. The remaining cakes coated with cream overlap each other. In the middle of the cake assembly, large pieces of fried walnut are laid out on a creamy layer (2/3 parts of the required norm).
  7. The surface and the sides of Napoleon coated with the remaining cream are sprinkled with crumbs, and the surface is decorated with the remains of whole fried walnut kernels.

With condensed milk

Lazy Napoleon with condensed milk is a godsend for housewives who are about to see unexpected guests or need to give dessert to households, and there is very little time.

Ingredients for Lazy Napoleon:

  • a pound of yeast-free puff pastry from the store;
  • 200 g of sweet cream butter;
  • can of GOST state condensed milk;
  • a bag of vanilla sugar;
  • a handful of any nuts without shells.

Cooking:

  1. For cream, softened butter is whipped with a whisk, after which condensed milk is gradually added to it. The mixture is placed on low heat and cooked with constant stirring. In a slightly cooled cream, crushed nuts and vanilla sugar are added. The mixture for spreading cakes should be cooled to room temperature.
  2. Test seams are previously thawed and cut into equal parts, then baked in order of succession in the oven at 190 degrees until ready.It is necessary to cover the baking sheet in advance with baking paper or grease it with butter and sprinkle with breadcrumbs for breading.
  3. The cooled cakes are smeared with cream and superimposed on each other. The last cake crumbles to sprinkle the cake. Coated with the remains of the cream, the top and sides of the dessert are sprinkled with crumbs. Everything is decorated with berries or fruits.

With butter cream

A small cake for a family dinner or for breakfast will delight the household with its unsweetened crispy puff cakes soaked in soft butter cream.

Ingredients:

  • 500 g of ready puff pastry;
  • a pack of natural butter;
  • 200 g of granulated sugar;
  • half tsp vanilla sugar;
  • Art. l vegetable oil.

Cooking:

  1. The dough is thawed and cut into 3 equal parts. Cakes are baked alternately on a baking sheet covered with baking paper. Baking time - 10 minutes at 180 degrees.
  2. The softened butter is whipped with vanilla sugar. The cream is considered ready when all the sugar has dissolved.To evenly whip the cream, you need to periodically stop the mixer and remove the mass from the edges of the bowl.
  3. Cooled cakes with a sharp knife around the perimeter are cut so that they are the same size. Then 2 cakes are smeared with the prepared cream and stacked on top of each other so that the upper tier remains dry.
  4. The remains of the cream are distributed on the surface and sides of the dessert.
  5. The cuttings of crusts are crushed, the crumb is used as a decoration.

Cake "Napoleon" from Emma's grandmother

To get an unforgettable taste of homemade "Napoleon" according to the recipe of Emma's grandmother, it is necessary to observe the proportions indicated in the recipe and the cooking technology.

Ingredients required for the test:

  • 750 g of wheat flour;
  • 600 g cream margarine;
  • a pair of fresh eggs;
  • tsp fine salt;
  • couple of art. l 5% vinegar;
  • a glass (220 ml) of ice water.

Ingredients for creamy impregnation of cakes:

  • liter of milk;
  • 300 g of granulated sugar;
  • 4 fresh eggs;
  • 120 g of wheat flour;
  • 320 g of sweet cream butter;
  • 15 g vanilla sugar;
  • 3 tbsp. l powdered sugar to sprinkle with dessert.

Ingredients, in addition to bulk products, must be cooled in advance before making the cake.

Cooking homemade puff pastry:

  1. Eggs are broken into a volumetric measuring cup, into which salt is poured, vinegar is poured. The egg mixture is thoroughly mixed, after which ice water is poured into it so that exactly 375 ml of liquid is obtained in the mug, which is removed for some time in the refrigerator.
  2. The necessary amount of flour is sifted into the bowl, after which a piece of frozen margarine is dipped into it as often as possible, which is then rubbed on a coarse grater. The rest of the flour is carefully mixed with grated margarine. Everything needs to be done quickly, until the margarine has melted.
  3. In the margarine-flour mixture collected by the slide, a recess is made into which the cold egg mixture is poured. Quickly knead puff pastry.
  4. The finished test is given a rectangular shape. It is packed in polyethylene and cleaned in the refrigerator compartment for at least a couple of hours, but it is better if the dough is cooked in the evening and baked in the morning.

Puff pastry, prepared independently, can not lose its properties for several days, provided that it is stored in the refrigerator. The shelf life in the freezer is extended to several months, while thawing is best done in the refrigerator compartment.

Preparation of custard for impregnation of Napoleon:

  1. Milk is poured into a heat-resistant container. So that it does not stick to the container, it is necessary to rinse the saucepan with ice water in advance. Sugar is poured into the milk, the container is placed on a strong fire. Without ceasing to stir the liquid, we wait for the complete dissolution of the granular substance. After which the fire is reduced to medium.
  2. Eggs are broken into a separate bowl, to which sifted flour is poured. A manual whisk egg-flour mixture is mixed until smooth.Then, a pair of sweet hot milk cookers is poured into the mixture in small portions, mixed until smooth and a couple more cooked milk is added. Once again mixed and poured into a pan with milk. Custard for Napoleon is cooked until thickened.
  3. The pan is removed to the side, after which a 20 gram slice of sweet cream butter is added there. Everything is mixed, poured into another container, covered with a lid or polyethylene. Cool the cream to room temperature.

The process of baking cakes and cake assembly:

  1. If the cake pan is 40 to 60, then the chilled dough is divided into three parts so that two of them are the same, and the third is slightly smaller. If the form is 30 by 40, then the dough is divided into five parts, where four parts are the same size, and the fifth part is the smallest.
  2. The cutting surface is sprinkled with flour, on which part of the dough is laid out and rolled out with a rolling pin sprinkled in flour. The thickness of the test cake should be 3-4 mm and correspond to the size of the existing shape. Before laying the dough into the mold, wipe it with a damp cloth.
  3. The rolled layer is laid out in a mold. The excess is trimmed and added to the smallest part. The edges of the cake are slightly pressed by the fingers.
  4. Small cuts are made on the cake with a sharp knife, after which the completed form is sent to the oven warmed up to 220 degrees. Cakes are baked for about 20 minutes.
  5. To test the cake for readiness, slightly raise the edge and see if it does not bend, boldly remove it from the oven and bake the next one. The last (small) cake is baked longer, as it is intended to sprinkle the finished dessert.
  6. To prepare the cream, the remaining amount of softened oil is taken, which is whipped with an electric whisk. Then custard is added in small portions. Each time, the mass is beaten to a dense state. In the middle of the process, do not forget to add vanilla sugar to the mass. The output will be a magnificent aromatic mass for spreading cakes.
  7. To assemble the cake, each baked cake is cut in half. We get four cake layers 30 by 40 cm. The first cake lies on a baking sheet, after which the surface is evenly smeared with 1⁄4 of the cream. We continue to collect the cake in a similar way. The front side of the last cake should be smooth!
  8. The top and sides of the finished dessert are coated with the remnants of the cream.
  9. A small, slightly over-dried cake is crushed into crumbs, to which is added 1 tbsp. l powdered vanilla sugar. The cake is sprinkled with the resulting fragrant crumbs.

The finished Napoleon cake is transferred to a flat dish, optionally decorated with your favorite fruit or berries, cut into portions with a sharp knife and filed, and served as a cake for aromatic tea or strong coffee.

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