How to Make Russian Napoleon Cake with Layered Pastry and Custard (2024)

FAQs

What is a Napoleon cake made of? ›

Originating in Russia, the Napoleon cake is composed of many layers of puff pastry with a whipped pastry cream filling and encrusted with more pastry crumbs. After assembling, the cake is chilled overnight to allow the pastry layers to soften and absorb some of the cream, similar to the classic American icebox cake.

Russia. In Russian literature, a cake named Napoleon (Russian: Наполеон) is first mentioned as early as in the first half of the 19th century. Alexander Bestuzhev explained the emergence of such names by the romantic and historicist spirit of that time.

These are completely different cakes, the texture of the cakes is different, Napoleon is more saturated, therefore less visually, although it does not affect the taste in any way.

A vanilla slice is usually a very thick slab of custard sandwiched between two thin puff sheets. A mille feuille is more decorative, could have multiple custard (or diplomat cream) layers and looks very sophisticated. It is one of the simplest things you can make with a puff sheet, yet looks so elegant!

The main differences between puff pastry and phyllo dough are their fat content and preparation. Puff pastry is a laminated dough that gets its signature airy puff from layers of butter, while phyllo dough is comparatively low-fat. Phyllo dough is mostly flour and water and can dry out easily.

While Napoleons can be made in advance, the pastries are best eaten the day that they are assembled. They will keep for 2-3 days in the refrigerator, tightly covered, but keep in mind that the puff pastry will soften over time.

Most of them seemed to revolve around the concept of making the cake layers from a roll-out, honey flavored, soft cookie dough, and filled with a lightly sweetened sour cream frosting. Some variations called for pourable cake batters to make the layers, and a few had a dulce de leche based frosting.

Medovik is a traditional 8 layer honey cake from Russia, and truly one of a kind.

Chocolate Cake

You've guessed it right! Chocoholics' favorite dense and moist chocolate cake ranks top of the list. Glazing the cake with a thick chocolate ganache is one of the most popular ways to enjoy this dessert!

An Elvis Presley cake is a single-layer classic yellow cake that's topped with a pineapple glaze. Much like a poke cake, the syrup and juices of the pineapple will seep into the cake through fork holes, resulting in a decadent, ultra-moist cake.

Which cake is king of cakes? ›

'king cake') is a traditional Portuguese cake eaten from the beginning of December until Epiphany. The recipe is derived from the Southern French gâteau des rois which found its way to Portugal during the 1800s when Confeitaria Nacional opened as the Portuguese monarchy's official bakery in 1829.

3 Varieties of Custard

There are three main varieties of custard: baked custard, stirred custard, and steamed custard. The first two are both popular in Western cuisine. Baked custard is typically firmer and made with whole eggs, while stirred custards can be much runnier and often only contain the yolks.

Crème anglaise (French: [kʁɛm ɑ̃glɛz]; French for 'English cream'), custard sauce, pouring custard, or simply custard is a light, sweetened pouring custard used as a dessert cream or sauce.

Mille-feuille is very similar to the Italian dessert, Napoleon. The main difference between the two desserts is that a Napoleon is layered with almond paste instead of cream.

Napoleon's parents named him after a great uncle who died in 1767. Whilst not a very common first name, it was known in Corsica and spelt in different ways – “Napoleone”, “Napulione” or even “Lapulion”. Naturally, its etymology has been studied extensively.

The cake is made with high-quality ingredients. It includes cocoa powder, butter, and real chocolate, which gives it a rich, chocolatey flavor and a moist, tender crumb. The frosting is also made with real butter and cream, which gives it a velvety smooth texture and a decadent taste.