Napoleon Cake

Baking and Desserts • Chechen

Time 2 hours + 1 day

Ingredients 13

Servings 8

Description

This is how 'Napoleon' is made by John Baker, the head pastry chef at a popular American restaurant.

Ingredients

Wheat Flour 10 oz
Chicken Egg 6 pieces
Water 0 fl oz
Cognac 0 fl oz
Vinegar essence 0 fl oz
Sugar 5 oz
Salt 1½ g
Milk 15 fl oz
Starch film 0 oz
Gelatin 0 oz
33% Cream 5 fl oz
Fresh Berries to taste
Butter 5 oz

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1

Pulse the flour and cold butter in a food processor or chop with a knife until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Step 2

Combine cold water, 2 beaten eggs, vinegar, and brandy. Add salt and 5 grams of sugar. Mix until smooth and pour over the flour and butter.

Step 3

Quickly knead the dough and place it in the refrigerator. Chill for at least an hour, but overnight is better.

Step 4

Divide the chilled dough into ten equal pieces.

Step 5

Roll out each piece thinly. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Prick the dough with a fork in several places.

Step 6

Bake the layers in the oven at 310°F for 5–10 minutes, until they turn golden brown.

Step 7

Cut out a circle of the desired diameter (for example, 16 cm) from the baked cake layer. Crumble the leftover cake; this will be used for decorating the cake.

Step 8

Prepare the cream. In a bowl, combine 115 grams of sugar and starch, and mix thoroughly.

Step 9

Crack the eggs into a bowl, measuring out 175 grams. Add the dry mixture to the bowl with the eggs and whisk or stir with a spatula until well combined.

Step 10

Heat the milk in a saucepan, but do not bring it to a boil. Slowly pour the milk into the bowl with the egg mixture in a thin stream, whisking continuously.

Step 11

Transfer the mixture back to the saucepan and cook the cream over low heat (or at the lowest setting if you have an induction stove), constantly stirring the mixture and making sure to touch the bottom with the whisk. The approximate cooking time is 5–10 minutes. When the mixture thickens and leaves a pattern from the whisk, the cream is ready.

Step 12

Remove the saucepan with the cream from the heat and add the gelatin (previously soak the gelatin sheet in cold water for 3–5 minutes).

Step 13

Mix the cream until the gelatin is fully dissolved.

Step 14

Transfer the prepared cream to a clean bowl, cover it with plastic wrap, and place it in the refrigerator — the cream needs to stabilize, which takes at least 1.5 to 2 hours. Just like with the dough, it's better to make the cream in advance and let it sit overnight.

Step 15

Whip the cold 33% cream until fluffy.

Step 16

Add the cream to the custard and gently fold it in. The cream is ready.

Step 17

Assemble the cake: when assembling, alternate layers of cake with cream, using 90 grams of cream for each layer.