How to Make Napoleon Cake: Barnaul Resident's Recipe

Napoleon cake is that dessert that even adults love. Preparing it is not too difficult, although it requires some time and effort. Marina Nartova from Barnaul shared her tried-and-true recipe for this classic treat.

What you need for the dough:

• Creamy margarine — 260 g

• Wheat flour — 2.5 cups (for the layers) + 3 tbsp (for the cream)

• Drinking water — 0.5 cup

• Apple cider vinegar — 2 tbsp

• Salt — to taste

For the cream:

• Full-fat milk — 500 ml

• Sugar — 1 cup

• Chicken eggs — 3 pcs.

• Butter — 110 g

• Vanilla sugar — 1 packet (5 g)

Preparing the dough for the layers:

To ensure the layers turn out airy and delicate, it is important to follow the recipe exactly. In a deep bowl, mix the water, apple cider vinegar, and a pinch of salt. In another bowl, finely chop the slightly melted margarine and rub it with the flour until it resembles oily crumbs. Then add the water and vinegar mixture to the crumbs and mix thoroughly by hand until you get a thick dough that does not stick to your hands. This is the classic version of dough for Napoleon cake, which guarantees an excellent result. Divide the finished dough into 4 equal parts, wrap each in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1.5 hours.

Making the cream:

There are many variations of cream for Napoleon cake, but we will focus on the classic one. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs with sugar, add the flour and milk. Slightly heat the resulting mixture in a double boiler, stirring constantly, until the cream thickens. Then add the butter and vanilla sugar, mix well, and let the cream cool.

Baking the layers:

Take the chilled dough out of the refrigerator. Divide each of the 4 parts in half to get 8 pieces. Roll out each piece into a thin circle the size of your baking pan. The layers bake in the oven quite quickly — only 12–17 minutes.

Assembling the cake:

Generously spread the prepared cream on the finished and cooled layers. Also, generously cover the top of the cake with cream and sprinkle with crumbs, which can be made from the trimmings of the layers.