Efrat's Notebook

Napoleon Cake with Vanilla Cream Filling Draft

My napoleon, layers of crisp puff pastry caramelized with powdered sugar and filled with pastry cream lightened with whipped cream, which I make when I have time to work in stages.

  • Cook15 min
  • Rest2 hr 15 min
  • Total2 hr 30 min
  • KashrutDairy

What you need

Amount:×1

Pastry cream

Pastry

To serve (optional)

How I make it

Pastry cream

  1. In a bowl, combine the yolks, cornstarch and ¼ cup of the milk.

  2. Put the rest of the milk, the vanilla bean and the sugar in a pot and bring to a boil.

  3. Carefully pour about ½ cup of the boiling milk into the yolk mixture and whisk lightly.

  4. Pour the yolk mixture back into the pot with the rest of the boiling milk and cook, whisking constantly, for 1-2 minutes, until the cream thickens and starts to bubble.

  5. Cook for about 30 seconds more, stirring constantly so the cream doesn't stick to the bottom.

  6. Scrape into a stand mixer bowl and beat with the paddle on low speed for a few minutes, until the cream cools to room temperature.

  7. In a separate bowl, whip the cream to soft peaks and gently fold it into the pastry cream.

Pastry

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).

  2. Dust the counter with powdered sugar and roll the cold pastry out on it as thin as possible.

  3. Lay the pastry on a baking sheet, dust with more powdered sugar through a fine sieve and prick all over with a fork or a docking roller.

  4. Freeze for about 15 minutes, until the pastry firms up again.

  5. Move it straight from the freezer to the oven and bake for about 10 minutes, until crisp and golden brown. Let cool.

  6. Cut the pastry into 3 long rectangular strips. Cut one strip crosswise into pieces 1½ inches (4 cm) wide.

Assembly and serving

  1. Place a whole pastry strip on the counter. Fill a piping bag one-third full with the cream.

  2. Pipe a layer of cream about ⅜ inch (1 cm) thick over the pastry.

  3. Top with the second strip and pat it lightly with your palm so the cream spreads a little.

  4. Pipe a second layer of cream and cover with the cut pastry pieces.

  5. Smooth the sides with a spatula so the cream edges are straight.

  6. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until the cake sets. Don't skip this step.

  7. Slice into portions with a serrated knife, following the top pieces.

  8. If you like, decorate the edges with toasted sliced almonds, or glaze with fondant.

What I've learned

  • I fill the piping bag only a third of the way, so it's easy to hold and the cream doesn't squeeze out the top.
  • When I'm in a hurry, I put the cake in the freezer for half an hour first, not to freeze it but for a quick hard chill, then move it to the fridge.

Source: ChefEf (chefef.com)