Keep this in mind
Prepare baking parchment for all the layers and a 24 cm plate or lid. Preheat the oven to 200°C before baking.
Celebration cake
Napoleon Cake
Cakes with six thin 24 cm layers each and custard; nuts are optional.
Tested
This exact version was baked successfully.
- Active time
- 1 hour
- Yield
- 2 cakes
- Difficulty
- Medium
Best served the next day.
- Flour
- Schär Mix B
Before you start
Plan for the rest.
Keep this in mind
Plan a day ahead: chill the dough for 1–2 hours, then let the assembled cake rest for 1 hour at room temperature and 12–24 hours in the refrigerator.
Ingredients
Layers
- Schär Mix B Bread flour mix500 g25 tbsp
- buttercold250 g
- sour cream250 g
- eggs3 pcs
- salt1 pinch
- baking soda6 g1 tsp
- citric acid1 tsp
- flour for the leavening mixture2 tsp
- flour for dustingas needed
Custard
- milk2,000 ml
- eggs6 pcs
- sugar400 g20 tbsp
- Schär Mix B flour40 g2 tbsp
- corn starchor tapioca starch30 g2 tbsp
- butter100 g
- vanilla sugar16 g
Nuts and finish
- walnuts (optional)raw or toasted, chopped · or pecans150 g
16 steps
Method
Cook Mode shows one step at a time, with ingredients and timers close at hand.
- 01
Butter and flour crumb
Cut 250 g cold butter into cubes and add it to 250 g flour in a food processor. Pulse briefly.
- 02
Sour cream mixture
In a separate bowl, mix the sour cream, eggs and a pinch of salt. Combine the baking soda, citric acid and 2 tsp flour, stir into the sour cream mixture and leave for 2–3 minutes.
- 03
A brief mix
Stir 250 g flour into the sour cream mixture, then add the butter and flour crumb from the first step. Mix just until the dough comes together; a couple of minutes in a mixer.
- 04
Portion and chill
Gather the dough into a ball, shape it into a few logs and cut into 12 portions. Dip the cut sides in flour, cover and refrigerate for 1–2 hours.
- 05
Two folds
On baking parchment, roll one portion out a little, then fold the edges in to make a square. Roll and fold once more, then roll out thinly to the shape you need.
- 06
Cut to size
Remove the top sheet of parchment, if used, and prick the dough with a fork. Use a 24 cm plate or lid as a guide and cut around it. Leave the trimmings beside the round on the same parchment: once baked, they will make the crumb topping.
- 07
Bake until golden
Transfer the pastry on its parchment to a baking tray and bake with the trimmings at 200°C for about 7–10 minutes. Gently slide the baked layer off the parchment onto a plate.
- 08
Milk for the custard
Pour all the milk (2000 ml) into a large saucepan and bring to a boil.
- 09
Egg mixture
In a large bowl, combine the sugar, flour, starch, vanilla sugar and custard eggs — 6 pcs. Whisk until smooth.
- 10
Warming the egg mixture
Take about 2 cups of hot milk from the saucepan. Pour it into the egg mixture in a thin stream, whisking continuously until smooth.
- 11
Thickening the custard
Pour the egg mixture into the hot milk, stirring continuously. Heat while sweeping the whisk or spatula across the entire bottom and lifting the thickening mixture to prevent sticking or scorching.
- 12
Butter to finish
Add the butter and stir until it has completely melted into the custard.
- 13
Optional nuts
While the custard is cooking, chop raw or toasted walnuts or pecans into small pieces.
- 14
Layers and finish
Use six pastry layers for each cake, spreading warm custard over each one. If using nuts, add them to every layer or alternate layers. Top with crumbs from the baked trimmings.
- 15
A short rest
Leave the cakes at room temperature for about 1 hour to let them settle a little.
- 16
Overnight in the fridge
Chill for 12–24 hours so the pastry layers absorb the custard. Serve the next day for the best flavour.
Extended video lesson
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