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Napoleon classic cake Soviet

Classic Soviet Napoleon Cake

One of the most delicious cakes — a timeless classic! The Soviet-style classic Napoleon will never go out of style. Everyone knows its wonderful taste. It takes a lot of time to make, but one bite and you know it was all worth it!

Julia M.

Recipe author

Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Flour

600

Eggs

Butter

300

Sour cream

100

Water

100

Salt

0.3

Vodka

Eggs

Flour

120

Milk

Sugar

400

Butter

200

Cognac

Vanilla

Sour cream (25% or higher)

300

Powdered sugar

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 10 % 5 g

Fats 32 % 16 g

Carbohydrates 58 % 29 g

283 kcal

GI: 7 / 0 / 93

Cooking method

Step 1:

How do you make a classic Napoleon cake? Get the ingredients ready for the layers. Sift the flour to aerate it. The sour cream can be 15–20%. The butter should be firm — you can chill it briefly in the freezer.
Step 2:

Put almost all the flour into a mixing bowl (reserve a little for dusting) and add the broken-up butter. You can break it down however you like — chop it finely with a knife, run it through a food processor, or grate it.
Step 3:

Then rub the flour and butter together. You should get a crumbly mixture like this.
Step 4:

Now add the egg, vodka, cold water, sour cream, and salt to the dough.
Step 5:

Knead the dough quickly so the cold butter doesn't have time to melt. Don't knead it long — just enough to form a ball. Add the reserved flour at this point; you may need a little more or less. The finished dough shouldn't stick to your hands. Wrap it in plastic, let it sit for 30 minutes, then refrigerate for 1 hour.
Step 6:

While the dough rests, get everything ready for the two creams.
Step 7:

For the custard, pour 2/3 of the milk into a nonstick saucepan and add the sugar. Set it over the heat and bring it to a boil, stirring so the sugar dissolves.
Step 8:

Mix the remaining milk with the eggs and flour, and add the cognac. You can use a mixer to avoid flour lumps.
Step 9:

Pour the hot milk into the egg mixture, stirring. Then return it all to the heat and bring it to the first bubbles. Stir constantly so it doesn't scorch. To be safe, you can cook the custard in a water bath. It thickens as it cooks.
Step 10:

Take the pan off the heat and add the butter. As it melts, stir it right into the custard. Cover the finished custard with a lid or plastic wrap and let it cool.
Step 11:

Divide the rested dough into 10 portions for the layers.
Step 12:

Roll each portion out on parchment and cut out a circle (mine is 22 cm / about 9 inches). Prick the layer with a fork so it doesn't bubble while baking. Don't discard the trimmings — bake them along with the layer; you'll use them to coat the cake. Bake the layers in an oven preheated to 350°F (180°C), about 15 minutes each. The finished layers should be golden.
Step 13:

For the sour cream layer, you can whip rich sour cream with powdered sugar, or just stir thick sour cream with powdered sugar. I just stirred mine. The mixture is a bit thin, but it soaks the layers nicely.
Step 14:

Assemble the cake. Spread custard on two layers, and the third with a little sour cream plus custard. Build the whole cake this way. Don't coat the top layer, but save a little cream for the final coating. Press the cake down with something heavy — cover it with a plate and set a one-liter jar of water on top. Leave it in the kitchen for an hour; the layers soften in the warmth. Then refrigerate for 4–6 hours so it soaks a bit.
Step 15:

Crush the leftover trimmings — you can mash them with a masher.
Step 16:

Coat the top and sides of the cake with the remaining cream and press the crumbs all over. Put it back in the fridge. I usually set the cake in a cake box so all the moisture goes into soaking the layers, and I let it soak for a day — I like a well-soaked, soft Napoleon.
Step 17:

Before serving, you can decorate the finished cake however you like. It soaked beautifully, and the layers turned out soft and very tender.
Step 18:

Enjoy with a cup of tea!