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Napoleon Cake, Russian Cake

  • This cake is all reminiscent of the Milefiori Italian cake, in Russia is called Napoleon cake. The taste is similar to vanilla-flavored Milefiori, except that the crusts are baked a little longer because there are 12. The cake process takes a little longer, but regardless of whether this cake should be made, if you have more time or before the New Year or other holidays, I recommend being sure to prepare it.

Ingredients: medium, total time: 3 h, cooking: 1h preparation: 2 h, 20 servings

Quick Puff Pastry:

  • 150 ml water cold or iced

  • 1/8 tsp salt

  • 1 Tbsp white vinegar

  • 3 Tbsp vodka / cognac /omit if not using alcohol

  • 2 eggs

  • 650 g all-purpose flour

  • 400 g cold or frozen cold butter

Egg Yolk Custard:

  • 7 egg yolks

  • 700 g granulated sugar

  • 100 g all-purpose flour

  • 1.5 liter milk, boiling hot divided into 5 ½ cups + ½ cup

  • 1 Tbsp vanilla extract

  • 200 g unsalted butter

Optional -to top the Cake:

  • 310 g berries /blueberries, raspberries or any other kind of berries

Preparation:

Dough

  1. In a glass, break 2 eggs, add a pinch of salt and mix well. Pour 150 ml of cold water and add a tablespoon of vinegar and 3 tablespoons of vodka (if you do not use alcohol, replace it with water) and mix everything well by mixing.

  2. Pour sifted flour on the work surface and spread it on one pile. Put the chopped cold butter cubes on the flour and roll them in the flour, then chop them finely with a knife and combine well with the flour.

  3. When you have chopped the butter well, run your fingers through the flour to make it look crumbly. Then make a depression and pour 1/3 of the egg mixture in the middle. Mix the ingredients with the flour by hand circularly. Pour the rest of the mixture when you have combined one part with the flour. (Do this from 3 times.)

  4. Start making the dough slowly. The dough should be compact and well mixed with the other ingredients. Wrap the dough in nylon foil and leave in the fridge for about 1 and a half hours.

  5. After the elapsed time, take out the dough and re-form it into a roll by hand and divide it into 4 equal parts and then into 12 equal parts. If you want to be precise, you can also weigh the dough. Roll each piece of dough into a ball. Roll each piece of dough into a ball.

  6. Pour a little flour on the surface, take one ball of dough and roll out with a rolling pin on a thinner crust in a circular shape about 2-3 mm. You can put the rest of the dough in the refrigerator during that time. When you have developed the dough, take a larger, shallower plate and with the help of a knife cut the dough in a circular precision. Prick the circular formed part with a fork. Bake the rest of the dough that you cut together with the formed dough in a preheated oven at 220 °C for about 5–7 minutes. Repeat all the other 12 pieces of the same process.

  7. Put the rest of the dough pieces in a deeper bowl together with the rest. We will use these leftovers to decorate the cake.

Egg Cream:

  1. Beat eggs and sugar in a deep pan, gradually adding 1/4 of milk and mix into a smooth mixture. Add 2/3 of the flour and mix again, creating a smooth mixture without lumps. Then add 1/4 milk and stir again.

  2. Put the rest of the milk on a moderately moderate heat to warm up.

  3. When the milk has become hot, gradually add it to the mixture with the egg yolks, stirring constantly. When the mixture is well combined, put it all on a slightly moderate heat. Stir constantly the cream so that it does not burn, cook for about 2–3 minutes until it boils. Add vanilla extract and stir well to combine, remove from the heat. Finally, add 3/4 sticks of butter and let it melt, then whisk with a mixer into a nice smooth mixture. (you can also wait for the cream to cool down a bit at room temperature, then add the butter and mix well with a mixer). Allow the cream to cool about 10-15 min., covered with film. Do not refrigerate, just bring to room temperature.

Processing Cake:

  1. Take one decorative round tray, make a cardboard circle the size of your crust and stick it with duct tape to keep it from coming off. Put the first crust on the bottom and smear with 3-4 Tbsp of cream, flatten with a knife or spatula. Coat each crust with the cream you made. Make sure there is more cream because the more cream, give a better taste of this cake. Spread the last crust with the cream, put it in the fridge for 30 minutes. Grind the rest (pieces-leftovers) of the dough into super chips. You should get a crumbly, well-ground mixture. When 30 minutes have passed, take the cake out of the fridge and carefully remove the cardboard hoop. The crumbs you grind, soak the sides of the cake and the top of the cake. Gently smooth the crumbs of the upper part with the palm of your hand. Leave the cake to cool for 1–2 hours before serving. Buon appetito!

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  • I would be happy if you would comment on my recipes and put like.

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