Cake "Napoleon" is loved by all the sweet tooth. Perhaps it can be safely called the most popular dessert. Many housewives do not risk undertaking the preparation of a culinary masterpiece, fearing difficulties. In our article we want to talk about how to cook "Napoleon" at home. Perhaps, knowing good recipes, one of the readers will decide to make her first cake.
Cake Dough
To understand the question of how to cook Napoleon, you need to know which dough to use. Surely from childhood you remember a delicious puff treat with numerous cakes. Traditional classic recipes are based on the use of puff pastry. It is it that horrifies inexperienced housewives. If you do not want to waste time and effort on its preparation, then you can buy ready-made dough in any supermarket or specialty store. But the dessert cooked at home dough will be tastier.
Some housewives make Napoleon cake on sand cakes, but this option is very far from the classics. Such a dessert can only be called a simplified version of the culinary masterpiece, which does not have the same taste as the original.
Real puff pastry is not so easy to prepare. The process is very laborious and not at all fast. Knead the dough, roll out. Folded in an envelope and sent to the refrigerator. Further, the actions are repeated according to the standard algorithm until the cook has enough strength and perseverance. Real professionals are able to cook multi-layered dough. But ordinary housewives should not go for such feats. If you are thinking about how to cook “Napoleon” at home, then you should pay attention to simpler recipes invented for those who do not have professional skills.
Homemade dough
How to cook "Napoleon"? Step-by-step instructions will help to cope with such a difficult task. The classic recipe we offer is probably the most time-consuming. But still he does not require any special skills. But it will take a lot of time.
I would like to draw the attention of the housewives to a certain pattern in the preparation of puff pastry. The more butter per kilogram of flour, the more tender your dough will turn out. In no case should you replace the oil with margarine. Such a far from equivalent substitute can ruin the cake. Be prepared for the fact that you do not get a good puff pastry on margarine.
Ingredients:
- oil (420 g);
- flour (four glasses);
- a pinch of salt;
- vinegar (tbsp. l.);
- cold water (145 ml).
Cooking dough
Continuing the conversation on how to cook a delicious “Napoleon”, I want to say that much in the dessert depends on the test. A good dessert can only be made on the basis of a good test. No cream will save the situation if the cakes are not very good. And yet you should not be upset. After all, we are learning, and therefore every mistress has the right to make a mistake. As practice shows, homemade dessert, even not very successful, is always much tastier than a store one.
So, let's start kneading the dough. Take a large bowl with wide edges and pour flour into it. Next, rub or finely crumble half the oil and mix. In the mass we form a recess and pour vinegar and water into it (the water must always be cold), as well as salt. Next, knead the dough on the work surface, sprinkling it with flour. The mass should be elastic and resilient. You need to try to knead the dough longer, since it is on this that its further behavior during rolling depends. The more effort you make, the less likely it will break.
Roll out the dough into a rectangular layer, in the middle of which we spread the second pack of our oil. Close the cake with an envelope and fasten the edges. The resulting pie is quickly rolled out until it triples. We fold the dough three times, roll it out again, and then hide it in the refrigerator.
After an hour, we return to the kitchen and roll out the mass, then fold, roll again. And again we hide the dough in the cold. In total, it is worth making about three to four such approaches. Then after cooking you get delicious puff pastries.
Next, using a sharp knife, divide the dough into pieces and roll out the cakes according to the size of your shape. Before baking each layer, it is necessary to make punctures with a fork in it. The more there are, the smoother your cake will be. Each layer is prepared no more than 15 minutes. All cakes are baked separately. The baking process must be carefully monitored. If you roll thin cakes, they can cook very quickly. Therefore, do not wait for the specified time. It is given only approximately. Now you know how to cook "Napoleon" on puff pastry.
Beer dough
How to cook "Napoleon" on beer? More precisely, puff pastry for dessert is prepared on beer. This option is also called falsely puff. Cakes from it are incredibly light and layered. It is worth noting that during baking, the smell of beer completely disappears, so do not be afraid of inappropriate dessert flavors. The drink only gives the cakes layering and lightness.
Ingredients:
- light beer (enough glass);
- flour (four tbsp.);
- ½ tsp. soda and salt;
- butter (chilled only, 280 g).
In a wide container with shallow sides we mix salt, flour and soda. Finely chop or rub the frozen oil into the dry mass. We mix the ingredients. Then add beer and vigorously knead the dough. The resulting mass is divided into equal eight parts. Each ball is packaged separately in cling film and put in the refrigerator. After about forty minutes you can get one portion and roll cakes. We bake billets at a temperature of about 200 degrees. On average, it takes from five to seven minutes to prepare one cake. Now you know how to cook Napoleon at home step by step.
Very tender cake
If you are thinking about how to cook "Napoleon" at home, and studying recipes, then as one of the possible options may be the recipe for the most delicious cake. Ready cakes, prepared according to the recipe below, are light, fragile and tender. Apply cream to them before serving. Pieces of such a dessert literally melt in your mouth. Trimming ready-made cakes is undesirable, as they can simply crumble.
Ingredients:
- egg, flour (13 full tbsp. l.);
- water (175 ml);
- chilled butter (200 g);
- vinegar (tbsp. l.).
How to cook "Napoleon"? The recipe for a delicious cake is quite simple.
Pour one egg into a cup, add vinegar, water and mix the ingredients with a fork. Pour flour into a spacious container, add chopped butter and water. Knead the dough, gradually adding a little flour. The finished mass should be discarded. This is done very simply. Raise the finished lump over the table and throw it on the table with force. Next, collect the cake into a ball and throw it again. Such simple actions must be done 15-20 times. As a result, we get a supple dough. Divide it into nine equal parts. We roll each of them into thin cake, make punctures with a fork and bake. Finished cakes should have a light golden hue.
Honey "Napoleon"
How to make a Napoleon cake at home? We offer you to try the recipe for honey goodies. Of course, this is not a classic option, but the cake will amaze you with its tenderness. In addition, cakes according to this recipe are very sweet. This must be remembered when picking and preparing cream for dessert. Good for such shortcakes cream and sour cream.
It is very convenient that cake blanks can be stored for quite some time. Therefore, you can cook cakes in advance. And then it only remains to grease them with cream.
Ingredients:
- sugar (glass);
- 1 tbsp. l soda;
- four eggs;
- flour (five glasses);
- a glass of honey.
Mix the ingredients: sugar, soda, honey, eggs. Add flour and knead thick dough. Next, we pack it in a bag and leave it in the room for two days. Usually the dough is kept in a cold place. And in this recipe it must be kept at room temperature. After 48 hours, open the mass and divide it into equal parts. How many of them will be up to you. Roll each serving into cake and bake it for no more than seven minutes. Cooking time depends on the thickness of the layer. Therefore, you must choose the optimal baking time yourself. Cakes can not be overdried.
Cheese cake
How to cook a delicious Napoleon cake? One of the best recipes that housewives often use is based on the use of cottage cheese. The dessert is moist and tasty, especially good with custard. If you follow the recipe, you get quite a lot of cakes. Therefore, a lot of cream is required. To make custard, you need to take at least a liter of milk.
Ingredients:
- cottage cheese (480 g);
- six eggs;
- sugar (380 g);
- flour (680 g);
- salt (a third of a teaspoon);
- as much soda;
- lemon juice (1/2 tsp).
Beat eggs and sugar thoroughly in a container. Add soda, salt and lemon juice to the mass. And then we gradually interfere the cottage cheese. Next, fill the flour and knead the dough, it should turn out elastic. We divide the finished mass into equal parts and put them in the refrigerator. Thirty minutes later, we begin to roll one cake each and bake in the oven. If you want the cake to have even edges, then trim the edges of the cakes should be while they are hot. After cooling, they become very fragile.
Dessert cream
In the question of how to cook homemade "Napoleon" (photo is given in the article) we figured out a little. However, it is certainly worth remembering about the cream. Indeed, without it, dessert would not work. The classic option for Napoleon is butter and cream. Nevertheless, many housewives use custard. You yourself can choose the option that suits you based on your own preferences.
Custard in milk
If you are seriously thinking about how to cook "Napoleon", then, choosing a recipe for cakes, you must immediately choose a cream. As we already mentioned, one of the most common options is custard. There are a lot of options for its preparation. Each mistress has her own secrets of its preparation.
Ingredients:
- milk (liter);
- four eggs;
- flour (three tablespoons);
- a glass of sugar;
- oil (185 g).
We mix flour and sugar in a container, add eggs, and then grind the mass until smooth. Gradually pour a hot stream of hot milk. Thoroughly stir the mass, and then send to the most minimal fire. Boil the cream until pant. But at the same time, we do not stop mixing the mass with a wooden spoon for a second. After the cream has cooled slightly, add butter to it and stir until completely dissolved. After the cream, you need to beat until smooth.
Butter cream
How to make a Napoleon cake with butter cream? This dessert is the most delicious and at the same time the most high-calorie. But sometimes you can treat yourself to such a cake.
Ingredients:
- good quality butter (270 g);
- three eggs, sugar (a glass).
Mix eggs with sugar. We set the mass container in a pot with boiling liquid. Beat the cream until splendid. It will look like a sticky mass, which should increase in volume. Beat the butter until a smooth consistency is obtained, gradually add the cooled egg mixture in portions. As a result, we should get a beautiful shiny cream. Vanilla, citrus essence or alcohol can be added to it as a flavoring.
Custard Flavored Custard
The most common questions asked by the housewives when preparing a dessert: "How to cook" Napoleon "(see the photo of the cake in the article) and which cream to choose?" The taste of the finished dessert largely depends not only on the cakes, but also on the cream. The choice of filling depends on your preference. We already mentioned that butter cream has the most intense taste. In addition, he is very fat. Custards are light and airy. The recipe we offer allows you to cook a soft and tender mass that has a curd note in taste.
Ingredients:
- yolks (four pcs.);
- milk (550 ml.);
- flour (three tablespoons);
- sugar (half a glass);
- mascarpone (330 g).
The yolks with sugar must be ground until smooth. Add a little flour to the mass, then mix and pour the milk. We put the capacity on the fire and cook until thickened. After the mass has cooled slightly, add the mascarpone to it and whip the cream until smooth.
Butter cream
The easiest to prepare and also very tasty is a cream. In order for the cooking to be successful, you need to take thick cream of good quality. Instead of sugar, cooks recommend taking powdered sugar, as it harmonizes better with cream. You can add citrus essence, vanilla or a few drops of rum to the cream.
Ingredients:
- powdered sugar (glass);
- fat cream (half a liter).
Beat the cream with a mixer until lush foam is formed, then gradually introduce the powdered sugar. The cream is light and lush.
Additional accents
A classic cake can be varied with berry layers. So, for example, between the cakes you can apply a layer of currant puree, strawberry jam, lemon jam, etc. The main thing is that you like the berry mass to taste. It should not be much, because our task is to make a very light accent. Jam should not clog the cream. Experienced chefs recommend taking a mass of sweet and sour berries, as they skillfully neutralize excess sweetness in the dessert. An interesting version of "Napoleon" with a layer of their exotic fruits. For example, you can put slices of peeled kiwi in a cream between two cakes. In the summer, you can use apricots in the form of jelly or mashed potatoes. Bright color and flavor accent will add festiveness to the dessert.
Very well complement the taste of a delicate cake nuts. Almond petals or roasted hazelnuts are especially good.
Some housewives use chocolate for Napoleon, adding it to the dough, cream or as a decoration. Sometimes, for the preparation of a cake, several creams are used at once, alternating them between different cakes. This dessert has a rich taste.
But using poppy seeds for a cake is a rather unexpected option. Dried seeds crunch on the teeth with food. In our opinion, poppy is not the best option for Napoleon, but, oddly enough, it is often used and even added to the cream.
We have figured out the nuances of preparing "Napoleon" at home. With photos, the recipes are quite clear and simple. We hope the information we provide is helpful.