This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy. One of my readers, Natalia wrote in with this old family recipe for Napoleon cake (Mille-feuille). I doubled this recipe to make a large Napoleon cake for our Mother’s Day church potluck and there was not a slice left! Thank you Natalia for sharing this family recipe! I don’t claim to be a professional cake decorator, so I’m sure you can make it much prettier than mine, but non-the-less, it was смачненьке (delicious)!! This cake is best served the following day after the cake layers have had a chance to soften from the cream.
Ingredients for Napoleon Cake:
1 lb package of Puff Pastry (Pepperidge Farm brand), thawed according to package instructions. 2 eggs 1 cup light brown sugar (or 1/2 brown sugar, 1/2 white sugar) 1/2 cup milk 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour *measured correctly 1/2 lb (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 1/2 tsp vanilla powder, optional 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
You will need:
1 large sheet of parchment paper.
How to Make Napoleon Cake Cream:
- Whisk 2 eggs and 1 cup light brown sugar in a medium sauce pan – do not beat, just mix.
2. Whisk in milk and flour and put the pot on medium-low heat
Cook the mixture, stirring occasionally – (stir more often towards the end so it doesn’t get lumpy) until it becomes thick, like pudding (approx 15-17 minutes).
Remove from heat and let it cool for 15 to 20 minutes. Prep the puff pastry in the mean time.
Once the mixture has cooled a little, add softened butter to the cream and beat the mixture on medium/high speed for a few minutes. Add 1/2 tsp vanilla powder. The cream is ready.
How to Make Napoleon Cake Layers:
Preheat the oven to 400 ˚ F.
Roll 1 of the puff pastry sheets onto a large sheet of parchment paper until the dough is double in size and nearly see-through. Thinner is better!
Cut the rolled out sheet into 4 equal squares (about 6″x6″ each).
Poke Holes all over the top of the pastry or it will puff up. Make sure to really poke all the way through the dough.
Place the parchment paper with dough onto a large cookie sheet. Bake at 400˚ F for 12-13 minutes or until tops are golden. These are easy to burn so keep an eye on them! Set pastry aside, and place the same parchment paper on a cool surface. Re-use the paper to roll out and bake the next sheet of pastry. Repeat steps 1 through 3 for the second sheet of pastry dough.
Once the frosting is finished, assemble the cake by placing 2 sheets of pastry side by side and spreading a generous amount of cream over the top. Repeat with all of the pastry. Before glazing the top, gently press down on the cake to make it more compact.
To make the topping, Trim the edges of the cake to make it more uniform. Crumble the cut-off sections and sprinkle over the top. (If cut-off pieces do not crumble easily, you may need to bake them until they are browned). Sprinkle 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts evenly over the top.
Notes: My photos are for a double size of this cake. This recipe is for a smaller rectangular cake. You can make a larger cake by exactly doubling the ingredients. Cover and refrigerate the napoleon cake overnight then let it stand at room temperature about 2 hours to soften prior to serving. This cake is best served the following the next day after the cake layers have had a chance to soften from the cream overnight.
