How to make a simple layer cake. How to make puff pastry at home for Napoleon cake and other baked goods. Puff pastry

Puff pastry cake

Delicious and easy homemade cake.

Guys, if you really don’t have time, but want to bake a delicious cake in a hurry, then this recipe is for you!

Puff pastry cake with prunes and simple buttercream - very tasty and elegant. Especially if you decorate it with candied fruits or marmalade. Or you can use simple jam or fresh berries!

If you don’t have prunes, you can replace them with nuts (walnuts, almonds or hazelnuts) or candied fruits. Or you can do without additives altogether and make a cake only from puff pastry (store-bought dough) and cream. And you will have a holiday!

It seems to me that such a cake can decorate and delight you with its taste, appearance and ease of preparation.

What do you need for the cake?

for 8 servings

Yeast puff pastry (store bought) – 500 g;
Butter – 300 g;
Powdered sugar – 3 tablespoons;
Prunes – 0.5 cups;
Marmalade or candied fruits for decoration – 100 g.

How to do

Prepare puff pastry crusts

Thaw puff pastry according to package instructions. Then roll it out so that its area doubles.

On the left is the dough in its original size, on the right is the rolled out layer.

Cut out the cakes using a knife and plate. Combine the dough scraps and roll them out too. Or, you can make square cakes, then there will be no scraps.

We use a knife to trace the contour of the plate - this is how we get the cake layer. The scraps can be rolled out into a 5th cake layer.

Line a baking tray with baking paper (parchment) and place the cakes on it. Bake in a preheated oven at a temperature 200 degrees C. The cakes bake very quickly. As soon as they brown a little, remove from the oven.

My cake diameter was about 20-22 cm and 2 layers were placed on the baking sheet at a time.

Ready-made cakes should not be left unattended - they must be covered with a towel or napkin to prevent them from drying out.

Prepare prunes for cake filling

Rinse prunes in warm water. Dry, cut into small pieces. If the prunes are dry, soak them in warm water in advance.

Prepare buttercream with powdered sugar

Soften the butter - let it sit at room temperature and melt. Take it out of the refrigerator in advance.
Beat butter and powdered sugar into cream. The readiness of the cream is determined by its homogeneous structure; the finished whipped butter cream lays out in beautiful waves.

I even slightly heated the butter in a water bath, combined it with powdered sugar and then beat it. But you can simply whip the cream in the traditional way, without heating the oil.

Assemble a cake from puff pastries and butter cream with prunes

Coat the cakes one by one with cream and stack them on top of each other. Place prunes on one of the cakes (in the middle).
The top cake, greased with cream, can be decorated with colored marmalade or candied fruits. I cut out flowers and leaves from marmalade - traditional Easter symbols. Which, however, will please the eye on any other holiday.

Homemade puff pastry cake with buttercream is ready!

Let the cake sit

Cover the finished cake so that it does not dry out and put it in the refrigerator for 8-10 hours. During this time, our close relative will become saturated and become even more beautiful. Because frosted and lightly sugared marmalade or candied fruits will be moistened under the lid and will become bright and shiny!

This is what the marmalade on the cake looks like after a night of infusion in a cool place.

Delicious piece. Delicious!

How to make buttercream with prunes

Some people really like not just a layer between the cream and prune cakes, but straight cream in which the prunes are dissolved in oil.

To do this, you can whip the cream by pouring pieces of prunes into a food processor. During the process of preparing the buttercream, the prunes will disperse and the cream will turn out exceptionally tender, not very greasy... lighter than usual. You can read more about this in. It's also very tasty.

You can also add banana instead of prunes - as a layer, or directly into the cream.

Big and small)))

How to replace powdered sugar in cream

If you don't have powdered sugar, you can use regular sugar for the cream. It will just take longer to dissolve. And if the butter is bad (fake and does not whip well), then it will be a complete hassle and frustration.

Powdered sugar is already a powder that easily combines with butter and does not squeak on the teeth.

In addition, for butter cream, you can take 1 can of condensed milk (regular or boiled) for the same amount of butter (300 g). And beat everything together until done.

But for those who cannot tolerate milk, the option of cream made from butter and condensed milk is not suitable. Powdered sugar in all cases is a more reliable and suitable product for most people.

Very tasty cake. And, most importantly, it prepares quickly.

What kind of cream can be prepared for puff pastries?

If you have little butter, but have sour cream, sour cream - made from sour cream and sugar/powdered sugar - is suitable for puff pastries. Take 400 g of sour cream (20-25% fat) and mix with 3-4 tablespoons of sugar. If you think there is not enough sugar, add more.

Instead of sugar, you can mix sour cream with sweet blackcurrant jam. And you will get sour cream with black currants. If there is not enough sugar, sweeten it.

Sour cream cream for puff pastries turns out like a juicy impregnation. And the cakes are no longer dense, palpable, as in the version of a cake with butter cream, but pliable - juicy. Soft. Some call this version of Napoleon cake - Wet Napoleon))

It's also very tasty.

Butter cream can be combined with cottage cheese - as in. You don't have to add chocolate, but it's delicious.

Eat me!

Well, you understand that the cake does not have to be round - the simplest shape of a puff pastry cake is square.

You can make a cake like this too!

It’s even a pity to take out a piece!

Recipes for making cakes at home with photos

4 hours

380 kcal

5/5 (5)

I first encountered puff pastry when my mother baked a special cake for my fifth birthday. Cooking it was like a sacrament, and the smell, taste and appearance of the finished “Napoleon” were forever imprinted in my memory, as was my love for this cake (although at that time I only got one piece). Since then, I have tried many different desserts and cakes and I can safely say that the most delicious cakes are made from puff pastry. In my family, everyone has their own favorite Napoleon recipe, and a birthday without this cake is not a birthday!

The first cake called “Napoleon” appeared in 1912 in Moscow, when they celebrated the 100th anniversary of the victory over France. It was then that people first saw puff pastries with cream in the shape of the emperor's cocked hat. In France, a similar cake is called “1000 layers”.

I want to offer two recipes: the first for those who adore this cake, but are afraid of gaining weight - a puff pastry cake with sour cream, and the second (quick option) - for those who do not have the conditions to fully prepare the cake, but do not have the strength to refuse from “Napoleon” (I prepared this in the army and in the student dormitory).

Kitchen appliances and utensils: first option - mixer (whisk), sieve, deep bowl, cling film, oven with baking sheet, parchment, large knife, spoon, rolling pin, fork, dish; the second option is an oven with a baking sheet, parchment paper, a deep bowl, a rolling pin, a spoon, a fork, a mixer (or whisk), and a dish.

Required Products

First option.

For the test:

For cream:

Second option.

The cake is baked from ready-made puff pastry:

For cream:

Features of product selection

In the first option, you should pay attention to sour cream. The sour cream should be thicker (it will whip better).

To prepare a “quick” cake, you will need ready-made puff pastry. Napoleon cake is not made from puff pastry, therefore, when purchasing, you should pay attention to the inscriptions on the packaging, it should be “puff-free yeast-free” or simply “puff”.

The assortment is large, but when choosing, you should keep in mind that the dough, rolled into a tube, is very thin (you can hardly roll it out).

Layered Napoleon cake with butter and condensed milk cream can be stored in the freezer for seven days - this will not affect the taste. To defrost, you can simply leave it in the room for 2-3 hours or put it in the refrigerator overnight.

It is better to purchase condensed milk already boiled (like “Toffee”).

How to make puff pastry cake at home

In the first version, a puff pastry cake is prepared at home according to the full program: with preparing dough and cream, baking cakes, etc. In the second version, there is no need to mess with flour - the dough is already ready.

First option. First prepare the dough:

mix vinegar with water.
beat eggs with salt, add vinegar water.

Cut the butter and margarine into small pieces and place in the flour sifted on the table.

cut the butter with flour with a knife (at the end of the operation, knead small pieces with your fingers).

Form a mound of flour, make a hole and pour in the egg mixture.

knead the dough. Divide it into 12 parts. Roll each into a ball, wrap in film and put in the refrigerator for an hour and a half.

Option 2

Cooking time: 1.5 hours.

This is a “quick” puff pastry cake - there is no need to make the dough, but it should be prepared in advance for baking:

Open the package and leave to defrost at room temperature.
After defrosting, carefully unfold the rolls and cut into equal parts (3-4).

Before you make a cake from ready-made puff pastry, you need to defrost it properly. Frozen puff pastry should not be thawed in the microwave. The dough dries out under the influence of waves, changes its structure and becomes unusable.

The second stage of preparing a puff pastry cake is baking the cake layers. While the dough is in the refrigerator/defrosting, preheat the oven to 200 degrees.

Roll out a piece of dough (remove from the refrigerator one at a time) with a rolling pin (as thin as possible - up to 2-3 mm).

Place the dough on a baking sheet and cut out a circle to fit the size of the dish (plate, pan, etc.).

Prick the dough with a fork in different places (to prevent it from bubbling during baking) and place in the oven.

bake each puff pastry cake layer for 7-10 minutes (the recipe with photo shows that the time depends on the thickness of the cake). The crust should be crispy and golden brown.

Puff pastry cream recipe

Sour cream for puff pastry cake is very simple to prepare: mix sour cream with powdered sugar and vanilla, beat with a mixer or whisk.

The cream for the “quick” version is made in several steps:

Mix the butterscotch and softened butter with a mixer (at low speed).

Whip the cream in a separate container (pre-cooled) until it becomes thick.

Combine the cream with the butter-toffee mixture and mix thoroughly.

When whipping cream, you should not get carried away - if you overdo it, the cream will turn into butter.

When baking a puff pastry cake, you should pay special attention to soaking it in cream, because the filling largely determines the taste of the future dessert.

The cakes have cooled, the cream is ready, and you can proceed to the next step:

Apply the cream to the cake layer, place the next one on top, apply the cream again and do this with all the cake layers. Grease the sides of the cake with cream. The layer cake should be well coated (you can see this step by step in the recipe with photos).

Before you start greasing the cakes, part of the cream should be set aside, otherwise you can get carried away and use up the entire supply on the cakes. This cream will be needed for the final decoration of the cake.

put the cake in the refrigerator for better soaking. It will acquire softness and a more even shape. It is advisable to cover the cake so that it does not absorb odors.
Do not soak the cake scraps remaining after baking with cream and do not put them in the refrigerator - they should retain their crispness.

How to beautifully decorate and serve a puff pastry cake

The final stage is cake design. A layer cake (as the recipe prescribes) is easy to make at home. For convenience, the bottom of the dish should be covered with strips of parchment (this will protect the edges of the dish from drops, drips of cream, and crumbs). After removing the cake from the refrigerator, you must:

place on a dish and spread the remaining cream on those places where it is completely absorbed or where there are cracks;

chop the reserved scraps into crumbs and sprinkle them over the entire cake (starting from the sides);

Not every housewife can boast of the ability to bake a delicious Napoleon cake. To prepare homemade puff pastry, you need to have special skills and follow the recipe exactly. Modern sweet tooths are lucky, since their favorite cake can be prepared from dough prepared by professional confectioners. Accordingly, the risk of failure is minimal. The housewife only needs to roll out the dough and prepare the custard herself.

Cake recipe made from store-bought puff pastry

Ingredients for cooking:

1 package of puff pastry without yeast (1 kg);
100 g chopped walnuts for decoration.

a) If you decide to cook it yourself:

4 eggs;
liter carton of milk;
2 cups sugar;
3 spoons of flour.

b) Using dry concentrate:

3 packs of custard;
1 liter of milk.

Sequence of cake preparation

Frozen dough must be gradually heated. In the warm season, the mass is defrosted on the way from the store. If this does not happen, transfer the dough from the freezer to the refrigerator overnight. An hour before cooking, expose to air.
Remove the packaging and divide the strip into 8 equal parts.
Each strip must be divided in half to make 16 cakes.
The shortbread should be rolled out as thin as possible. The shape must be selected to match the size of the baking sheets. When forming the cakes, the table and rolling pin are thoroughly sprinkled with flour.
Place parchment paper on the baking container, lay out the crust and sprinkle with flour. Before baking, the layers must be pierced with a fork to make the cakes airy.
Place the baking sheet in the oven, preheated to 200 degrees. The cakes are baked for 5-12 minutes.
Once the cakes have turned golden brown, remove them from the oven. All 16 servings are prepared in this way.

Preparation of cream:

A) On your own:

Beat eggs with sugar in a blender to prepare a homogeneous mass.
The milk is heated over low heat. A mixture of eggs and sugar is gradually added to it.
To ensure that the cream does not burn and that the mixture is homogeneous, the mixture must be stirred throughout cooking.
Flour is gradually added to the cream after the egg-sugar mass.
After boiling, the cream should be removed from the stove and cooled.

B) From the finished concentrate:

Each custard package describes the preparation method in detail.

Pour the composition of the sachet into cold milk and bring to a boil over low heat. In order to prevent the appearance of lumps, the ingredients can be blended with a blender before brewing. As a rule, 1 sachet of dry cream is designed for 250-300 ml of milk.
The resulting mass is generously applied to the cooled cakes.

For Napoleon puff with custard, leave 1 cake layer for decoration. It is pre-crushed and mixed with nuts.

The cake is served on the table a few hours later. The cakes should be thoroughly soaked in cream.

The Napoleon layer cake first appeared in the late 19th century. French confectioners originally prepared it in the form of a cake decorated with custard, whipped cream and strawberries. Modern masters add new ingredients to an old recipe. Now, you can try the cake with butter cream or condensed milk. At home, Napoleon cake is most often prepared from ready-made puff pastry with custard or according to old grandmother's recipes.

Cut the dough using sharp movements with a sharp knife. Otherwise, the cakes will not be thin and crispy;
The dough should not be allowed to re-freeze;
The cakes must be baked on baking paper without fat;
It is strictly forbidden to put the dough in a cold oven;
To soak the cake faster, you can place a cutting board on top. At the same time, you should not press so as not to deform or squeeze out the cream;
Smart housewives prepare the cakes the day before making the cake. This is very convenient on holidays when you need to prepare a large number of dishes.

Often, homemade Napoleon differs from the one purchased in a candy store by the lack of crunch and too thick cake layers. In order for the cake to turn out perfect, and for the guests to ask for the recipe, you must follow all the recommendations and start cooking in a good mood.

Step 1: Prepare puff pastry cakes.

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
Lay out the puff pastry in advance and let it thaw at room temperature. When the dough is soft enough, roll it out into layers the thickness of which does not exceed 2 millimeters. Cut the sheets into equal parts. They can be square or rectangular in shape. Trim any jagged edges.
Take turns baking puff pastry cakes in the oven until golden brown, usually it takes 7-15 minutes.
Remove the finished cakes from the oven and cool. If you wish, you can divide each of them in half lengthwise. Since our dough is yeast, the cakes will turn out fluffy and voluminous, so if they are not cut, they will be less saturated with cream.

Step 2: Prepare the cream.

While the cakes are cooling, prepare the cream. To do this, beat the chilled cream with a mixer until it becomes thick sour cream. Then gradually, without stopping the mixer, pour condensed milk into the cream. Whisk everything together. The cream should “remember” the shape of the whisk well, when this happens, stop whipping it, everything is ready.

Step 3: Assemble the puff pastry cake.

Place the first puff pastry crust on a plate and coat it well with the whipped cream. In the process, determine and correlate the number of cakes and cream, and how much cream you use per layer. Make sure there is enough whipped cream to cover all the cake layers.

Place washed and stemmed fresh berries on top of the cream. In this case, especially large ones, such as strawberries, can be cut into thin slices. Cover the layer of berries with the second cake layer.
Repeat all layers one after another in the same order until you have assembled the entire cake. If you have any cream left, spread it over the top layer and the entire sides of the cake.
Now hide all this beauty in the refrigerator and let your cake brew for 4-5 hours, and then serve it to the table.

Step 4: Serve the puff pastry cake.

Puff pastry cake is an airy delight. Serve it as a dessert. It goes perfectly with strong black or green tea without sugar, as well as aromatic coffee. You can treat yourself and your family to this cake for breakfast by preparing it the night before. It's not very nutritious, but it's a great mood lifter!
Bon appetit!

You can also use canned or caramelized fruits as a filling.

If your nearest store does not have cream of suitable fat content, replace it with full-fat sour cream; the taste will be slightly different, but still tender and sweet.

If you sprinkle the cakes with sugar before baking, they will form an appetizing sweet crust, which will add zest to the cake.