Napoleon Cake Recipe | Russian Torte Napoleon

What Is a Napoleon Cake? 

If you’re unfamiliar, Napoleon cake, also known as Торт Наполеон or a Russian Napoleon torte, is a classic Russian dessert made with very thin layers of puff pastry and cream. The cake can feature as many as 15 layers and is often topped with a sprinkle of puff pastry crumbs. 

Once combined, Russian Napoleon cake is left to chill overnight. This softens the layers, creating a tender, moist bite full of rich, sweet flavor. 

You can also find French Napoleon cake recipes. The two desserts are very similar but are not quite the same things. For instance, the French version typically has only three layers and does not include the crumb sprinkled on top. As a result of the extra layers, Russian Napoleon cakes tend to be slightly sweeter. 

Why You’ll Love This Napoleon Cake Recipe 

The first Russian Napoleon torte was made in 1912 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Russia’s victory over Napoleon and his troops. Here are a few reasons it has remained a popular dessert: 

• 😋Delicious Flavor: Every bite is sweet, buttery, and infused with vanilla flavor without being overpowering. 
• 🍰Unique Texture: The custard’s smooth, creamy texture pairs wonderfully with the flakiness of the pastry.
• 👨🏻‍🍳Assembly: This dessert requires a bit of planning but is simple to prepare. Just create the components, layer, bake, and chill. 
• 📸Picture-Worthy Appearance: Once sliced, the cake features alternating layers of cream and pastry with a beautiful crumb, making it look like it came from a fancy bakery. 
• 🍽️Perfect for a Crowd: Due to the rich flavor, a little goes a long way, meaning you can get at least 12 servings from one cake, which is plenty for a gathering! 

What is Napoleon Cake Made Of? 

• All-Purpose Flour: The foundation of the dough. 
• Butter: Adds rich flavor to the dough and cream and creates the flakey consistency we want in the pastry. 
• Eggs: Whole eggs add structure to the dough and egg yolks enhance the flavor of the cream. 
• Ice Water: This is key to creating light, flakey dough! 
• White Vinegar: This limits gluten development, creating a more tender, flakey dough.  
• Salt: Enhances the flavor of the dessert. 
• Cornstarch: Helps thicken the cream. 
• Milk: Forms the base of the cream. Use full-fat milk or even heavy cream for the richest taste and smoothest consistency. 
• Granulated Sugar: Sweetens the cream.
• Vanilla Extract: Enhances the cream, infusing it with a delicious vanilla flavor. 

This is just a short review of the ingredients; for the complete recipe, including quantities, scroll down to the recipe card 👇

How to Make a Russian Napoleon 

Here is an overview of how to make a traditional Russian Napoleon cake recipe: 

1. Prepare the Dough

• Whisk the wet ingredients: In a small bowl, whisk eggs, water, vinegar, and salt until smooth. 
• Add the dry ingredients: Place the flour, salt, and butter in a food processor, and pulse until crumbs form. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl, add the wet ingredients, and mix until a smooth dough forms. 
• Shape the dough: Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface, and use your hands to knead until smooth. Then, divide the dough into 10 to 12 equal parts, and shape them into balls. 
• Chill: Wrap each ball of dough with plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for 1 hour. 

2. Make the Cream

• Combine: In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch until smooth. Then, heat the milk in a medium saucepan, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat. 
• Temper the eggs: Gradually add the hot milk to the egg yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Once combined, pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan, and heat over medium-low, stirring frequently until it thickens. 
• Flavor: Remove the saucepan from the heat, and stir in the butter and vanilla extract until smooth. Cover the pan with plastic wrap, and set it aside to cool completely.

3. Assemble the Cake

• Roll out the dough: On a sheet of parchment paper, roll each chilled dough ball into a very thin layer. Trim each portion with an 8-inch cake pan, and pierce them with a fork. 
• Bake: Working in batches, place the dough on a baking sheet, transfer it to a preheated oven, and bake at 375F until slightly golden brown. Cool to room temperature, and keep any leftover dough for later. 
• Layer the ingredients: Once the dough layers are cool, spread about three tablespoons of cream on one sheet. Then, stack a second layer of dough on top, and repeat until you have 12 layers. 
• Top: Spread extra cream on the top and sides of the cake. Then, place any leftover dough in a food processor, and pulse to form fine crumbs. Spread the crumbs on the top and sides of the cake. 
• Chill: Refrigerate the Napoleon cake overnight, and enjoy! 

🥚Don’t Toss Out The Egg Whites 

The cream requires six egg yolks, which means you’ll be left with six unused egg whites, too. You don’t have to toss them out, though! Instead, use them to make a pavlova recipe, meringue kiss cookies, or torrone.  

Tips and Tricks

• Avoid Boiling the Milk: Be careful not to let the milk come to a boil when heating. Otherwise, the eggs will scramble. 
• Make the Dough By Hand: If you don’t have a food processor, feel free to combine the ingredients in a bowl, and mix by hand. 
• Avoid Overbaking: Only bake up to two layers of dough at once, working in batches and keeping a close eye on the oven to ensure even baking. 
• Cool the Dough: Allow your dough layers to cool completely before assembling the cake. Otherwise, the cream is likely to melt. 
• Plan Ahead: Napoleon cake must be refrigerated overnight to achieve the soft consistency you want. So, make sure to plan ahead, and allow plenty of time for the assembled cake to chill before serving. 
• Adjust the Layers: Feel free to use as many or as few layers as you like. However, I don’t recommend adding more than 16 layers to your cake or it’s likely to crumble and fall apart. 

Make Ahead and Storage

• Make Ahead: It’s best to prepare this Russian Napoleon cake recipe a day in advance so that it has plenty of time to chill and soften. To do so, follow the recipe as written, wrap the cake tightly with plastic wrap, or cover it with a cake dome. Then, transfer it to the fridge to chill overnight. 
• Store: Once assembled, you can store the cake covered in the fridge for 2-3 days. 
• Freeze: Cover the cake with plastic wrap followed by aluminum foil. Then, transfer it to the freezer for up to 1 year. Thaw in the fridge to serve. 

Serving Suggestions

Napoleon cake is traditionally served as is with just the crumb coating. However, feel free to get creative with additional toppings like powdered sugar, whipped cream, fresh fruit, chocolate shavings, or a drizzle of caramel sauce. 

Then, enjoy it on its own. Or, pair it with dalgona coffee, dalgona mocha coffee, or Italian hot chocolate. It also makes for a great addition to dessert platters alongside Russian honey spice cookies, French macarons, and almond cookies! 

Frequently Asked Questions 

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