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Napoleon Cake (VIDEO)

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This Napoleon cake consists of rich custard and puff pastry cake base. You won’t believe how quick and easy it is to make.

If you love the taste of homemade custard, you might also enjoy our mini fruit tart recipe or our easy white chocolate creme brulees!

Baked puff pastry Napoleon cake with custard and berries on top

This recipe was originally posted on Aug 11, 2015, we’ve tweaked it a bit since then.

This recipe is my aunt Nelya’s recipe that has been a family favorite for years. I personally think Napoleon cake tastes best on the next day when the puff pastry has absorbed the cream. But if you don’t really like super moist cakes, eat it the day you make it.

DELICIOUS French desserts

Almond Pear Tart– With a shortbread crust, fresh pairs, and frangipane filling.

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Almond Croissants- Made from scratch, including the almond paste inside.

simple ingredients to make the easiest Napoleon cake ever

Napoleon Cake Recipe

  • egg yolks
  • granulated sugar
  • all-purpose flour
  • milk
  • vanilla extract
  • unsalted butter
  • cool whip, thawed
  • puff pastry sheets (Pepperidge Farm brand)

How to make Napoleon Cake

  • Beat eggs and sugar in a bowl. Then add flour and milk. Beat just until incorporated. Then slowly pour 3 cups of hot milk into the egg mixture, while stirring quickly.
  • Transfer to the cooktop and continue cooking over low heat until it thickens. Let the napoleon custard cool completely, then add the thawed cool whip and vanilla extract. Beat softened butter separately then fold it into the custard.
  • Bake 6 puff pastry sheets until golden brown and let them cool. Reserve 1 baked sheet and crumble it up. Layed the cream and cooled puff pastry, then coat the top and sides with the crumbled puff pastry crumbs.

napoleon cake custard in a bowl, baked puff pastry sheets

What is Napoleon Cake

Napoleon cake made of flaky buttery puff pastry and layered between a sweet vanilla custard. There are many variations of this cake. This recipe happens to be an easy and faster version since the puff pastry is storebought.

What to do with leftover egg whites?

Since this Napoleon cake calls for egg yolks, you’ll be left with 4 egg whites. You might want to make something as simple as these chocolate meringue cookies. Or maybe take up another baking challenge and make coffee macarons or raspberry macarons?

 

Watch how to make Napoleon Cake here:


4.84 from 6 votes
Print
Napoleon Cake
Prep Time
45 mins
Cook Time
30 mins
Total Time
1 hr 15 mins
 

An easy Russian-Frech inspired Napoleon Cake recipe that is made with baked puff pastry sheets and layered between a rich custard cream.

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: French, Russian
Keyword: Napoleon Cake
Servings: 18
Calories: 562 kcal
Author: Dina from simplyhomecooked.com
Ingredients
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 4 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 3 1/2 cups milk divided
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 4 oz cool whip thawed
  • 3 1lb packages puff pastry (Pepperidge Farm brand)
Instructions
  1. In a bowl, beat the eggs and sugar using an electric mixer.
  2. Add the flour to the eggs, then blend in 1/2 cup milk.
  3. Add 3 cups of milk into a saucepan and bring to a slight simmer, but don't let it boil.
  4. Slowly pour the egg mixture into the hot milk while stirring constantly with a whisk.
  5. Transfer the saucepan back to the burner and heat over low heat. Make sure to constantly stir until the custard thickens. Remove the custard from the heat and let it cool completely.
  6. Thaw out each sheet of puff pastry and place onto a floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll each sheet out to a 12 x 16 inch rectangle.
  7. Using the rolling pin, transfer the puff pastry sheet onto a baking sheet. Then generously puncture the puff pastry with a fork.

  8. Bake in a 400 Fahrenheit degree oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

  9. Once the custard has cooled completely add in the vanilla and thawed cool whip.
  10. Lastly, beat the softened butter with an electric mixer and blend it into the custard.
  11. Divide the cream amongst 5 layered puff pastry sheets and reserve the 6th sheet.
  12. Crumble the reserved puff pastry sheet and coat the top and sides of the cake with it. At this point you can either leave the cake as is or decorate it with fresh berries.
Nutrition Facts
Napoleon Cake
Amount Per Serving
Calories 562 Calories from Fat 324
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 36g 55%
Saturated Fat 11g 55%
Cholesterol 62mg 21%
Sodium 215mg 9%
Potassium 119mg 3%
Total Carbohydrates 50g 17%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Sugars 15g
Protein 8g 16%
Vitamin A 6.1%
Calcium 7.5%
Iron 11.9%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

 

napoleon-cakeNapoleon-cake

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Tatiana says

    March 22, 2019 at 10:04 pm


    Loved it I was actually able to incorporate some caramel I was not able to stick the flakes On the side ): helobme thanks !

    Reply

    • simplyhomecooked says

      March 25, 2019 at 1:46 am

      Thank you for the kind feedback, Tatiana! I’m happy to hear that you enjoyed my Napoleon Cake recipe!

      Reply

    • simplyhomecooked says

      April 1, 2018 at 1:23 am

      Hi Antonella, the butter is added at the end because you don’t want to melt it at any point. That will change the entire consistency of the custard. When the butter is added in in it’s softened form, it helps the custard stiffen.

      Reply

  4. Sana says

    December 7, 2017 at 12:15 pm

    Looks really good i hv to make it for my husband bday.just wanted to ask can i make it a night before bday party .or will it become soft soggy? Thanks

    Reply

    • simplyhomecooked says

      March 28, 2016 at 6:45 pm

      An electric mixer is definitely the preferred method. If you use a whisk to blend everything, the butter might be kind of lumpy.

      Reply

  9. Kerri says

    February 4, 2016 at 5:24 am

    Do I store the completed cake in the fridge until ready to serve? I want to make it the day before my party. Thanks

    Reply

    • simplyhomecooked says

      February 4, 2016 at 9:41 am

      Kerri let the cake sit in room temperature for 2-3 hours after you finish it. Then refrigerate it until your party. letting it sit in room temperature for a few hours helps the custard soak into the cake layers better.

      Reply

    • simplyhomecooked says

      January 25, 2016 at 4:27 pm

      I spread some of the custard on the outside on the cake and sprinkled the crumbled puff pastry on top.

      Reply

  12. Ana Rodriguez says

    November 29, 2015 at 7:21 am

    For like 10 minutes. But I’m not sure what happened. Maybe because I didn’t use whole milk 🙁 I’m going to try again today 🙂

    Reply

    • simplyhomecooked says

      November 29, 2015 at 10:31 pm

      It should have thickened by 10 minutes. Try using whole milk this time 🙂 If the heat was really low, that may have also caused it to take a longer to thicken. But make sure it doesn’t boil, that could scramble the eggs.

      Reply

  14. Mariya says

    August 12, 2015 at 8:49 am


    Very nice to find this recipe especially since it uses the premade puff pastry that way it’s even easier and faster to make! However I think something went wrong while you were posting this because the pictures are kinda flipped around.. I mean they’re not really in the order I think they were supposed to be in

    Reply

    • simplyhomecooked says

      August 13, 2015 at 12:10 am

      Thank you Mariya 🙂 By any chance, are you viewing the recipe on your phone? I’ve noticed sometimes the mobile version of my site will glitch and flip around pictures. :/ I’m working on getting that fixed. Thank you for letting me know 🙂

      Reply

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