This Easy Napoleon Cake recipe consists of rich custard and flaky 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!
Table Of Contents
Recipe Details
This Easy Napoleon Cake recipe is my aunt Nelya’s and has been a family favorite for many years. I just love the simplicity of it, as well as the creamy custard and flaky cake layers.
- TASTE: The custard in this Napoleon Cake is creamy, buttery, and sweet – but not too sweet. It’s perfectly rich.
- TEXTURE: The custard’s smooth, rich texture works really well with the flakiness of the Napoleon’s pastry layers.
- TIME: This cake will take 1 hour and 15 minutes.
- EASE: With store-bought puff pastry and just a handful of ingredients, this Napoleon Cake has never been easier to make.
What You’ll Need
Ingredient Notes
- Puff pastry sheets- For this quick and easy Napoleon recipe, you will need store-bought puff pastry sheets (Pepperidge Farm brand).
- Eggs- We are just using the yolks here so separate them carefully for the custard.
- Whipped topping- I like the extra creamy type because you want a really rich custard.
Add-ins and Substitutions
- Substitute pudding for custard- If you want to really make this easy, you can substitute vanilla pudding mix for the custard. The taste will be a bit different though.
- Add icing- Top this Napoleon Cake with vanilla and chocolate icing lines, dragging a knife through them to create a wavy look.
- Substitute the milk- For a richer and thicker custard, you can use heavy cream or condensed milk in place of the milk.
- Make it allergen-friendly- Substitute the milk and whipped cream for coconut milk-based ones, the butter for a plant-based version, and the puff pastry and flour with gluten-free options.
How to Make Easy Napoleon Cake
- Start the custard. Beat the eggs and sugar in a large bowl. Then add the flour and milk. Beat just until incorporated.
- Add the hot milk. Then slowly pour the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture, while stirring quickly.
- Add remaining ingredients to the pastry cream. Transfer it to the cooktop and continue cooking over low heat until it thickens. Let the napoleon custard cool completely.
- Thaw and prepare the puff pastry. Thaw out each sheet of puff pastry and place onto a floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll them out and then transfer them onto a baking sheet. Generously puncture the puff pastry with a fork.
- Bake. Bake in a 400 Fahrenheit degree oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
Pro Tip: Use the rolling pin to roll up the puff pastry and transfer it to the baking sheet.
- Add the butter to the custard. Once the custard has cooled completely, add in the softened butter, but only 2 Tbsp at a time while mixing in between to prevent separation.
- Finish the custard. Lastly, add in the vanilla and thawed cool whip. Mix to combine..
- Assemble the Napoleon cake. Divide the cream amongst the 5 layers of pastry sheets and reserve the 6th puff pastry sheet for topping.
- Add crumbles to cake. Crumble the reserved puff pastry sheet and coat the top and sides of the cake with the crumbs. Serve as is or decorate it with fresh berries.
Recipe Tips
- Stir the hot milk into the eggs quickly- Stir quickly while slowly adding the hot milk because you don’t want to scramble the eggs.
- Add the butter a little at a time- When adding the butter to the custard, mix in a couple of tablespoons at a time to avoid separation.
- Thin out the custard- If your Napoleon custard has turned out too thick, then thin it out by mixing in some more milk, or even folding in some whipped cream.
- Use the leftover egg whites- Since this recipe only needs egg yolks, use the leftover whites to make Raspberry Macarons or Chocolate Meringue Cookies.
FAQs
Napoleon cake is made of flaky, buttery puff pastry layered between sweet vanilla custard. It’s then chilled to allow the pastry layers to absorb some of the cream. There are many variations of this cake. This recipe happens to be an easy and faster version since the pastry sheets are store-bought.
If your custard was too warm when you incorporated the butter, this causes curdling and separation. The best thing to do is quickly cook it when this happens, placing the bowl of Napoleon custard in an ice bath and whisking vigorously until it re-incorporates.
Serving Suggestions
This Easy Napoleon Cake is a delicious dessert to serve because it goes well with so many others. Pair it with other desserts, cookies, or coffee drinks.
- Cookies: Serve this cake with some Chocolate Meringue Cookies, Linzer Cookies with Raspberry Jam, Meringue Cookies with Berries and Cream, or Cookies And Cream Cookies.
- Pies: Pair this berry-topped Napoleon Cake with fruit-filled pies, like Blueberry Pie, Homemade Apple Pie, Perfect Peach Pie, or Simple Cherry Pie.
- Macarons: Enjoy this French dessert with some Chocolate Macarons, Lemon Macarons, Coffee Macarons, or Raspberry Macarons.
- Beverages: Have a slice of this cake with a Pumpkin Spice Latte, Caramel Frappuccino (Starbucks Copycat), Iced Caramel Macchiato, or Hot Chocolate.
Make This Recipe in Advance
Make ahead: I personally think a Napoleon tastes best the next day when the puff pastry has absorbed the custard. So go ahead and make this cake a day ahead of time and carefully wrap it with plastic wrap or cover it with a cake dome and store it in the fridge until you serve it.
Storing: If you don’t really like super moist cakes, eat this one the day you make it. But to store it, first allow it to sit out for 1-2 hours so the custard can absorb a little into the pastry. Then cover with plastic wrap or place in an airtight container and refrigerate for 2-3 days.
Freeze: If you choose to freeze it, it will keep for about a year in an airtight container. Just thaw the Napoleon cake overnight when you are ready to eat it.
More Delicious French Desserts!
Watch how to make Napoleon Cake here:
Full Recipe Instructions
Easy Napoleon Cake
Equipment
- 1 saucepan
Ingredients
- 4 egg yolks
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 4 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 3 1/2 cups whole milk divided
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
- 4 oz cool whip thawed
- 3 lb puff pastry (Pepperidge Farm brand)
Instructions
- In a bowl, beat the eggs and sugar using an electric mixer.
- Mix the flour into the eggs, then blend in 1/2 cup of milk.
- Add 3 cups of milk into a saucepan and bring to a slight simmer, but don't let it boil.
- Slowly pour the hot milk into the egg mixture while stirring constantly with a whisk.
- Transfer the custard into the same saucepan and place it back onto the burner and heat over medium-low heat. Make sure to constantly stir until the custard thickens. This can take up to 15 minutes, so be patient. Remove the custard from the heat and place plastic wrap right on top of the custard to prevent a crust from forming. Let it cool completely.
- 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.
- Using the rolling pin, transfer the puff pastry sheet onto a baking sheet. Then generously puncture the puff pastry with a fork.
- Bake in a 400 Fahrenheit degree oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown.
- Once the custard has cooled completely, add in the softened butter but only 2 Tbsp at a time with mixing in between. This will help prevent separation.
- Lastly, add in the vanilla and thawed cool whip. Mix just to combine and the custard is done.
- Divide the cream amongst 5 layers of puff baked pastry sheets and reserve the 6th sheet.
- 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.
Notes
- Stir the hot milk into the eggs quickly- Stir quickly while slowly adding the hot milk because you don’t want to scramble the eggs.
- Add the butter a little at a time- When adding the butter to the custard, mix in a couple of tablespoons at a time to avoid separation.
- Thin out the custard- If your Napoleon custard has turned out too thick, then thin it out by mixing in some more milk, or even folding in some whipped cream.
- Use the leftover egg whites- Since this recipe only needs egg yolks, use the leftover whites to make Raspberry Macarons or Chocolate Meringue Cookies.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally posted on Aug 11, 2015, we’ve tweaked it a bit since then.
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Sandy says
Thank you I will make this delicious cake!!!
Dina says
Enjoy! 🙂
Savannah says
My custard turned out thick but when I added the cool whip it became very thin. Is this supposed to happen?
Dina says
Yes that is totally normal. Mine thinned out too.
Christine says
I want to make this for my Foods class but there is not enough time to eat it the same day.
Can I either freeze the entire dessert for a week or chill in the fridge for two days?
Dina says
Hi Christine, yes you can keep this cake in the fridge for a few days.
Ruth says
How much instant pudding would you need for the filing, and how much cool whip do you mix with it?
Dina says
Hi Ruth 🙂 I have not tried making this Napoleon cake with instant pudding so I can’t say how it will turn out. Also, I would not recommend it since it may affect the flavor of the cake. If you give it a try let me know how it goes. 🙂
Jessica says
So I’ve been stirring constantly on med to low heat for over 30 mins so far really not trying not to have to turn up the heat and it messes up anyway so is there anything I could add to it yo thicken it up like a cornstarch slurry
Dina says
Hi Jessica, great question! Yes, if it has not thickened at this point, a cornstarch slurry will definitely help thicken it up 🙂
oksana says
My puff pastries burned terribly after 13 minutes at 400 farenheit. How can that be prevented, since the 20minute rule did not work well for my puff pastries.
Dina says
Oh wow, that is really odd. I have never had mine burn that early. By and chance did you place the puff pastry on the top rack? Try baking it on the center rack next time. I hope that helps!
K P says
I only baked it about 12 minutes and it was done, I agree 20 minutes is way too long. Every oven is different though, so it’s important to keep an eye on it.
Sabina says
Hi Dina,
thank you for the scrumptious recipe, I want to try it out as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, there is no whipped topping available in our country – what can I use as a substitute?
Love,
Sabina
Dina says
Hi Sabina, if you don’t have whipped topping you can use 4 oz heavy whipping cream with 1/2 cup powdered sugar instead. I hope that helps 🙂
Elizabeth Halen says
Hello :)) I’m wondering if it’s okay to use fyllo dough instead of puff pastry? I can use like 5 thin sheets every layer? Any suggestions? 😅🙏
Dina says
Hi Elizabeth, I am not too sure that phyllo dough will work here since the it does not have the same puffy buttery texture as puff pastry.