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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Inessa says
Despite being called easy, it definitely wasn’t. The custard would not thicken being on low heat, so I had to increase the heat to high and it eventually did. I was stirring for about an hour on low.
Other thing- the directions say to add the egg mixture into the hot milk, but the video shows opposite.
As for the puff pastry, it says to do 400 degrees for 20 minutes, which I did with the first sheet, and it burned not even completing 20 minutes, so I had to adjust.
The cake was delicious, but it was a very long process to finally get everything put together.
Dina says
Hi Inessa, I am glad that you enjoyed the flavor of the cake. I can see how that must have been frustrating. I will have to do some more testing and see why you ran into that issue. So sorry about that! The reason why it’s called “easy napoleon cake” is because you don’t have to make the cake layers from scratch like other recipes. But I see why you weren’t too happy with the recipe. I hope you give it another shot and the second time it comes out perfect 🙂
Sonya says
Tasted Delicious!! Spasibo Dina! 🙂
Dina says
You are very welcome Sonya! Glad to hear you loved this Napoleon cake! Thank you for your feedback! 🙂
Diana says
Hi Dina, do you cook each layer of puff pastry individually for 20 min st 400°f? I tried to make it and at 10 min mine was sooo dark brown. Not sure why…. I heard someone else just stack all the layers on top of each other and it worked fine for them but thats not what the recipe says….
simplyhomecooked says
Oh, thats so interesting…at 10 minutes, mine were still underbaked. I think it really depends on the oven. Did you bake it on the center rack? Do you use a convection or conventional oven? That could also alter your baking time.
Nancy says
Instead of cool whip can I whip whipping cream and use that? I’d probably need to sweeten it slightly also.
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Nancy, yes you can use heavy cream instead. Just make sure its at least 36 % or higher. I love using the 40 % Darigld brand from Costco. And you will need to sweeten it lightly with a few tablespoons of sugar when mixing.
Diana says
I tried the recipe, it tasted great, but I also had problems with custard. Because instructions don’t mention flour (that is present on the list of ingredients), I didn’t add it, so my custard did not thicken. Please edit your instructions.
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Diana, I’m not sure what happened but I do have the flour in the instructions. The printable recipe card at the bottom of the post has a detailed list of all the ingredients and step by step instructions. The flour is in step 2 of making the custard. Maybe you missed it or did you just look at the post that talked about the custard and the ingredients but doesn’t explain how to make the custard?
I am glad to hear this you still enjoyed the taste of the cake 🙂 and I hope this helps clarify the recipe. If you ever have any questions about any of my recipes please don’t hesitate to ask me 🙂
Tatiana says
Loved it I was actually able to incorporate some caramel I was not able to stick the flakes On the side ): helobme thanks !
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you for the kind feedback, Tatiana! I’m happy to hear that you enjoyed my Napoleon Cake recipe!
Ksenia says
I tried making the custard 2 times and both times it did not thicken! I whisked it for 15 min and it just turned foamy and runny. What am I doing wrong?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Ksenia, usually if the custard doesn’t thicken it could be that the temperature isn’t high enough or you aren’t mixing quickly enough. I hope that helps answer your questions.
Ksenia says
Thank you so much! You were right, I cranked up the temperature while mixing the custard and it thickened after 10 min! Third times a charm!
simplyhomecooked says
I am so happy to hear it turned out well Ksenia. I wish I was able to help you sooner! If you ever have any questions about my recipes, I am more than happy to help 🙂
Alena @ My Delicious Meals says
This looks so delicious!! I will definitely try making this, love Napoleon!! And like how easy the recipe is!
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you Alena! I hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Antonella J. Abela says
Why is it necessary to add but at the end? Can i do with it?
Antonella J. Abela says
Butter *
simplyhomecooked says
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.
Sana says
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
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Sana, the cake will become slightly softer if you make it the night before.
Barbara Lengen says
Can you use whipped cream instead of cool whip.
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Barbara, which whipped cream are you referring to? The one from the can?
Antonia says
Esta tarta se ve muy increíble y deliciosa.
This looks so amazing!
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you Antonia!
Najmah says
Looks so divine n easy to make
Antonella says
Do you have to use an electric mixer? Do you think it won’t turn out good if you don’t ?
simplyhomecooked says
An electric mixer is definitely the preferred method. If you use a whisk to blend everything, the butter might be kind of lumpy.
Kerri says
Do I store the completed cake in the fridge until ready to serve? I want to make it the day before my party. Thanks
simplyhomecooked says
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.
Kerri says
Thanks!
kay says
what holds the crumbled puff pastry to the cake?
simplyhomecooked says
I spread some of the custard on the outside on the cake and sprinkled the crumbled puff pastry on top.
yani says
Do you think it would taste ok if I put whip cream around the outside of the cake?
simplyhomecooked says
It should taste fine with whipped cream around the outside of the cake 🙂
Ana Rodriguez says
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 🙂
simplyhomecooked says
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.
Ana Rodriguez says
My custard doesn’t thicken 🙁
simplyhomecooked says
I’m sorry to hear that Ana. How long did you stir it for?
Mariya says
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
simplyhomecooked says
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 🙂
Vaya of Valya's Taste of Home says
Love this cake, and everything made out of pastry. Fresh fruit makes this cake look beautiful 🙂
simplyhomecooked says
Thank Valya 🙂 I love adding fruit to my cakes. Gives it a nice pop of color 🙂