Cake "Napoleon": a recipe with sour cream

The cake "Napoleon" is familiar to many from the very beginningearly childhood. When he was in the Soviet Union, he appeared in almost every home, but due to shortages and shortages with food, and because of the rather lengthy cooking procedure, the classic recipe often changed. So, if by all rules the dish is made of puff pastry, our mothers and grandmothers achieved this effect in a slightly different way: they baked very thin cakes, smeared them with cream and applied one over the other. To give extra flavor to the dish, the housewives used vodka, cognac and other strong spirits. In addition, milk from a light hand was replaced with water, and in order to bake a chocolate "Napoleon", cocoa powder was introduced into the dough. In general, Soviet culinary people had fun as they could, modifying the recipe in their own way. However, in classical design, the cake is a multi-tiered structure made from fresh puff pastry with cream, the preparation of which is far from available to everyone. This rather laborious process takes a lot of time and effort. Well, judge for yourself: at first the dough is thinly rolled out in the form of a rectangle, then butter is put on it, wrapping the edges with an envelope. Then they work with a rolling pin to make a thin layer, fold all four times and leave for 20 minutes. Then the procedure is repeated in the same sequence, only this time the base is folded into three layers. For half an hour the dough should be cooled, then it should be divided into two parts, each of which must be rolled into a very thin pancake (or rectangle) no more than six millimeters. The biscuits are baked in the oven, and after cooling, they are lubricated with cream: sour cream, custard, milk. Here you can choose any recipe. Products are superimposed one on one, while it is necessary to slightly press down each "floor" of the dish. On top of the cake, add the remains of a sweet sauce and sprinkle with specially baked and chopped dough cuts. At will, "Napoleon" is decorated with powdered sugar. Previously, it was cut into triangular pieces, symbolizing the headgear of the great commander, but today it is not so important. As you can see, a classic cake requires the cook to possess special talents, skills, and practice. Therefore, this recipe is easy to call simply the language does not turn. Naturally, there is not always time (and, I must admit, desire) for such experiments. In this case, you can resort to more "mundane" and ordinary variations on the theme of "Napoleon". It is made with sour cream or custard, with condensed milk or chocolate cakes. To decorate the cake sprinkled with nuts, pieces of baked dough. Each recipe is a unique instruction with its subtleties and nuances. But as they say, who does not take risks, he does not drink champagne, so let's experiment together.

Cake "Bonaparte" with vanilla cream

Napoleon Bonaparte himself would certainly have come todelight from the delicate taste of dessert, named in his honor. As mentioned above, the traditional recipe requires quite a lot of time, in addition, the chef must have a certain practice, otherwise correctly to make a dough from the first time, most likely, will not work. To avoid blunders and not to waste money on products, we suggest starting with the simplest, that is, making an uncomplicated cake with sour cream and appetizing vanilla cream. Ingredients: Dough:

packing margarine (about 200-250 grams)
egg
two cups of flour
sugar - to taste (two tablespoons will be enough)
a pinch of common salt
three large spoons of homemade sour cream

Cream:

500 milliliters of milk
vanillin pack
125 grams of sugar
200 grams of butter
eight grams of flour

Cooking method: If you have never done "Napoleon", but passionately want to cook it, do not grab immediately for the classic recipe. It should start with a simple, and then, gaining experience, you can already move to a new, higher, level of culinary skills. However, whatever you do, remember that the cake is always prepared from products of room temperature. And the dough is much easier to knead, and it turns out more tenderly. Therefore, beforehand get everything out of the refrigerator, and then boldly "go into battle", as bequeathed by the commander Bonaparte. So, chop the softened margarine into small pieces of the same size. Then combine them with pre-sifted flour and rub with a fork. You can resort to a simpler method: grind the product on a large grater. In a separate bowl, whip the eggs when they turn into a homogeneous yellow foam liquid, enter salt, sugar and sour cream. Then again, several times, mix the ingredients with a whisk and pour the mixture on a hill of flour and margarine, in the center of which you need to make a small funnel. Well knead the dough - it should be moderately dense and at the same time do not stick to your hands. If the consistency of the mass is too thin or it adheres to the walls of the dishes, add another couple of handfuls of flour. When you manage, divide the finished dough into several parts (ten to twelve) - these are your cakes, from which the "Napoleon" will later be formed. In the meantime, wrap the blanks in the food film for a while and put it in the refrigerator for three or four hours. If there is not so much waiting, shorten the procedure to 60 minutes. Now you need to take care of the cream. In this case, we offer a recipe for a custard sweet sauce, but if desired, it can be replaced with another. Very tasty desserts are obtained with impregnation from condensed milk or sour cream. When preparing, act according to the following scheme: first sift the indicated amount of flour into a deep bowl, then gently pour out the milk slightly warmed in the microwave, only not all, but only 100 milliliters. If you enter products in this way, you will avoid the formation of lumps (at least they will be much less). Now carefully mix the ingredients, and put the remaining milk on a minimal flame and cook, regularly working with a spoon. Do not forget to add vanillin and sugar. Once the sweet sauce boils, turn off the hotplate and pour into it a cool milk with wheat flour. Again, turn on the oven and lightly heat the cream until thickened, without stopping interfering. While the mass cools down, place butter in a bowl for the blender, cut into small pieces. Pour out the non-corrosive milk mixture and carefully beat it several times so that all the lumps disappear, and the consistency of the dish becomes more dense and homogeneous. Well, now is the time to bake a cake, or rather, cakes. Take the dough out of the refrigerator and roll each ball into a thin layer. You can give your products any shape - rectangular or round - it all depends on your wishes and dishes, in which you will prepare the dish. Send the first cake to the oven, warming it to 200 degrees. As soon as it becomes a little golden, put the next product. Take care not to heat the dish! When you cope with the task, let the cakes cool down a bit. Then proceed to assemble the dessert. To "Napoleon" came out juicy and hearty, do not spare the impregnation, abundantly lubricate each cake with cream, fastening them together. Do not press hard on the cake, otherwise the dough crumbles into pieces, and the dish will be spoiled. The remaining or not obtained (slightly burned or broken) cakes grind, and preferably a mortar. Sprinkle the dessert with crumbs. Of course, to eat "Napoleon" will want at the same moment as soon as it is ready. But keep your desires - let the food brew, and then you will fully feel its delicate juicy taste. Bon Appetit!

Dessert "Napoleon" with yolk cream

Despite the fact that "Napoleon" is practically familiarEveryone, every recipe has its own characteristics. Traditional dessert is characterized by a fairly long cooking procedure, so most housewives prefer a few simplified options. The most busy make a dish from a ready-made puff pastry, those who are more daring and more experienced in this matter, bake cakes themselves, lubricating them with cream with sour cream, condensed milk, cottage cheese-based sauce, berry puree, and the greatest success is enjoyed by custard impregnation. Each dish has the right to exist, and only you decide which of them to give preference. Perhaps the following recipe will take a long time to settle in your kitchen. Ingredients: For the dough:

500 grams of white flour (well sifted)
butter - 225 grams
two glasses of fresh home-made sour cream
sugar - three large spoons

For cream:

700 milliliters of boiled cow's milk
half a cup of sugar
100 grams of butter (meaning creamy)
three egg yolks
ten grams of flour

Cooking method: Mistresses who do not enjoy baking often mistakenly believe that this is an incredibly complex and lengthy process. Of course, it all depends on which recipe was chosen by you. So, yeast or biscuit dough rather demanding and capricious, so you need to have at least a small pastry experience behind it, otherwise the product may not work the first time. In order not to upset yourself or loved ones, eagerly awaiting an appetizing cake, we suggest staying at a fairly simple but incredibly tasty dish. Let's prepare together with you gentle and low-fat "Napoleon" with a yolk-milk cream. So, before embarking on culinary creativity, at least 30, or better in 60 minutes, get all the necessary products from the refrigerator. Then cut the butter and melt it on the steam bath. If you have a microwave oven, resort to the help of this kitchen appliance. Then in the bowl with the creamy ingredient, enter the sugar, rub it with a fork, when the mass becomes homogeneous, add the sour cream and stir again. The next stage is sifting wheat flour. As soon as you master, pour it to the above ingredients and mix not too liquid dough. If it will stick to your hands, add a little more flour. Then divide the mass into eight to twelve equal parts (depending on how tall you want to get the cake). If time permits, let the test brew for at least an hour and a half, putting it in a cool place for this. Then roll the crusts on the work surface, sprinkled with flour, using a rolling pin as thin as possible. As for the form, it can be arbitrary, for example, round or in the form of a rectangle. Place the products on a greased baking sheet or in another bowl and bake in the oven until a brownish-golden hue appears. In this case, the temperature of the furnace should not exceed 210 degrees. On average, the preparation of one crust takes about ten minutes. When finished, let the dish cool down, and pay attention to impregnation. The most, perhaps, appetizing and tasty stage has come - we will master the prescription of the cream. Pour sugar into a shallow saucepan and sift white flour here. In another bowl, beat whisk egg yolks, beforehand separating them from proteins. Then connect them with the previous products and, after mixing, put on a small fire. Pour warm milk into a saucepan and boil the mixture until the first bubbles appear on its surface. Do not stop working with a spoon - you need to get rid of all the lumps and achieve a dense homogeneous consistency. Remove the dish from the plate, cool and beat with a softened butter. To do this, you can take a whisk or a regular fork. A little more, and "Napoleon" will occupy a central place on your table. Thoroughly lubricate each cake with a gentle cream, applying a copious layer. Lay the products layer by layer, one on top of the other. With the remaining sauce, treat the dish from all sides and take it to a cold room. Ideally, the cake is soaked for about five hours, but if you do not have the strength to endure, endure at least 120 minutes. There are a lot of ways to decorate a dessert: some sprinkle it with fried and chopped walnuts or peanuts, others - whipped cream or grated chocolate. To use fruit in this case is not recommended, because it will not be "Napoleon" at all. It is not so important how you will give the dish an attractive appearance - act on your own. The main thing is to find the right recipe and bake a delicious cake. In this you will help our site, created for all lovers of cooking, wishing to improve their skill level. Even if you do not know how to cook, then here to learn this - not a problem. As they say, there would be a desire.

An unusual recipe for the familiar "Napoleon"

This time we propose to study an unusual recipeall known dessert. Will you say that "Napoleon" with vodka does not sound very appetizing? Then you have never cooked such a cake. If desired, alcoholic beverages can be replaced with cognac or sweet liquor. To add a more vivid and rich taste to the dish, vanillin is added to the cream. The dish will be an excellent companion for hot, fragrant tea. So why not arrange a festive family dinner without any reason? Ingredients: Cake dough:

250-300 grams of flour
fresh margarine - one packet
a glass of sour cream
five milliliters of vodka
oil for the lubrication of dishes (take any)

Cream:

½ liter of pasteurized warm milk
four eggs
a cup of sugar
a piece of butter (not more than 60 grams)
vanilla sugar - optional

Decoration:

a handful of toasted and peeled peas

Cooking method: There is a recipe for "Napoleon" with the addition of butter and margarine. Use the latter: cut the product in small pieces and rub it with sifted flour. Working with a fork, turn the ingredients into small crumbs, then pour in vodka and sour cream. Thoroughly knead the dough by hand, then wrap it in a special food film or plastic bag. Place the mass on the top shelf in the refrigerator. Now you have an hour of time in order not to rush to prepare the cream. To do this, whip the whole egg with a whisk, add sugar and the necessary amount of flour. With careful, confident movements, working with a kitchen appliance, get rid of the lumps. To achieve an ideal uniformity, a blender or mixer will help. Now heat the milk (note, boil it in no case is not necessary) and pour it to the rest of the products. On request, throw a pinch of vanillin into the cream. Send mixture to a quiet fire and cook until it gradually begins to thicken. Then remove from the plate and put a piece of oil in it, then stir and cool the cream. Let's return to the test; the cake is made from thin cakes of any shape. So get the mass out of the refrigerator and roll it into a few thin layers. Carefully trim the edges of the products with a knife and lay them on a baking sheet, the surface of which is desirable to oil with: vegetable or creamy. If you do not want to handle the dishes, avoid special scorching parchment or foil. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees and bake all the cakes in turn. As soon as you notice that they are browned, safely remove the products. Then soak "Napoleon" with a tasty vanilla cream and leave for two or four hours. Immediately before serving, decorate with crushed peanuts, pre-dried in a pan. Have a nice tea! Even in Soviet times, the cake, which was said so much today, was made from butter to improve its texture, often condensed milk and powdered sugar were added, vanilla sugar and strong alcohol-cognac or vodka-were used to add an unusual flavor. Home-made pastries have been and remain an exclusively creative item: each family has its own traditions, every landlady has its own secrets. Someone prefer a recipe for a custard or oily cream, others, on the contrary, recognize only easier impregnation. When you do not have the right ingredients, you can lubricate the product with homemade jam or liquid jam. As they say in the people, the goal of invention is cunning. It's not a sin to engage in fantasy. But if we talk about the classical canons of dessert, then "Napoleon" must be fatty, full and very sweet. This dish strikes a devastating blow to the female figure, so modern ladies in the struggle for beauty prefer less caloric combinations. So, in many restaurants a cake with impregnation from fruit and berry puree is served, and for fans of unusual original cuisine a choice of pear filling with blue cheese is offered. To reduce the calorie content of the dish, professional chefs resort to a variety of methods, for example, add a dab of leafy greens or spinach to the dough, but this is a completely different culinary story. We, acting as assistants and guides in the world of beginning confectioners, we recommend to remember a few rules for the future. When choosing flour, buy wheat with a 40% content of gluten. In addition, do not be lazy to sift it. If you make a classic "Napoleon", mixing the mass, add a little vinegar or freshly squeezed lemon juice - they contribute to foliation. Corry roll at a temperature of not less than fifteen degrees, otherwise the oil will harden, and there is a high probability that the dough will begin to crumble. When sending products to the oven, puncture them with a fork in several places so that they do not swell. Do you want to make a crisp cake? Then lubricate it with cream immediately before serving. A more juicy and delicate dessert is obtained if you give him time to impregnate. Follow these tips, and the success of your dessert is guaranteed! We advise you to read: