Napoleon Cake is a classic Russian cakes, made of very thin and flaky puff pastry cake layers and a smooth, rich and luscious pastry cream in between the layers.
Napoleon Cake is one of my favorite classic Russian cakes. It has a multitude of very thin cake layers that are made from puff pastry dough and are so flaky, puffy and delicate. The smooth, rich and luscious pastry cream is such a magical combination with the cake layers. I make my frosting even better with a combination of pastry cream, buttercream and lighten it up with some whipped cream, which makes it so fluffy, luxurious and velvety in texture. It becomes so billowy and soft, almost cloud like.
The pastry cream frosting softens the thin, puffy cake layers and they become so tender and the whole cake simply melts in your mouth. The cake needs to stand in the refrigerator for a few hours to soften, as the frosting seeps into the cake. I like to let the cake stand at room temperature for just a bit before serving, and it becomes even softer and gentle in texture.
You can most certainly use store bought puff pastry instead of making it from scratch. In that case, roll out the dough to make it thinner before baking.
Even though this cake is time consuming, none of the steps are difficult. I break it up into several days, which makes it very doable and not as tedious. If you make the puff pastry dough and the pastry cream in advance, neither take too long to make and it will speed up the process considerably when you are baking the cake layers and assembling the cake. It's definitely worthy of a special occasion.
Instructions:
Cake Layer Dough:
When making the cake layer dough, I usually do it on the counter, using a plastic pastry mat on top of my counters as a work surface so I don't damage the counters. Since it's a large portion of dough (10-12 cake layers), I find it easier to mix it on the counter by hand, using a knife to work the butter into the flour and then adding the liquid ingredients and mixing it by hand very quickly.
You can also divide the ingredients in half and use a food processor to pulse the butter into the flour, then pour in the liquid ingredients and pulse just enough times for the dough to come together.
Both methods are very quick, it usually takes about 5 minutes total. You don't want to overwork the dough or it won't be as tender.
Combine the flour and salt on the counter or food processor. Add the cold butter, cut into chunks, into the flour and use a knife to work it into the flour, until there are pea sized bits of butter throughout the dough.
In a medium bowl or large mixing cup, whisk the water, vinegar, vodka, and beaten eggs until evenly mixed. The vinegar and the vodka help to make the cake layers really tender and flaky. The vodka gives the dough more liquid and makes it easier to work with and roll out, but when the cake layers bake, the vodka will cook out, which makes the cake layers more crisp. You won't be able to taste the vinegar or vodka in the cake at all.
Make a well in the center of the flour on the counter and pour in the liquid ingredients. 
Gently but quickly mix the dough, just until it comes together. Knead just a little, working the flour into the dough. Work as quickly as you can, so that the chunks of butter don't completely melt into the dough. The chunks of butter will melt as the cake layers bake and will form air pockets in the cake layers and give them that wonderful thin, flaky, puffed texture.
Form the dough into a disc shape. Wrap the dough into parchment paper or aluminum foil and place it into the refrigerator. Chill for a few hours or overnight.
Pastry Cream:
Make the pastry cream. Follow the instructions in this post. The recipe is slightly different, but the technique is exactly the same, so use the ingredient amounts from this post, following the instructions in the other post.
Chill the pastry cream in the refrigerator until completely cool, a few hours or overnight.
I usually make the cake layer dough and the pastry cream the day before I am planning on making the cake.
Baking the Cake Layers:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare 2 large rimmed baking sheets, so you can bake the cake layers quicker, if you interchange them, putting one in the oven, rolling out the next layer and then immediately putting it into the oven as soon as the first layer bakes and so on. Also prepare 10-12 pieces of parchment paper as big as the baking sheet.
Divide the dough into 10-12 layers. If you want an 8-9 inch cake, you will probably end up with 12 cake layers. If you want the cake to be 10 inches, you will have 10 cake layers. Also, I often make 2 smaller, shorter cakes out of this recipe, instead of one large, tall cake. In which case, you will have 2 (8-9 inch) cakes that are 6 layers high, and 2 (10 inch cakes) that are 5 layers high. You can easily halve the recipe for this cake.
Roll out each portion of cake dough right on top of a piece of parchment paper, sprinkling a bit of flour on it before rolling out the cake layers. Roll out thin circles.
Place a 8-10 inch round plate, cake pan, springform pan, etc. on top of the rolled out dough.
Use a small paring knife to cut out an 8-10 inch circle, all around the outside of the circular object that you are using. Leave the dough remnant just where they are. 
Transfer the rolled out cake layer along with the parchment paper to the prepared baking sheet. Use a fork to prick some holes all over the center of the cake layers to keep them from puffing up unevenly.
Bake in the preheated oven for about 8 minutes, until lightly golden. 
Repeat will all the cake layers. Set aside to cool. Save the cake dough scraps that baked along with the cake layers. You will use those later as crumbs to decorate the cake.
Pastry Cream Frosting:
Before you start making the frosting, make sure the pastry cream and the butter are both at room temperature. If one or the other is too cold, the frosting will not be smooth and consistent, but will have a curdled appearance, with bits of butter flecks throughout the frosting that you will not be able to fix.
In a large bowl or a standing mixer a using a hand mixer, cream the butter, powdered sugar and vanilla extract, mixing until smooth and fluffy. 
Add the pastry cream, a few heaping Tablespoons at a time, mixing on low speed, gradually increasing to medium speed, until all of the pastry cream is incorporated into the buttercream.
In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form. 
Fold in the whipped cream into the pastry cream.
Assembling the Cake:
Line your edge of your serving plate/cake stand with aluminum foil. This is a trick I use to keep the edge of the plate clean. Place a dollop of frosting into the center of the plate, just to keep the cake from sliding around.
Top each cake layer with a generous amount of frosting and spread it around evenly. 
You will need to use all of the frosting for the cake, so divide it evenly between all the cake layers. The frosting should be approximately the same thickness as each cake layer. Repeat will all the cake layers and frosting.
Smooth out the frosting over the sides and top of the cake. 
Place the cake layer scraps into a large ziplock bag. Use your hands or a rolling pin to crush them into fine crumbs. Press the crumbs over the sides of the cake and sprinkle them evenly over the top of the cake. 
Keep it simple like that, or decorate with fresh berries, chocolate shavings, nuts, etc. Gently pull out the aluminum foil out from underneath the cake. 
It is best to refrigerate the cake overnight, so that the frosting soaks into the cake layers and gets really soft and tender. It will get slightly shorter as the frosting seeps into the cake layers.
Keep the cake refrigerated. It helps to let it stand a room temperature for 30 minutes or so before serving.
Napoleon Cake
Napoleon Cake is a classic Russian cakes, made of very thin and flaky puff pastry cake layers and a smooth, rich and luscious pastry cream in between the layers.
- Total Time: 2880 minutes
- Yield: 1 cake 1x
- Category: Dessert
Ingredients
Cake:
- 4 ½ cups all purpose flour (plus another ½ cup or so for dusting the counter when rolling out the cake layers)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 ½ sticks butter (cold) (total: 14 oz)
- ¾ cup chilled water
- 1 Tablespoon distilled white vinegar
- 2 Tablespoons vodka
- 2 eggs (beaten)
Pastry Cream:
- 5 cups milk
- 10 egg yolks
- ¾-1 cup granulated sugar
- 6 Tablespoons cornstarch
Cake Frosting:
- 12 oz butter (room temperature)
- ¾ cups powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
Instructions
Cake Layer Dough:
- Combine the flour and salt on the counter or food processor. Add the cold butter, cut into chunks, into the flour and use a knife to work it into the flour, until there are pea sized bits of butter throughout the dough.
- In a medium bowl or large mixing cup, whisk the water, vinegar, vodka, and beaten eggs until evenly mixed. The vinegar and the vodka help to make the cake layers really tender and flaky. The vodka gives the dough more liquid and makes it easier to work with and roll out, but when the cake layers bake, the vodka will cook out, which makes the cake layers more crisp. You won't be able to taste the vinegar or vodka in the cake at all.
- Make a well in the center of the flour on the counter and pour in the liquid ingredients. Gently but quickly mix the dough, just until it comes together. Knead just a little, working the flour into the dough. Work as quickly as you can, so that the chunks of butter don't completely melt into the dough. The chunks of butter will melt as the cake layers bake and will form air pockets in the cake layers and give them that wonderful thin, flaky, puffed texture.
- Form the dough into a disc shape. Wrap the dough into parchment paper or aluminum foil and place it into the refrigerator. Chill for a few hours or overnight.
- Make the pastry cream. Follow the instructions in this post. The recipe is slightly different, but the technique is exactly the same, so use the ingredient amounts from this post, following the instructions in the other post.
- Chill the pastry cream in the refrigerator until completely cool, a few hours or overnight.
- I usually make the cake layer dough and the pastry cream the day before I am planning on making the cake.
Baking the Cake Layers:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare 2 large rimmed baking sheets, so you can bake the cake layers quicker, if you interchange them, putting one in the oven, rolling out the next layer and then immediately putting it into the oven as soon as the first layer bakes and so on. Also prepare 10-12 pieces of parchment paper as big as the baking sheet.
- Divide the dough into 10-12 layers. If you want an 8-9 inch cake, you will probably end up with 12 cake layers. If you want the cake to be 10 inches, you will have 10 cake layers. Also, I often make 2 smaller, shorter cakes out of this recipe, instead of one large, tall cake. In which case, you will have 2 (8-9 inccakes that are 6 layers high, and 2 (10 inch cakethat are 5 layers high. You can easily halve the recipe for this cake.
- Roll out each portion of cake dough right on top of a piece of parchment paper, sprinkling a bit of flour on it before rolling out the cake layers. Roll out thin circles.
- Place a 8-10 inch round plate, cake pan, springform pan, etc. on top of the rolled out dough.
- Use a small paring knife to cut out an 8-10 inch circle, all around the outside of the circular object that you are using. Leave the dough remnant just where they are. Transfer the rolled out cake layer along with the parchment paper to the prepared baking sheet. Use a fork to prick some holes all over the center of the cake layers to keep them from puffing up unevenly.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 8 minutes, until lightly golden.
- Repeat will all the cake layers. Set aside to cool. Save the cake dough scraps that baked along with the cake layers. You will use those later as crumbs to decorate the cake.
Pastry Cream Frosting:
- Before you start making the frosting, make sure the pastry cream and the butter are both at room temperature. If one or the other is too cold, the frosting will not be smooth and consistent, but will have a curdled appearance, with bits of butter flecks throughout the frosting that you will not be able to fix.
- In a large bowl or a standing mixer a using a hand mixer, cream the butter, powdered sugar and vanilla extract, mixing until smooth and fluffy.
- Add the pastry cream, a few heaping Tablespoons at a time, mixing on low speed, gradually increasing to medium speed, until all of the pastry cream is incorporated into the buttercream.
- In a separate bowl, whip the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Fold in the whipped cream into the pastry cream.
Assembling the Cake:
- Line your edge of your serving plate/cake stand with aluminum foil. This is a trick I use to keep the edge of the plate clean. Place a dollop of frosting into the center of the plate, just to keep the cake from sliding around.
- Top each cake layer with a generous amount of frosting and spread it around evenly. You will need to use all of the frosting for the cake, so divide it evenly between all the cake layers. The frosting should be approximately the same thickness as each cake layer.
- Repeat will all the cake layers and frosting.
- Smooth out the frosting over the sides and top of the cake. Place the cake layer scraps into a large ziplock bag. Use your hands or a rolling pin to crush them into fine crumbs. Press the crumbs over the sides of the cake and sprinkle them evenly over the top of the cake. Keep it simple like that, or decorate with fresh berries, chocolate shavings, nuts, etc.
- Gently pull out the aluminum foil out from underneath the cake.
- It is best to refrigerate the cake overnight, so that the frosting soaks into the cake layers and gets really soft and tender. It will get slightly shorter as the frosting seeps into the cake layers.
- Keep the cake refrigerated. It helps to let it stand a room temperature for 30 minutes or so before serving.
Notes
When making the cake layer dough, I usually do it on the counter, using a plastic pastry mat on top of my counters as a work surface so I don't damage the counters. Since it's a large portion of dough (10-12 cake layers), I find it easier to mix it on the counter by hand, using a knife to work the butter into the flour and then adding the liquid ingredients and mixing it by hand very quickly. You can also divide the ingredients in half and use a food processor to pulse the butter into the flour, then pour in the liquid ingredients and pulse just enough times for the dough to come together. Both methods are very quick, it usually takes about 5 minutes total. You don't want to overwork the dough or it won't be as tender.
Hi Olga, do you takes orders for cakes ?
No, I do not. Sorry!
Thanks for this, Olga! The ingredients in this recipe don't match the pastry cream recipe—and not just the amounts. This is why people are asking questions. Do we follow the pastry cream recipe and essentially double the size of everything on the pastry cream page? Or do we leave out the butter, which would match the ingredients listed on this Napoleon page?
I made this cake 4 times, each time it came out perfect! It's a family favorite! Thank you for the great recipe!
Made this cake for my husbands bday! He’s been asking for this cake for 12 years and this was the year! Background: I am a bread baker…NOT a pastry baker.
This cake turned out amazing!! I followed the directions religiously and gave myself PLENTY of time. I made the pastry cream/butter cream and mixed them together and the let it rest in the fridge overnight before whipping the heavy cream and folding it in. I really didn’t want to mess up!
I also bought puff pastry and rolled it out this time. Now that I’ve gone through the process once and am reasonably satisfied with the outcome I think I’ll try sourdough pastry crust from scratch next year.
One note: I would roll the puff pastry layers even thinner than you think AND trim your layers again after the bake. The layers are not perfect which makes the (already tall) cake SUPER tall and not quite perfectly symmetrical.
Amazing! I followed the instructions exactly (but I did add a few apricot layers—like I remember from the Lithuanian bakery in Chicago). Like Olga, I like a less sweet version, and this was perfect—it was just like I remember. Will definitely make this again.
This recipe did not disappoint! It took a little time but was well worth the effort! Everyone enjoyed it and i will make it again soon!
In reading the comments I too felt I goofed in the execution of this beautiful cake. I did to some degree. For starters the pastry cream had these “flakes”. I’m not sure how or why- maybe it was in fact the cold mixing bowl, as everything else was definitely room temp. I still decided to proceed and make it work. I finished baking the pastry around midnight- all 10 layers. They were easy and gorgeous!! It was 1:00am and after reading some reviews I decided I needed to assemble the cake to give it 2 days to absorb the cram and ensure I had a delicious cake. This was Wednesday when I started and I needed the cake for Friday.
When I went to assemble everything the layers began sliding apart the taller I went. I had some of those cake collars so I quickly assembled as best I could, put a cake collar on and tossed it in the fridge. I still had half a bowl of the pastry cream.
When I got home on Thursday I decided to dissect the cake and fill it with more pastry cream. The pastry cream had set a bit more by the next day and was more like pudding. In having done this, I salvaged the cake, used all the cream and served a delicious, moist cake. Can’t wait to give it a go again- and I love the pastry dough- so easy to work with and tasty! Thank you Olga!!
The next day I got home
You have so much perseverance, Shana! I really admire that. I'm so glad you made it work and were happy with the results. This is definitely a cake for advanced bakers and takes a lot of effort.
Hi Olga.
I love this recipe and have made it multiple times. Question about the dough. When the dough comes together, I still have small chunks of butter, which seep out a bit during baking. In the dough ball picture above, I don't see any chunks of butter. Am I not kneading enough? Or should I roll it out and fold, like ruff puff?
Yes, there are still supposed to be chunks of butter. The butter will melt in the oven and create pockets of air. It should not leak out when baking. Either your oven isn't hot enough, or the dough is too warm. Be sure to keep most of the dough in the refrigerator to keep it as cold as possible. No, do not roll and fold it like puff pastry.
If the dough gets too warm, the butter will melt and leak instead of puffing out and giving you a flaky, tender dough. If your kitchen is too warm or it's taking you a little longer to roll out the dough, place the rolled out cake layer back in the refrigerator to chill before baking. Hope that helps.
Hi Olga,
I will be making this cake for my husbands bday.
He loves any version of this custard dessert. French vanilla slice or Balkan’s krempita.
I’ve read though the comments and now I’m not sure if I should leave it for 24hours or only 3 h so that dough is still crispy.
What would you recommend ?
I highly recommend leaving it overnight. This cake is meant to be soft, not crispy.