Best easy Napoleon Cake Recipe | DF | EF | GF | Vegan

Napoleon Cake is a delectable dessert that has become a New Year's Eve tradition in many Russian households. This multi-layered cake is inspired by the French mille-feuille. Its history dates back to France, where it is known as Mille-feuille, meaning "thousand-sheets" in French. Its history goes back to the 17th and 18th centuries when recipes resembling layer cakes were documented in French and English cookbooks. Under the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte in the 19th century, this cake became popular in Parisian pastry shops. Over time, various fillings were used, including jam and Bavarian cream. Despite its French origins, the cake travelled to Russia in the early 19th century It is said that the cake was made in huge numbers after the Russian military’s victory against the French army of Napoleon in the year 1812 and ever since then the cake has been a holiday staple in Russian culinary.

How is Napoleon cake traditionally filled?

Traditionally, Napoleon cake is filled with pastry cream, which is thickened with cornstarch on the stovetop until it reaches a pudding-like consistency. To give this classic recipe a touch of elegance and lightness, some variations include the addition of whipped cream, which is carefully folded into the chilled pastry cream. This gives a smooth, creamy, velvety filling, perfect for placing between those puff pastry layers.

Preparing this cake is a labour of love, requiring several hours of focused effort, BUT here we have an easy vegan version just for you.

How to Make the Puff Pastry

You can actually find vegan puff pastry at your grocery store in the freezer section. Just make sure to check the ingredients list on the back of the box to ensure it meets your dietary needs.

Ingredients

• 1 puff pastry sheet

• 1 cup full fat coconut milk

• 1 1/2 cups soy milk

• 2 tbsp maple syrup

• 4 tbsp cornstarch (or 3 tbsp tapioca)

• 2 tsp vanilla extract (optional)

Instructions

For The Cream

1. Add soy milk, coconut milk, maple syrup, (vanilla extract) and cornstarch to a saucepan.

2. Heat over medium-low heat and bring to a gentle simmer, continue whisking for a good 5 to 10 minutes until the custard has thickened.

For The Puff Pastry Layers

1. Preheat oven to 200 ºC.

2. Cute the ready-to-use puff pastry sheet into smaller pieces. Poke the puff pastry sheet with a fork and bake for 15-20 minutes at 200 ºC (fan). Make sure the pastry is evenly browned and crispy.

3. Once the layers and the cream are cool cut any puff pastry layers that are too thick to half.

4. Carefully separate the top and bottom parts of each layer of puff pastry. Decorate your cake with those excess pieces of puff pastry by crumbling them on top of your cake. You can also add any toppings you like (I added blueberry).

5. Enjoy!

Notes

• Let the Cream cool down before spreading it to the puff pastry

• Feel free to use any non-dairy milk that suits you. However, coconut milk is not recommended as you might end up with creams that are too rich (since the recipe already requires a cup of it).