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Home » Dessert » Cake » Napoleon Cake

Napoleon Cake

Created: February 19, 2014 Updated: May 16, 2022 by lyuba 37 Comments

20.7K shares
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This is one of my all time favorite cakes. It’s a Napoleon Cake (Наполеон), a popular Russian cake made with puff pastry and smooth buttery creamy filling.

Napoleon Cake on a white plate

This is a very popular Russian cake and I remember my mom used to make if when I was little. She didn’t make it too often because it was a huge pain to make it (the way she puts it). You see, back when my mom was in culinary school and a young chef, they didn’t have the privilege of having frozen puff pastry like we do now. Any time they wanted puff pastry, they had to make it from scratch. As great as it is and as much as I love things to be homemade, it really is a pain to spend two days making a small pastry cake. This is exactly why I always thought this cake was so special.

To this day, my mom makes this cake for me on my birthday. Well, almost every birthday; I usually choose if I want this Napoleon Cake or a different cake (that I may share sometime soon).

Napoleon cake that you will find now, is usually made with a custard like filling. It is a more recent way of making this cake. I wanted to make a cake that my mom used to make when I was little. I called and asked her how she used to make this cake in Russia. She told me that back then, they used to make it with butter/condensed milk filling. It’s a little different from the way it is made now but it’s super delicious. Since I wanted to recreate a childhood favorite, I made the cake  the same way that she made it twenty years ago.

Ahhh, heavenly!

Napoleon Cake on a white plate

Napoleon Cake

This is a small cake but you can make a full size cake by using 2 boxes of puff pastry and not cutting it in half. This will give you 4 square sheets of pastry. Double the recipe for frosting too.
4.47 from 15 votes
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Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American, Russian
Keyword: cake, Napoleon, puff pastry
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 317kcal
Author: lyuba

Ingredients

  • 1 box of puff pastry 2 sheets
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter unsalted and at room temperature
  • 4 oz sweetened condensed milk
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400, line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and lightly spray it with some baking spray.
  • Defrost the puff pastry and cut each square in half. This will give you four layers. Using a fork, poke some holes evenly through the pastry (about 3 times on each rectangle: top, middle, bottom).
  • Place the puff pastry carefully on the cookie sheet and bake it for about 14-15 minutes.
  • Cool the sheets of baked pastry completely.
  • While the pastry is cooling, make the frosting.
  • In a bowl of an electric mixer, with a whisk attachment, combine butter, condensed milk and vanilla extract. Beat on high for 2-3 minutes. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and the whisk attachment. Beat for about another 2 minutes. The frosting will be very smooth, light and creamy.
  • Collect all the crumbs from the puff pastry and press it in a few spots to get some extra crumbs. You will use those crumbs for the topping of the cake.
  • Spread the frosting on top of each pastry layer, even on the top one. Spread the crumbs that you collected evenly over the top layer.

Nutrition

Calories: 317kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 96mg | Potassium: 75mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 393IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 47mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @willcookforsmiles and tag #willcookforsmiles

Napoleon Cake on a white plate

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More Cakes To Love:

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Boston Cream Crepe Cake

LYUBA

ABOUT LYUBA

I’m Lyuba Brooke, mother of 2, the cook, recipe developer, photographer, and author behind willcookforsmiles.com. I share many classic and original recipes, cooking tips, and tutorials. My passion is sharing delicious meals for everyone to try. Read more...

20.7K shares

Filed Under: Cake, Dessert, Russian Tagged With: cake, cream frosting, dessert, pastry

All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe. Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.

Comments

  1. Marisa Franca says

    February 20, 2014 at 5:53 am

    Oh that looks so good and rich. I remember when I was a little girl my mamma tried to make something similar to this. She did not follow recipes so she tried to duplicate what she had tasted when we lived in Italy. I don’t remember what she called it. It is definitely something I will put on my cooking roster when I get back north. As always, love the photos. I’m still working with mine and I must say I’ve got a loooong way to go.

    Reply
    • lyuba says

      February 22, 2014 at 7:11 pm

      I hope you will give it a try and like it, Marisa! Thank you!

      Reply
      • Gillian Sobinoff says

        February 14, 2015 at 9:14 pm

        Dear Lyuba,

        I had this cake for my sons christening 27 years ago and for my husbands 50th seven years ago and then the Russian gentleman got sick so we never had it again. He didn’t want anyone having his recipe so I was very happy t see yours. He also used to make a cake called a “mikada” do you or your mother know a recipe for that one?
        Regards,
        Gillian

        Reply
        • lyuba says

          February 15, 2015 at 2:31 pm

          I’m so glad you were able to find the recipe, Gilian! I checked with mom and she game me a recipe for it. I will have it converted from metric and I will try it first. Definitely follow up with me on that. You can also email me directly!
          Thank you 🙂

          Reply
          • Julie-Anne says

            April 10, 2018 at 4:59 am

            Hi, did you ever find a mikada recipe please?

            Reply
    • Anna Maria says

      July 1, 2015 at 2:10 pm

      Dear Marisa maybe the cake of your mamma was the “Millefoglie” that’s to say “thousand slices”.
      It consists in a slice of cooked puff pastry, a cream (vanilla or chocolate), puff pastry again, cream to end with a puff pastry powdered with sugar and decorated with grated chocolate.
      It is used largely in the sunday lunch and in reataurants.

      Reply
  2. Mareeyah says

    February 20, 2014 at 8:47 am

    OMG, I didn’t know this is a Russian cake! We have a very similar dessert in my hometown which we call “Napoleones”…you can Google it for pictures, it has a white glazing on top though. It must have been inspired by this cake, but I never thought before that that yummy dessert has Russian origins. I learned something new today. 🙂

    Reply
    • lyuba says

      February 22, 2014 at 7:13 pm

      I think it is a version of a French pastry cake and there is an Italian version too. This one has been a favorite in Russia for ages though. Thank you, Mareeyah!

      Reply
  3. Gina says

    February 20, 2014 at 11:03 am

    Oh – for real??!!! WOW this looks sooooooo good. I would sit & eat the whole thing by myself.

    Reply
    • lyuba says

      February 22, 2014 at 7:14 pm

      Thank you, Gina! It’s pretty rich, I think you would need to take a milk break 😉
      I hope you give it a try!

      Reply
  4. Heather {Woods of Bell Trees} says

    February 20, 2014 at 5:40 pm

    This looks DELIGHTFUL! I love puff pastry! Yeah I made puff pastry for the first time last year…I don’t plan on making it again; while it was so delicious it wasn’t worth the time and effort. I love the beauty and simplicity of this cake!

    Reply
    • lyuba says

      February 22, 2014 at 7:16 pm

      Exactly, this is just one pastry dough that is not worth the trouble 🙂
      Thank you so much, Heather!

      Reply
  5. Krista @ Joyful Healthy Eats says

    February 20, 2014 at 10:45 pm

    My husband would love this. He is a sucker for anything with sweetened condensed milk, beyond that this just looks amazing. But major kudos to your momma who made this without premade puff pastry. That would definitely take a while, but I’m sure she did it in love for you guys! 🙂 Pinned!

    Reply
    • lyuba says

      February 22, 2014 at 7:18 pm

      I think that she did it so much at work, that it she was used to it. Although, I can imagine how happy she was that puff pastry can be bought frozen 🙂
      Thank you, Krista!

      Reply
  6. Winnie says

    February 21, 2014 at 9:12 am

    It’s one delicious and super-tempting looking cake!!

    Reply
    • lyuba says

      February 22, 2014 at 7:19 pm

      Thank you, Winnie!

      Reply
  7. Gloria // Simply Gloria says

    February 21, 2014 at 7:29 pm

    What a neat story about your momma. I sure do love the frozen puff pastry we have now a days! Love this easy simply (and delicious) cake!

    Reply
    • lyuba says

      February 22, 2014 at 7:21 pm

      Thank you, Gloria!!

      Reply
  8. lisa@cookingwithcurls says

    February 22, 2014 at 12:52 am

    What an awesome birthday cake! I can see why you love it so much Lyuba, it looks delicious. 🙂

    Reply
    • lyuba says

      February 22, 2014 at 7:24 pm

      Thank you, Lisa!

      Reply
  9. Dora says

    February 22, 2014 at 12:09 pm

    That. Looks. Amazing. 🙂

    Reply
    • lyuba says

      February 22, 2014 at 7:24 pm

      Thank you, Dora!

      Reply
  10. Ashley @ musingsandoats says

    February 24, 2014 at 10:18 am

    oh my my…this looks so delicious and simple! What a great recipe to have on hand 🙂 Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • lyuba says

      March 1, 2014 at 9:43 pm

      Thank you so much, Ashley!

      Reply
  11. laramealor.com says

    February 24, 2014 at 1:04 pm

    This looks like it would be hard to make from the picture, but yet it is easy. Can’t wait to make in for the family.
    http://www.laramealor.com/what-you-may-not-know-about-type-2-diabetes/

    Reply
    • lyuba says

      March 1, 2014 at 9:43 pm

      So easy and so delicious! THank you 🙂

      Reply
  12. Prismonic says

    October 16, 2016 at 6:24 pm

    I made this today. It was a total hit. The filling looked sparse, but it was rich enough so I didn’t need more. I didn’t add anything to it, but I think when I make it again, which I certainly will, I will put dots of fruit sauce (homemade) on top or powdered cacao. Yum yum!

    Reply
    • Lyuba says

      October 17, 2016 at 10:37 pm

      Thank you, Priscilla! The fruit sauce would be delicious! Let me know how it goes! 🙂

      Reply
  13. Anna says

    August 7, 2017 at 9:00 pm

    Great recipe! So easy and it tasted like the original that my grandmother used to make. Will definitely make it again. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
    • lyuba says

      August 17, 2017 at 10:44 am

      Awe, thank you, Anna!! That is so nice to hear 🙂

      Reply
  14. Elaine says

    August 8, 2018 at 3:54 pm

    I made this cake today. It is delicious. I was taste testing it for an upcoming party. Do you think you can make this 1 day in advance and then refrigerate? Or is this something that you must make and eat the same day?

    Reply
    • lyuba says

      August 17, 2018 at 11:34 am

      Hi Elaine!
      I’m sorry for the late response. You can definitely make it the day before and just pull it out of the fridge about an hour before you will be serving it so that the filling is not hard. It’s better when it’s not cold right from the fridge 🙂
      I really hope everyone likes it!

      Reply
  15. bex says

    December 30, 2019 at 10:47 pm

    My husband was craving this for New Years – and this recipe looks so approachable! Excited to try it.

    Reply
  16. Monika says

    February 18, 2022 at 6:59 pm

    Yumm!!gonna try it tonight. I have a feeling I’m gonna love 🙂 thanks for sharing this recipe. Fun fact- my husband is part Russian, wonder if he’ll recognize this dessert. Lol
    Lotsa love!
    Monika

    Reply
    • LyubaB says

      February 21, 2022 at 2:29 pm

      I hope you loved it! 🙂

      Reply
  17. Katia says

    December 28, 2022 at 2:44 pm

    I am 80 years old and and I was brought to tears when I tasted the Napoleon cake that a Russian woman made two years ago following your recipe. As soon as I put a piece of the cake in my mouth, I was transported 50 years back to my mother’s table. When we went to France I bough Napoleon cake in several bakeries but none reminded me of my mother. I just got the recipe from the Russian woman and cannot wait to make it for my daughters. so maybe 50 years from now if someone gives them a piece, it will bring them the memory of me.

    Reply
    • LyubaB says

      January 3, 2023 at 12:18 pm

      I love how a recipe can bring back sweet memories of our loved ones, I am happy this recipe was able to do that for you. Thanks for taking the time to comment I loved reading it.

      Reply

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Well, hey there!

I’m Lyuba Brooke, mother of 2, the cook, recipe developer, photographer, and author behind willcookforsmiles.com. I share many classic and original recipes, cooking tips, and tutorials. My passion is sharing delicious meals for everyone to try. Read More.

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