If you love to bake, but don’t have the time – or even if you hate baking but still need to whip something up in a jiffy — then ready-made puff pastry is the answer to all your prayers. Not only is it convenient in that it significantly cuts down your baking time, it’s incredibly versatile and can be used in so many recipes, like this oh so simple, yet oh so delicious cake. This heavenly dessert will have you feeling like you’re on cloud 9… or possibly even eating a cloud, thanks to the alternating layers of creamy and flaky goodness.
Napoleon Cake
Ingredients
- 2 puff pastry sheets
- 2 oz flour
- 3 egg yolks
- 4.5 oz sugar
- 17 fl oz milk
- 1 vanilla bean
- 3 oz butter
- raspberries to garnish
Instructions
- Take two sheet pans and lay one puff pastry sheet on each pan. Cut out two large circles and use a fork to poke an even amount of holes in each circle. Leave the rest of the puff pastry dough on the pan, as you'll need it later. Put both pans in the oven and cook 12 minutes at 350°F.
- While the puff pastry sheets cook, prepare the vanilla cream. Mix the flour, egg yolks, sugar, and milk together in a saucepan over a medium heat. Scrape the contents of a vanilla bean and add it to the pot. Constantly stir the contents of the pot until the cream begins to thicken. Stir the butter into the cream, and once it is fully mixed in, cover the pot with plastic wrap and wait for it to cool down and your vanilla cream becomes vanilla pudding.
- Spread some of the vanilla pudding on the first cooked puff pastry circle and then top with the second circle. Repeat the process until all circles have been used, and then spread vanilla pudding around the outside of the stacked cake. Take the discarded puff pastry pieces from the pan, crumble them up, and decorate the cake with them — the vanilla pudding will hold the flaky crumbs in place! Top with raspberries for a look that's truly the crème de la crème.
VIDEO
Super easy, right? Even the least motivated of bakers will love how fast and this simple this sweet treat is to make!
The recipe for the Chocolate Hazelnut & Caramel Cake featured in the bonus video can be found here.