Napoleon Cake

👨‍🍳 Method

For the Wrapping Dough

1. 1
   Thaw the puff pastry in the fridge overnight, until pliable but still cold.

   Refrigerator

   💡Work with store-bought dough while it's cold: warm puff pastry gets sticky and won't puff in the oven, and phyllo sheets dry out fast, so keep the waiting sheets covered with a damp towel.

For the Cream Filling

1. 2
   Heat the milk to just below a boil.

   StovePot
2. 3
   In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks, sugar and starch.

   BowlWhisk
3. 4
   Pour the hot milk in a thin stream into the mixture, whisking constantly.

   ⚙ Tempering eggsWhisk

   💡The hot liquid goes into the eggs slowly while whisking, and only about a third of it in the first batch: that way they warm gradually and don't turn into scrambled eggs.
4. 5
   Return to the pot and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the cream thickens and bubbles in the center, then cook 1–2 more minutes.

   StovePot

   💡Stir nonstop until it bubbles: only then does the starch thicken fully, and the cream won't turn runny later.
5. 6
   Add the vanilla and stir.
6. 7
   Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap touching the surface of the cream and let cool.

   BowlPlastic wrap

To assemble

1. 8
   Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F) and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

   ⚙ Preheating the OvenOven

   💡Put things in the oven only once it's reached temperature, after the heating light has gone off: an oven that hasn't reached temperature changes baking times, and the bake burns outside or stays underbaked.
2. 9
   Cut the pastry into three equal layers and place them on the baking sheet.

   KnifeBaking sheet
3. 10
   Bake 10–15 minutes, until the layers are browned and crisp.

   ⚙ BakingOvenBaking sheet

   💡Check by the cue (until…), not just the clock: every oven bakes a little differently.
4. 11
   Let the pastry layers cool.

   Cooling rack
5. 12
   Whip' the cream' to stiff peaks.' Fold it into the cold cream with gentle strokes.'

   ⚙ WhippingBowlHand mixerorStand mixerorWhisk

   💡Whip cream very cold, in a chilled bowl with chilled beaters, and stop when it holds firm: overwhipping turns it grainy and buttery.
6. 13
   Assemble: a layer of pastry, a layer of cream, a layer of pastry, a layer of cream and a layer of pastry on top.

   Offset spatula

   💡Assemble only with completely cold cream and cooled layers: warm cream softens the puff pastry, and it loses its crispness.
7. 14
   Sprinkle the powdered sugar on top and chill 2 hours before cutting.

   SifterRefrigerator

   💡Chilling sets the cream: a cake that has chilled long enough cuts with a serrated knife without the cream squeezing out the sides.