Napoleon Cake with Cherries Recipe with Cherries

Name: Napoleon Cake with Cherries Recipe
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 1 h 28 min
Total time: 2 h 8 min
Yield: 10 servings
Cuisine: Ukrainian
Ingredients: Dough; 10 ounces butter; 2 cups flour; 1 teaspoon lemon juice; 3 fluid ounces water; Milk Custard Cream; 1 pint milk; 1 cup sugar; 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar; 2 tablespoons white flour; 4 ounces butter; Cherries; 1 1/2 cup cherries

Ingredients

Need to adjust?

Serves:

Dough

10 ounces butter

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon lemon juice

3 fluid ounces water

Milk Custard Cream

1 pint milk

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla sugar

2 tablespoons white flour

4 ounces butter

Cherries

1 1/2 cup cherries

About the recipe

This Napoleon Cake recipe with cherries is an all-year-round cake filled with cherries and delicate milk custard cream that will be a real treat for your friends and family!

Another name for this cake is Napoleon Tort. One of its many special features is the amount of layers – there are so many!

Where Did This Napoleon Cake recipe come from?

This particular Napoleon Cake recipe belongs to my Mama – the Queen in making Napoleon cakes (and yes, there are many varieties). She made the whole process look so easy even though it takes time to bake and assemble each layer.

Traditionally, I like to make at least seven puff pastry layers, while my Mama’s favorite – nine. Together, always went the extra mile for that big Napoleon Tort look!

Torts are known for the amount of layers, and because I love them so much, I have quite a few tort recipes up my sleeve – with nuts, cheese, jams, creams, chocolate fillings and flavors. So make sure to subscribe to my Newsletter to stay tuned for the next tort recipe when I publish it. In the meantime, back to our tort recipe of Napoleon with cherries…

This cake is perfect for a Birthday party – you will have a line of people wanting a piece (or two, or more).

Is This Napoleon Cake any Different from Other Recipes?

It is also worth noting that this trot’s layers are prepared differently than those for the French Mille Feuilles or Portuguese Bolo Folhado, so the taste is absolutely divine!

The traditional Napoleon Cake doesn’t include cherries, while the custard is made from egg yolks combined with milk. The internet is full of this kind of recipes. But I really enjoy elevated cakes and desserts, so I added pitted cherries (from a can) and also reduced calories on egg yolks. Who needs so many calories, right?

The milk custard cream becomes very nice, silk, and light, – you have to try it! Here is a quick short video of the cream:

Which season is this recipe best for?

This Napoleon cake with cherries is a real sweet treat that you can enjoy year-round. No limitations, as long as you can find any type of cherries.

Where can I buy the ingredients for this recipe?

Where Can I Buy the Required Ingredients?

You can find all the necessary ingredients at your local farmers’ market and/or grocery store, including (canned) cherries.

I make my own flaky pastry dough in this recipe, but there is a shortcut if you would rather not – you can buy it pre-made at the store. 😉 However, I don’t recommend doing it because store-bought puff pastry sheets tend to be denser, so you will not get the same texture (and taste) compared to the cake made from the homemade pastry dough.

I have been trying many different kinds of the store-bought puff pastry in the past, and I can guarantee that the homemade puff pastry is the best!

Here is a short video on how I make it:

By the way, subscribe to my YouTube channel for more short videos like this!

Can I substitute the ingredients in this recipe?

While staying true to my family’s authentic recipe is recommended – for the optimal experience – there is some room for creativity.

If you have any dietary preferences or restrictions, you can try different substitutions like dairy-free milk and gluten free pastry dough.

But keep in mind that such substitutions may slightly alter the taste and texture of the Napoleon.

Can I make this recipe part of a menu?

Absolutely! This delicious Napoleon Cake is a crown jewel of any culinary menu!

For an appetizer, serve a light dip, for example, Purple Beetroot Dip

For a vegetarian main, prepare Beetroot Carrot Potato Salad.

Then serve the Napoleon Tort for a dessert.

Which drinks would you pair it with?

I recommend having a glass of sparkling rosé or a chilled glass of white wine. Both can provide a great and refreshing contrast to the cake.

For a non-alcoholic option, try a cup of fragrant black tea (Earl Grey). So good!

How long can I store this recipe leftovers?

You won’t have any! But if by some miracle you will – place the rest of your Napoleon (whatever is left from ~~him~~ it) in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to three days. Guard the cake as someone may help it disappear. 🙂

Recipe tips & tricks

The most important things to pay attention to are pastry and cream.

Don’t use frozen puff pastry for baking. If you have the dough in your freezer, place it in the fridge first until it is completely unfrozen.
Here is how to make puff pastry from scratch. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before baking.
Precision in Pastry. Roll out the pastry dough uniformly using a plate of the size that you want your Napoleon cake to be. It will also help you form consistent layers when baking.
Cream. Use only fresh butter to make the cream. You can add vanilla sugar or vanilla essence to the cream.
Bake every puff pastry layer separately in order to bake them correctly, and keep them separately on the board.

Now grab a fork and dig into this Napoleon Cake – soft creamy cake with mildly sweet cherries that melt in your mouth… This Napoleon tort is truly a piece of culinary art that captures the essence of the perfect dessert. Enjoy!

Steps

1. Prepare dough

40 min

Prepare puff pastry dough. Please see my Easy Puff Pastry Dough recipe for details.

2. Make Cream

15 min

Pour 2 ounces or 50 ml of milk to a glass and add 2 tablespoons of flour. Mix it well with a whisker. Transfer the rest of milk to a pot. Add sugar and vanilla sugar. Heat, add butter and keep everything on low heat. When sugar and butter dissolve, slowly add milk flour slurry and continue whisking. You need to get the cream consistency. Once done, place the cream in a cold place to cool completely (it will become thicker).

3. Bake layers

1 h

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). On a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry dough with a rolling pin to about 1/8-inch thickness. Make a circle with a plate.

Prick the dough with a fork to prevent excessive rising during the baking.

Bake each layer for 8 minutes approximately until they are lightly puffed. Allow them to cool completely. Cut the excessive pieces, use the rolling pin to make the crumbs - you will need them to top the cake in the end.

4. Prepare cherries

3 min

Place cherries in a colander and get rid of liquid and extra juices from cherries.

5. Assemble cake

10 min

Spread a generous layer of milk custard cream on a serving plate. Place one pastry layer on top of the cream.

Next, top with cherries, spreading them evenly. Gently place another pastry layer on top of the cherry filling - don't press down.

Repeat the layering process, alternating between cream and cherry filling, until you've used all the pastry layers. Finally, top with the pastry crumbs that you prepared earlier. Place the cake in the fridge overnight or for at least 10 hours.

6. Serve

Your Napoleon Cake with Cherries is ready. Enjoy!

Go for it! Let me know how it goes please.

Napoleon Cake with Cherries

Recipe

Ingredients

Nutrition*

Ingredients

Dough

Milk Custard Cream

Cherries

About the recipe

Where Did This Napoleon Cake recipe come from?