NAPOLEON CAKE

This is my first Napoleon Cake attempt. A good friend of more than 20 years asked if I could make this for her birthday. A search on the internet reveals there are quite a few types of Napoleon cakes: Russian, Italian, French.... As I did not know which version she preferred (she had no idea too) I decided to come up with this instead. I hope she likes it.

NAPOLEON CAKE

Pastry Ingredients (adapted from Let the Baking Begin blog)

100g cold butter, cubed 

160g plain flour

38ml cold water

3/4 tbsp vodka or rum

1/4 tbsp vinegar

1/2 egg, beaten

Pinch of salt 

1/2 egg for egg wash

Pastry Cream Ingredients (adapted from Eugenie Kitchen)

240ml full cream milk

2 egg yolks

40g caster sugar

15g plain flour

15g corn flour

1 tsp rum

1 tsp lemon juice

Pinch of salt

37g butter

37g butter, softened

For Decoration

Blueberries

Strawberries

Berry Jam

Snow Sugar powder

Method

1. Mix cold water, vinegar and vodka in a cup. Whisk in beaten egg and salt. Set aside.
2. Using a food processor, mix flour and butter until resemble bread crumbs of pea sizes.
3. Pour in mixed egg mixture and give a few pulses. Stop when the dough is about to form, sticking to the sides.
4. Pour dough out on lightly floured counter top, gently work to form into a log. Do not over knead.
5. Cut log into 4 equal sizes. Cover with cling wrap and chill for one hour.
   
6. While waiting for dough to chill in fridge, warm milk over low heat in a heavy base pot. Do not let milk become too hot.
7. In a bowl, cream egg yolk and sugar with an egg beater.
8. Sift in plain flour and corn flour. Add in rum,lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Mix well.
9. Scoop out 1/4 cup of warm milk into egg batter, whisk continuously till well combined. Milk must not be too hot lest it cooks the egg mixture.
10. Pour egg mixture back into pot of warm milk. While whisking continuously, turn up heat to allow light boil. Mixture will turn smooth and thick. Cease fire, remove pot from stove.
11. Add in 37g butter and stir till well combined. Allow to cool.
12. Add in softened 37g butter. The pastry cream will become glossy and smooth.
    
13. Scoop cream into piping bag. Set aside.
    
14. Preheat oven at 205C and place baking rack in middle of oven. Prepare 2 baking sheets.
15. On a lightly floured surface, take a piece of dough and roll out to about 1-2mm thick. Transfer to baking sheet. Using a round cover lid as a guide, trace and cut out a round shaped pastry.
    
     
16. Poke holes on the round pastry with a fork. Egg wash and bake individually for about 12 min. Cool on rack. While baking the first tray, prepare pastry for the second tray.

    

    bake the side crumbs too

17. Repeat for all the other doughs.
    
18. To assemble, spread some jam on one of the pastries. Pipe pastry cream and place some fruits to top.
19. Place another pastry on top. Repeat to assemble.
20. Crush the side crumbs with food processor. Carefully stick them to sides of cake. 
    

My first trial batch

used 2 cake boxes to deliver the cake