How to Make a Custard & Jam Filled Puff Pastry Cake (Napoleon)

I was reminded of this beautiful cake as soon as I made my Honey Cake video. Napoleon is another classic cake from my childhood. It has a similar construction as honey cake – it is made by assembling several layers of pastry with a filling sandwiched in between; then the cake is covered with crumbs made from the leftover pastry.

Puff pastry is used for the layers and there are two fillings – pastry cream and jam. The cake is left to sit in the fridge for a whole day to let the pastry absorb the filling so that it becomes nice and moist. The result is a soft and light cake which is not very sweet because there is no sugar in the pastry. It goes perfectly with a cup of coffee.

We are using my standard rough puff pastry recipe. You can find other great uses of this pastry in the Pastry & Cakes playlist on my channel.

Watch the video down below for detailed instructions.

Ingredients

For the pastry –

250g (8.8oz) white bread flour

200g (7oz) cold butter, cut into cubes

3g (0.1oz) salt

80g (2.8oz) cold water

For the filling –

70g (2.5oz) sugar

45g (1.6oz) flour

2 egg yolks (30g; 1oz)

5g (0.17oz) vanilla paste or extract

450g (16oz) milk

70g (2.5oz) butter

150g (5.3oz) raspberry jam

Method

1. Make the custard (pastry cream). Combine the sugar, flour, egg yolks, vanilla, and milk in a pan and set it on medium-high heat. Bring the mix up to a simmer and cook it whilst whisking continuously for around 10 minutes.
2. Once the custard has become nice and thick take it off the heat and whisk in the butter. Transfer the custard to a bowl, cover it, and refrigerate it until it has set.
3. Make the dough. In a large bowl combine the flour and salt. Mix. Add the butter cubes and coat them with flour. Break each butter cube into 4 – 5 pieces. Do not break the butter up too much.
4. Add the water and mix until there is no dry flour left. Do not work the dough too much. Press it together slowly and do not knead it.
5. Wrap the dough in clingfilm and refrigerate for 40 minutes.
6. To turn the dough into pastry we must create layers. Dust the dough and the table with flour generously. Roll the dough out to three times its length. Straighten the edges and fold it in three layers.
7. Roll it out again and fold it into three layers once more. Wrap it up and chill it for 40 minutes.
8. Repeat the same steps as before. Roll out. Fold in 3. Roll out again and fold into 3 once more. Wrap up and refrigerate for at least 40 minutes. Now it is ready to be used for any project you decide to use it for.
9. Make the layers. Roll the pastry out to more than 60cm x 30cm (2ft x 1ft). Trim the edges and cut the pastry into 6 equal rectangles measuring 20cm x 15cm (8in x 6in). Dock the pastry with a fork to prevent it from puffing up too much as it bakes.
10. Bake two at a time at 200C (390F) fan off for 13 – 15 minutes or until the top and bottom of the pastry have browned. Finally, bake the trimmings and leave everything to cool down. Blitz the trimmings into a rough powder.
11. Assemble the cake. Spread jam on the underside of 5 pieces of pastry. Spread the custard in an even layer on a piece of pastry and then place the following piece on top so that the jam is facing the custard. Repeat until the last piece.
12. Spread the custard on the top of the cake and use the remaining custard to cover the sides. Sprinkle the crumbs on the top and then cover the sides.
13. Leave the cake in the fridge for at least a whole day. Once it has set you can press it and moult it to make it more even if need be.

Slice and serve with fresh berries.