Easy Napoleon Cake Recipe (VIDEO) (2024)

This Easy Napoleon Cake recipe consists of rich custard and flaky puff pastry cake base. You won’t believe how quick and easy it is to make!

If you love the taste of homemade custard, you might also enjoy our mini fruit tart recipe or our easy white chocolate creme brulees!

Recipe Details

This Easy Napoleon Cake recipe is my aunt Nelya’s and has been a family favorite for many years. I just love the simplicity of it, as well as the creamy custard and flaky cake layers.

• TASTE: The custard in this Napoleon Cake is creamy, buttery, and sweet – but not too sweet. It’s perfectly rich.
• TEXTURE: The custard’s smooth, rich texture works really well with the flakiness of the Napoleon’s pastry layers.
• TIME: This cake will take 1 hour and 15 minutes.
• EASE: With store-bought puff pastry and just a handful of ingredients, this Napoleon Cake has never been easier to make.

What You’ll Need

Ingredient Notes

• Puff pastry sheets- For this quick and easy Napoleon recipe, you will need store-bought puff pastry sheets (Pepperidge Farm brand).
• Eggs- We are just using the yolks here so separate them carefully for the custard.
• Whipped topping- I like the extra creamy type because you want a really rich custard.

Add-ins and Substitutions

• Substitute pudding for custard- If you want to really make this easy, you can substitute vanilla pudding mix for the custard. The taste will be a bit different though.
• Add icing- Top this Napoleon Cake with vanilla and chocolate icing lines, dragging a knife through them to create a wavy look.
• Substitute the milk- For a richer and thicker custard, you can use heavy cream or condensed milk in place of the milk.
• Make it allergen-friendly- Substitute the milk and whipped cream for coconut milk-based ones, the butter for a plant-based version, and the puff pastry and flour with gluten-free options.

How to Make Easy Napoleon Cake

• Start the custard. Beat the eggs and sugar in a large bowl. Then add the flour and milk. Beat just until incorporated.

• Add the hot milk. Then slowly pour the hot milk into the egg yolk mixture, while stirring quickly.
• Add remaining ingredients to the pastry cream. Transfer it to the cooktop and continue cooking over low heat until it thickens. Let the napoleon custard cool completely.

• Thaw and prepare the puff pastry. Thaw out each sheet of puff pastry and place onto a floured surface. Using a rolling pin, roll them out and then transfer them onto a baking sheet. Generously puncture the puff pastry with a fork.
• Bake. Bake in a 400 Fahrenheit degree oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Pro Tip:Use the rolling pin to roll up the puff pastry and transfer it to the baking sheet.

• Add the butter to the custard. Once the custard has cooled completely, add in the softened butter, but only 2 Tbsp at a time while mixing in between to prevent separation.
• Finish the custard. Lastly, add in thevanillaand thawed cool whip. Mix to combine..

• Assemble the Napoleon cake. Divide the cream amongst the 5 layers of pastry sheets and reserve the 6th puff pastry sheet for topping.
• Add crumbles to cake. Crumble the reserved puff pastry sheet and coat the top and sides of the cake with the crumbs. Serve as is or decorate it with fresh berries.

Recipe Tips

• Stir the hot milk into the eggs quickly- Stir quickly while slowly adding the hot milk because you don’t want to scramble the eggs.
• Add the butter a little at a time- When adding the butter to the custard, mix in a couple of tablespoons at a time to avoid separation.
• Thin out the custard- If your Napoleon custard has turned out too thick, then thin it out by mixing in some more milk, or even folding in some whipped cream.
• Use the leftover egg whites- Since this recipe only needs egg yolks, use the leftover whites to make Raspberry Macarons or Chocolate Meringue Cookies.

FAQs

Serving Suggestions

This Easy Napoleon Cake is a delicious dessert to serve because it goes well with so many others. Pair it with other desserts, cookies, or coffee drinks.

• Cookies: Serve this cake with some Chocolate Meringue Cookies, Linzer Cookies with Raspberry Jam, Meringue Cookies with Berries and Cream, or Cookies And Cream Cookies.
• Pies: Pair this berry-topped Napoleon Cake with fruit-filled pies, like Blueberry Pie, Homemade Apple Pie, Perfect Peach Pie, or Simple Cherry Pie.
• Macarons: Enjoy this French dessert with some Chocolate Macarons, Lemon Macarons, Coffee Macarons, or Raspberry Macarons.
• Beverages: Have a slice of this cake with a Pumpkin Spice Latte, Caramel Frappuccino (Starbucks Copycat), Iced Caramel Macchiato, or Hot Chocolate.

Make This Recipe in Advance

Make ahead: I personally think a Napoleon tastes best the next day when the puff pastry has absorbed the custard. So go ahead and make this cake a day ahead of time and carefully wrap it with plastic wrap or cover it with a cake dome and store it in the fridge until you serve it.

Storing: If you don’t really like super moist cakes, eat this one the day you make it. But to store it, first allow it to sit out for 1-2 hours so the custard can absorb a little into the pastry. Then cover with plastic wrap or place in an airtight container and refrigerate for 2-3 days.

Freeze: If you choose to freeze it, it will keep for about a year in an airtight container. Just thaw the Napoleon cake overnight when you are ready to eat it.

More Delicious French Desserts!

Watch how to make Napoleon Cake here:

Full Recipe Instructions

This recipe was originallyposted on Aug 11, 2015, we’ve tweaked it a bit since then.