Napoleon's Cakes
Cream:
400 ml milk
120 ml cream
50 g sugar
1 vanilla pod
75 g sugar
6 egg yolks
45 g cornstarch
2 tbsp butter
120 ml whipped cream
1 package puff pastry, rolled out and baked according to instructions later in the recipe.
Start by heating together in a pot the milk, 120 ml cream, 50 g sugar, and the vanilla pod (split the pod lengthwise, scrape the seeds into the pot, and add the pod as well).
Remove the pot from the heat, cover it, and let it sit for a few minutes.
Meanwhile, whip together the egg yolks, 75 g sugar, and cornstarch.
Gradually add the hot cream mixture to the egg yolks in small amounts, whisking continuously to prevent the eggs from curdling. Remove the vanilla pod from the mixture and pour the egg and cream mixture back into the pot. Heat gently until it comes to a simmer, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens (this should take about 60-90 seconds after it starts to bubble).
Remove from heat, transfer to a bowl, and quickly whisk in the cold butter. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the pudding to prevent a film from forming as it cools. Chill the pudding for at least one hour.
Whip the cream and gently fold it into the chilled pudding. Place in a piping bag and refrigerate until ready to use.
Now it’s time to bake the puff pastry.
Roll out the dough to a thickness of 2 mm and cut out rectangles using a pizza cutter (it’s helpful to use a ruler to measure equal pieces).
Grease a baking sheet with oil and place the puff pastry pieces on top. Prick the dough with a fork. Sprinkle a little sugar over the dough and place another greased sheet of baking paper over the dough. Place another baking tray on top to prevent the dough from rising too much in the oven while baking.
Bake at 200°C for 10-15 minutes; when the dough starts to turn golden, you can flip the pieces over, replace the paper and baking tray, and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
Cool the pastries on a wire rack before assembling:
Start by mixing the icing and spreading it over one-third of the cookie bases that will be the top of the three-layer cake. Now it’s time to assemble the cakes: start with a cookie base, spread a layer of jam, add cream, place another cookie base, more cream, and finally, a cookie base with icing on top.