25.3.12

NAPOLEON PASTRY CAKE

One of the best pastries we ever had was from a Dutch baker, who unfortunately no longer bakes to sell; it was for our youngest granddaughter’s baptism almost nine years ago. Mine will always be an imitation, but on occasion, we enjoy a version of it. This is the small 6-8 serving adaptation. [For the large pastry, double all the ingredients and use a large round cake pan. I also make more of an effort at decorating the large cake and usually cover the top pastry layer with vanilla glaze.]

I rolled the dough into a 24X18 inch rectangle. I cut out three rounds to fit my round cake pans and the fourth round I pieced together from two of the largest pastry remnants. This pastry cake is best if consumed on the same day, but still requires a couple of hours of chilling time to slice it neatly. Only then can you appreciate how wonderful this pastry cake really is.

NAPOLEON PASTRY CAKE
1/2 batch of Hungarian Flaky Pastry
1/4 cup seedless raspberry jam
1/2 batch of Pastry Cream
1 cup Stabilized Whipping Cream
icing sugar for sprinkling

• Make pastry cream and set aside to cool.
• Next make 1/2 batch of flaky pastry
• Chill for twenty minutes.
• Line two 9-inch baking pans with parchment paper.
• Preheat the oven to 400F.
• Roll out the dough to a thin 24X18 inch rectangle.
• Cut four pastry rounds to fit the parchment lined baking pans. One round will have to be pieced together from pastry remnants.
• Place the pastry rounds in the two prepared pans.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 4-5 minutes or until golden brown. Keep an eye on them, flaky pastry buns very quickly.
• Halfway through, deflate the parts that swell up by pricking them with a fork.
• Remove from oven and place the pastry rounds on a wire rack to cool.
• Repeat with the remaining pastry layers.
• Meanwhile make the stabilized whipping cream.
• Beat the chilled pastry cream until smooth.
• Fold the whipped cream into the pastry cream. This combination of whipped cream and pastry cream is what we call Bavarian cream.
• Use Bavarian cream promptly. It sets rather quickly.
• Place a pastry layer on a serving platter.
• Lightly spread with raspberry jam.
• Lay a pastry layer on the top.
• Spread a moderately thin layer of Bavarian cream on the top.
• Place the next a pastry layer on top.
• Spread another layer of Bavarian Cream on the top.
• Place the last pastry on the top.
• Spread the remaining Bavarian cream on the sides and sprinkle the top with icing sugar.
• Chill the cake for a couple of hours. After that, it will slice neatly.

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It began with posting a few recipes on line for the family. "zsuzsa is in the kitchen" has more than 1000 Hungarian and International recipes. What started out as a private project turned into a well visited blog. The number of visitors long passed the two million mark. I organized the recipes into an on-line cookbook. On top of the page click on "ZSUZSA'S COOKBOOK". From there click on any of the chapters to access the recipes. For the archive just scroll to the bottom of the page. I am not profiting from my blog, so visitors are not harassed with advertising or flashy gadgets. The recipes are not broken up with photos at every step. Where needed the photos are placed following the recipe. Feel free to cut and paste my recipes for your own use. Publication is permitted as long as it is in your own words and with your own photographs. However, I would ask you for an acknowledgement and link-back to my blog. Happy cooking!