Quick Napoleon cakes with berries
This is a quicker and easier alternative to the well known classic- Napoleon cake. If you are feeling creative and want to make something just beautiful and delicate, definitely try to make this dessert, it is like edible art.
6 sheets of filo dough 20x30 cm (frozen)
6 tsp sugar for sprinkling
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
For the cream
400-500 ml heavy cream
6 tsp sugar
Vanilla paste or sugar
2 tsp orange liqueur (or 1 tsp brandy or cognac)
the peel of 1 lemon, grated
300 g seasonal berries- raspberries, blueberries, currants etc.
Makes 6 cakes
1. Defrost the filo dough as instructed on packaging.
2. Preheat the oven to 185 degrees (celsius) and melt the butter.
3. Place baking sheets on two shallow oven pans and set aside.
4. Take 6 filo dough sheets and stack them on top of each other and cover them with plastic wrap and a moist towel.
5. Take the first sheet of dough and evenly sprinkle with 1 tsp of sugar. Lightly press the sugar crystals in the dough.
6. Stack the next sheet on top of the first one and use a brush to cover it with the melted butter. Then sprinkle with 1 tsp of sugar like the first one. Stack the third sheet on top and sprinkle the sugar on it, press down lightly so all sheets hold together properly. Then cut the sheets in 9 even pieces. They won’t hold together too well, but that’s ok.
7. Place all the pieces on the prepared pans and put them in the oven to bake for 5-7 min until golden brown. Ovens can be different so keep an eye on the pastry so it doesn’t burn.
8. Repeat steps 6 and 7 to the rest of the 3 pastry sheets.
9. When all sheets are baked (should make 18) set aside to cool.
10. Once the pastry has cooled, start whipping up the cream. Use an electric mixer and clean bowl to beat the heavy cream, only when it is starting to double in size, add the sugar, liqueur, vanilla and lemon peel to whisk until everything is soft and fluffy, not stiff. Do not over mix.
Assemble the cakes
11. Each cake will need 3 of the baked filo squares.
12. Spread a tbsp of cream on the first square and place some berries on top. Then stack the second square on that and do the same. Sandwich the third filo square on top and spread half a tbsp of cream and decorate with more berries.
The cakes can be made freely as desired, there are no rules. If you want them to still be a little crunchy, serve immediately as they will become softer later.
Recipe: Ārija Avota
Photo: Ieva Andersone (IG: photoievaandersone)
