TanyaThe French “Mille Fueille” or a “thousand layer” cake has been embraced and entirely nationalized by the Russians where it’s known as torte Napoleon.
Most Russians will reassure you that the name has a direct association with a certain French Emperor of note and the cake was created in his honor.
Other sources say that the name comes from the French word Neapolitain, i.e. coming from Naples. The name was changed into Napoleon due to mere linguistic association as well as Russian reverence highlighting the historic significance of the Russian Patriotic War of 1812 with Napoleon.
The torte has enjoyed an especially great popularity since 1912 – the centenary celebration of the Russian victory over Napoleon, when triangular-shape pastries resembling the bicorne were sold while the many layers of the cake symbolized La Grande Armée.
The top covered by pastry crumbs symbolized the snow of Russia which reportedly helped the Russians defeat Napoleon, among others.
Since that time, the torte became a staple dessert in Soviet cuisine and still remains one of the most popular cakes in Russia and other post-Soviet countries.
It seems that every family has their own version of torte Napoleon. It typically has more layers than the French archetype – the number of layers range from 10 to 15, counting. Different filling recipes have also been used.
My version comes from my Mom’s kitchen where she liked to spend a big chunk of her time. That was her signature cake and she was very proud of the results. Today, it is known in my family as “Babushkin Tort” or “Grandma’s cake”.
When I asked my son what he would like to have for his Birthday, he said, ”Babushkin Tort”. For a second, I regretted asking that question because making Napoleon requires a lot of time, effort and detailed work. But I said, OK, I can do it for my son and for my Mom, who will be smiling looking at me from her picture with approval.
Let’s start with the custard. The quality of custard defines the quality of this cake.
Mix 2 whole eggs and 4 yolks with 2 cups of sugar and 1 tsp of vanilla powder, whip the blend. Add 1 cup of milk, then slowly incorporate 1 cup of flour, blending until homogeneous.
Boil 5 cups of milk in a pot and pour into the egg blend, stirring.
Put the blend back into the pot, set the medium heat and continue stirring till thickening. Add 2 sticks of unsalted room temperature butter and continue stirring until well blended.
Cover the surface of the custard with a plastic wrap to prevent forming a crust. Cool to room temperature.
Dough.
Cut 2 sticks of cold butter into cubes, add 4 cups of flour and 1 tsp salt. Using baking knife continue cutting butter and flour and rub everything into crumbs. Set aside.
Combine 2 eggs, 1 tbs of sugar, 1 tbs of vodka and 1 tsp of baking soda and blend well. Add 1 cup of sour cream and continue blending. Combine mixture with flour and butter crumbs.
Kneed well and cut dough into 12 pieces formed as balls and place them into a covered container. Keep in the freezer for 10 minutes, then put into the fridge.
Take the pieces of dough one by one from the fridge and immediately roll each of them on the cutting board with flour.
Form the round layers, using a 8-9 inch plate. Trim the edges by cutting around the plate.
Collect the cuts and put them aside (bake them later and crumble them for decoration).
Put each individual layer or two on the baking sheet and prick many times with a fork. Bake at (390°F) for 7 minutes. Repeat. You might need to have two baking sheets to expedite the process.
Assembling the cake requires patience.
Turn the music on. Something soothing.
Put 3 full spoons of custard on the first layer. Put another layer on top and press slightly. Repeat until all the layers are used.
Spread the custard over the top and the sides of the cake and cover with pastry crumbs made from the baked dough scraps. You may use one additional layer that happened to be over baked or ruined for crumbs. Use the rolling pin to make the crumbs and let it snow generously on the cake.
The cake should be moist. So the abundance of custard might make the cake unstable. To secure the cake, use the baking ring around the cake.
Let it stand on the kitchen table for 12 hours. Then refrigerate for 24 hours.
Remove the ring. Transfer to a serving plate. Decorate. Cut with a sharp knife.
Enjoy!
P.S. All the food featured in this post has been prepared and photographed by me.
