No-Bake Napoleon Cake Recipe
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There is no baking required for this napoleon cake! It’s so easy and you’ll be surprised by the “cake” layers. It has all the same great flavors of a classic napoleon cake but it’s really easy to prepare.
This cake is beautiful served plain with the crumb coat but the ring of berries is strikingly beautiful and so easy to create – you’ll want to use it on all of your cakes! The layers soften under the custard cream as it rests overnight making it super simple to slice and giving it the look and taste of a classic napoleon cake.
P.S. If you don’t have a springform mold, by all means, assemble this as a 3 layer cake in a 9×13 glass casserole dish. It will still look really pretty because you can see the layers through the dish and you can even crumb coat the top before you refrigerate so it’s even easier :).
Ingredients for No-Bake Napoleon Cake:
800-900 grams Palmier or “elephant ear” cookies (we buy the 2 lb box from Costco)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 whole eggs + 3 yolks (from large eggs)
1/3 cup corn starch
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
3 cups milk (2% or whole milk)
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
Berries to Decorate the top
What You Will Need:
9″ springform pan (or a 9×13 glass casserole dish)
Cake platter
How to Make No-Bake Napoleon Cake:
1. In a medium saucepan, combine 3/4 cup sugar, 2 whole eggs and 3 yolks and thoroughly whisk together 1 minute. Add 1/3 cup corn starch and whisk until smooth. Whisk in 1/2 cup condensed milk. Add 3 cups milk while whisking. Once milk is incorporate, place over medium heat and continue whisking frequently until thickened and it just starts to boil (8 to 10 min)*. Remove from heat right away.
*Tips for success: Stir custard often on the stove, and whisk constantly towards the end so it doesn’t get lumpy. As soon as you feel it starting to thicken, watch it closely since the boil can be hidden by the milk foam at the top.
2. Whisk in 1 Tbsp vanilla extract then add pieces of butter and whisk until fully incorporated. Cover the surface with plastic wrap so a film does not form and let stand at room temperature for one hour until just barely warm.
3. While custard cools, prep cookies and cut in half if they are large so you can fit more in the pan. To slice, stack a few cookies and saw carefully with a serrated knife. For the crumb coat, place 3-4 cookies in a large ziploc bag, seal and crush with a rolling pin.
4. Remove the base of a 9″ springform pan and place the tightened ring over the center of a cake platter. Spread 4 heaping Tablespoons of custard into the center, holding the ring steady. Arrange as many cookies as you can fit in a single layer into the bottom of the pan**. Cover with 5 heaping Tablespoons of custard and spread evenly with a spatula. Repeat with remaining cookies and custard until you have 4 layers of cookies. Spread remaining frosting over the top, sealing any gaps. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
**Add broken pieces of cookie to fill any large gaps.
5. Once you take the cake out of the refrigerator, run a thin spatula or knife around the edge to loosen it from the pan. Sprinkle crushed cookies over the top and sides, gently patting to get a good crumb coating. Arrange berries over the top in a ring and serve.
No-Bake Napoleon Cake Recipe
Ingredients
For the Napoleon Cake:
- 800-900 grams Palmier or "elephant ear" cookies, we buy the 2 lb box from Costco
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 whole eggs + 3 yolks, from large eggs
- 1/3 cup corn starch
- 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
- 3 cups milk, 2% or whole milk
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 stick, 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- Berries to Decorate the top
What You Will Need:
- 9 " springform pan, or a 9x13 glass casserole dish
- Cake platter
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, combine 3/4 cup sugar, 2 whole eggs and 3 yolks and thoroughly whisk together 1 minute. Add 1/3 cup corn starch and whisk until smooth. Whisk in 1/2 cup condensed milk. Add 3 cups milk while whisking. Once milk is incorporate, place over medium heat and continue whisking frequently until thickened and just starts to boil (8 to 10 min)*. Remove from heat right away.
- Whisk in 1 Tbsp vanilla then add butter and whisk until fully incorporated. Cover custard surface with plastic wrap so a film does not form and let stand at room temperature for one hour until just barely warm.
- While custard cools, prep cookies and cut in half if large to fit more in the pan. To slice, stack cookies and saw carefully with serrated knife. For the crumb coat, place 3-4 cookies in a large ziploc bag, seal and crush with rolling pin.
- Remove the base of a 9" springform pan and place the tightened ring over the center of a cake platter. Spread 4 heaping Tablespoons of custard into the center, holding the ring steady. Arrange as many cookies as you can fit in a single layer into the bottom of pan**. Cover with 5 heaping Tablespoons custard and spread evenly with spatula. Repeat with remaining cookies and custard until you have 4 layers of cookies. Spread remaining frosting over the top, sealing any gaps. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
- Once you take the cake out of the refrigerator, run a thin spatula around the edge to loosen it from the pan. Sprinkle crushed cookies over top and sides, gently patting to adhere crumbs. Arrange berries over the top and serve.
Notes
**Add broken pieces of cookie to fill any large gaps.
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
I hope you love this simple and yummy no-bake napoleon cake!
Q: What is your favorite no-bake dessert?
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Love this idea- it is brilliant . I found a recipe for no cook pastry cream that works well here. Beat 1 quart heavy cream with one 3 oz vanilla instant pudding mix box, 1/3 cup sugar and 1 Tsp vanilla extract til the consistency of pastry cream.Quick and easy! A family favorite!
Thank you for sharing, Dana! 🙂
Hey Natasha,
I want to make this for my fiance’s birthday later this month.
For the butter, is it 1 and a half sticks of unsalted butter? Or just half a stick of unsalted butter?thanks!
Hi Deanna! It’s unsalted butter. 🙂
Deanna, it’s half a cup of butter which is one stick. Hope that helps
Hi Natasha,
I love your recipes and would love to try this one. Is there a way to substitute the eggs with some other ingredient for people who are allergic?
I honestly haven’t tested any substitution for eggs to advise. Sorry I wish I could help you more, if you do an experiment though, we’d love to know how it goes!
Hi Natasha, my cake is in the fridge. It looks delicious and easy to make. I have 2 questions:
1- In the instructions it does not say that the plastic should be glued to the custard cream, because whenever you make a type of pastry cream, that is how it is refrigerated? or else form a layer
2- In the original napoleon the filling is very different from this one, is there any specific reason?
Thanks again for wonderful recipes.
Hi Marimar, I have that in the instructions above in step 2: “Cover custard surface with plastic wrap so a film does not form and let stand at room temperature for one hour until just barely warm.” Also, this is just a completely different recipe than the original.
Natasha, thanks for answering. The taste is amazing, my family loved it. My question is when you put the assembled cake in the refrigerator the covering plastic, should it touch the pastry cream? When I made the cream I did see to put the plastic on the cream.
PS: Your recipes never fail
Hi, yes, put the plastic wrap directly over the custard.
Hello Natasha , Just one quick question can I use unsweetened condensed milk???
Hi Edith, I wish I could help here, but I haven’t tried that substitution. If you test this successfully, I would love to hear the details.
Dear Natasha, is it OK to substitute the cooked cream with ready store purchased vanilla pudding?
Thank you, Anna.
Hi Anna, I haven’t tried that so I’m not sure how it would affect the overall consistency of the cream.
Hi Natasha! I’d love to make this for New Years but my husband is gluten-free and I can’t find any gluten-free elephant ears. Do you think it would work with another pastry, like gluten-free lady fingers?
Hi Julia, I haven’t tested this with a gluten-free substitution. If you experiment, let me know how you liked the recipe.
Natasha, please. is there an easier version for the custard ?
Hi Ninon, this is the only one that I have for the custard. I hope you can try it.
Hi Natasha! I haven’t made this Napoleon cake yet but it looks amazing. I am hoping that you can help me discover a recipe for a cake that I would love to bake for my boyfriend, he’s from Belarus and we both live in the US now. This is his favorite cake: https://porechskie-torty.by/model;jsessionid=abcSWEDwogC3M9eV1XvDw?idModel=456
Thanks for any help you can give me!! I love your recipes, we cook “Natasha’s food” all the time at our house:)
Hi Quinn, thanks for your comments and suggestion. I’ll check out this cake that you suggested.
Made this cake for Christmas. The first time I burned custard, big fail. Likely, I had extra ingredients and the second time custard and cake came out great. This is my tips: 1. Keep mixing the custard until it thickened, it may take longer to thickened but won’t get burnt. It took me about 13-15 minutes to get it to the right consistency on medium-low heat. Don’t make it too thick! 2. Keep the cake at a room temperature for a few hours before refrigerated, and take it out of the fridge at least an hour before serving. 3. Keep it in the fridge at least 24 hrs before serving. #2,3 ensures soft layers.
Thank you for sharing that with us, Lana! Yes, you have to watch that custard closely. It doesn’t take much to burn.
My Mom made this cake. It is amazing! Great flavor and she said it was so easy to make. I can’t wait to make it for wow my in-laws.
Thanks for your great feedback! That sounds like an awesome plan, I’m sure you’ll leave a great impression. Good luck!
This cake is amazing. Tried it once for my husband’s birthday, turned out heavenly. I have a question. If I make it the same day, can I refrigerate it for a few hours only? How many? Since I would like to offer it for my mom tonight, thank you
Thanks for your excellent, review Sofiya. I haven”t tried making this cake on the same day to advise, if you do give it a try please share with us how it goes!
Hi Natasha, i am going to make your napoleon cake this weekend just wanted to know can i use homemade custard instead and i hoping if i make it 2 days before i’m hoping that the cookies will be soft and not hard. what do you think? Please respond as i will be making this tonight for Saturday night.
Hi Mars, the recipe uses a custard and it does soften the layers nicely. I hope that helps.
Hi Natasha, so i made this cake Thursday night and had it Sat. night the cake was very dry and really did not have any taste, maybe if i make it again i would add some sliced strawberries after adding the cookies. what went wrong! mars
Absolutely amazing Napoleon and so easy to make! So soft, not dry, taste like heaven!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Jennifer and for giving great feedback! I hope you love every recipe you try!
Wow! No bake!
I was thinking to make my son Napoleon for his 5th birthday but the real one! ( I made your honey cake ( Medovik) a few years ago … it looks like similar principe … but after finding this I might just go that lol xx
I’ve made this recipe 2 other times and it turned out perfectly every time. But this time my custard is not thickening I have no idea what I did wrong. I’ve read over the recipe twice and I have no idea what I did wrong this time
Hi Angela, did you use any substitutions or change proportions in the recipe? Were you using large eggs? The thickening results from both the eggs/yolks and the corn starch so I’m guessing one of those might be the culprit.
Ok it was most likely the eggs than. I was worried they looked smaller than usual. I’ll keep that in mind next time. Gonna try making it again in a couple days
I hope it turns it out better for you next time! We look forward to your feedback.
I love Napoleon! And i love how easy this recipe is! It tastes so good just like the one my mom used to make. Next time I will make more custard though because even now almost 48 hours later cookies are not entirely soft. Or maybe I’ll crush cookies not just for the top, but for layers as well.
Do you know if the cream would work with traditional puff pasty dough? Also I usually shy away from the egg, is there any odor that comes from it?
I haven’t had that experience, Lori.
So do you think this receipt will work with custard as well
Hi Mars, this recipe has instructions for the custard. I’m not sure I understand your question?
Well this was a fail for me. My custard turned out watery and never thickened like it should have. I guess I’m too much of a novice for this recipe.
I’m sorry to hear that. I’m always happy to help troubleshoot. I would suggest reading over the recipe again to see if there were any changes in the process. Also, check the ingredient list to see if any substitutions were made.
This recipe is as close to the real Napoleon Torte as you can get, without the work of making your own pastry. I have made it several times and have some advice for those who have had problems, because success depends on the cookies. Costco in Canada doesn’t carry palmier cookies, but I found another brand that were rather hard and dense, and they simply would not soften. I even tried leaving the leftovers in the fridge for 3 days and some of the cookies were still a bit too tough. I then tried some rectangular Italian puff pastry cookies (which were very light and fluffy) and made a rectangular cake by crisscrossing the direction of the layers, and it worked beautifully. I’ve also used these puff pastry cookies to make small square individual cakes and they were great too and very convenient for serving. I then tried using the large pre-rolled sheets of puff pastry by cutting them into 4 circles, then splitting them in half once they were baked, ending up with 8 layers. There was actually enough custard to do more layers if you wanted a taller cake. Puff pastry was excellent, but obviously a little more work than the cookies, but still easier than making your own pastry from scratch. I think that the custard recipe is perfect and the directions are easy to follow. Thank you Natasha for the great recipe!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us all, Sharon!
What’s the name of the Italian cookies at Costco in Canada?
I haven’t been able to find them at Costco. Sobey’s carries them, but they are very expensive and I haven’t tried them. I looked everywhere for a cheaper alternative and only found them at Dollarama (strange place, I know), but they wouldn’t soften, even after several days. Dollarama also sells small rectangular puff pastry cookies and they worked perfectly. As per my review, frozen puff pastry works well too.
Hi Natasha, hope you are doing well. I have already made couple of times Napoleon cake. SUPER HIT
Now question is, after making can I freeze it for 2 weeks?
Thanks in advance
I’m so happy you enjoyed that! I have not tried freezing that so I cannot advise if you experiment please let me know how you like that!
First of all I’m a big fan of Natasha. But it doesn’t influence me when I’m following her recipes. I would say I am very snobby in food. Anyway.
I just LOVED this recipe…. very light and flavorful. Because there is no cream it’s not too bad for your health like other cakes (that’s my point of view).
– I made 2 days earlier
– I decorated with chocolate coated strawberries
– My custard took 6 minutes to get that consistency
BIG THANKS Natasha
Love you
Awww that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me :). I’m all smiles!
Followed recipe to a “t”, and even decorated exactly as pictured. Cream was good and everything looked just like the original cake…BUT it was definitely a fail unfortunately:(
Brought it to our Christmas gathering and my chef sister asked what recipe I used for the layers. I said the elephant ear cookies from Costco and she said it tasted bad and not even close to the original, and I agree. Kept the cake for over 2 days hoping something might soften up or change but it was a no go. Have to toss it which I have never done to any of my cakes before.
Ok, update here. So I wanted to toss the cake and just left it in the garage overnight. It was cold so it didn’t spoil. Anyway, I wake up to my husband having discovered it and was eating it right up. I ended up trying it and boy oh boy was I in for a surprise! The cake had transformed over the course of the night. I guess 3 days is the magic number for the layers to finally soften up. Totally different cake today. Yes, the cookies still give it a store bought flavor a bit, but it’s really not bad for a no-bake cake. Thought I would give a final review after my initial comment to not mislead anyone. MAKE SURE LAYERS ARE SOFT BEFORE EATING AND THAT COULD TAKE 3 WHOLE DAYS AS IT DID FOR ME.
Hi Anna, thank you for sharing your update!
I’m thinking your refrigerator might have been too cold, setting set too high? Maybe thats why it got soft the night you left it in the garage because garage wasn’t as cold?
Hi,
I am not a big fan of fruit on top of cakes, although it is pretty and decorative. What might you suggest as an alternative topping? Thanks!
Hi Susanna, chocolate ganache or drizzled chocolate on top would work. You can also decorate with additional frosting.
Thanks very much. I look forward to trying the recipe with one of those toppings. I appreciate your quick response!
You’re welcome!
My family absolutely loved this. It was so much easier to make with the palmier cookies than with traditional puffed pastry
Isn’t it great! Thank you for the great review, Lisa!
Hello. This cake is delicious! I don’t have overnight for this cake. Any way to speed up the softening?
Hi Marina, You can try making it as far in advance as possible day of & make sure you have it covered well. I can’t guarantee it will be soft by the time you serve it but I have my fingers crossed for you! Let me know how it turns out.
Hi Natasha! can i double the custard?
Hi Rica, It can be done but doubling the custard would probably overwhelm the cake unless you were increasing the amount of cookies as well.
Hi Natasha. How early can I make this cake?
Hi Aneta, this cake can be made a day in advance (max 2 days in advance).
This cake was amazing! I made it for Easter and everyone loved it!! Thank you for another amazing recipe!
You’re welcome Aneta! I’m glad the recipe is a hit. Thanks for sharing!
This was by far a NO GO!!! I guess when you are used to the real deal, i should have known this was too-good-to-be-true. My Custard was amazing, but with those cookies together is a failure, even my husband agreed… that was a lot of waisted ingridients. HOWEVER! I do love most of the other recipes Natasha has here!
Hi Sveta, did you allow it to rest for the cookies to soften and absorb the cream. Also, can you share what brand of cookies you used?
Is it ok to substitute vanilla extract with vanillin? Thank you for response.
Hi Natasha, I honestly don’t have any experience using the synthetic vanillin so I’m not sure if it would dissolve and incorporate readily as vanilla extract does. Sorry i can’t be more help with that. It is just a product we don’t use.
Could I use puff pastry sheets rather than cookies?
Hi Hope, I think that would work to bake puff pastry and use it in this recipe. We usually follow this recipe when using puff pastry, but I think it would still work here.
Omg this cake is sooo good! It was probably one of the best Napoleons I ever had! I was very skeptical when I was making it, since it’s a no-bake Napoleon, but I was definitely blown away at how good it tasted when I tried it the next day. I couldn’t find Palmier cookies at our grocery store, so I used Balhsen puff pastry instead (they look very similar) and it turned out perfect. Also, I noticed that the custard took a little longer than 10 minutes to thicken, probably because I was whisking it a lot in the beginning, I kind of backed off from whisking it so much and then it started to thicken, so that’s when I started whisking again. Hope that helps those who had problems with the custard not thickening.
Happy and healthy New Year to you and your family!
Hi Irina, thank you for the wonderful review and happy New Year to you as well!
Hi Natasha,
We are making this cake now (try #2) and we can’t get custard to thicken. Do you know why this can happened? We made sure to follow you directions to the dot.
Hi Jenia, did you use any substitutions or change proportions in the recipe? Were you using large eggs? The thickening results from both the eggs/yolks and the corn starch so I’m guessing one of those might be the culprit.
This cake is wonderful! Can’t go wrong with it, every time I make it, plate comes home clean. I brought it to work a week ago, coworkers are still talking about it.
I’m happy to hear how much everyone enjoys the recipe Nina! Thanks for sharing your excellent review!
Made it today and it is now chilling. I used sweetened condensed cocunut milk because it was available, can’t wait to cut into it. I also strained the pudding since it was a bit lumpy. Has a slight hint of coconut. I might try it with coconut milk and extract next time and add toasted shredded coconut over the top.
Please let me know how it turns out Natalie! 🙂
I’ve made this cake before, and it turned out really good, the crowd loved it!! I want to make it again, but I can’t remember- does it cut well into pieces, or does it crumble some? I need to transfer cake in individual pieces onto platters with other sweets.
Hi Nina, after it has softened overnight, it does hold together pretty well when sliced into individual pieces. I suggest a sharp serrated knife for easier slicing 🙂
Thank you!! 😋
Loved it
I’m glad to hear that Violetta! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Made it tonight and it was great . Some parts were hard so I’ll make sure I add more custard filling
Natasha, first of all I must say… I LOVE your recipes!!! I’ve made this cake and it is superb! So much better than using the ready pastry sheets.. it’s just like the real thing! I do have a question though, how many days in advance can I make the custard cream? If I keep it in the coldest part of my refrigerator at all times :)…will it last a week?
Hi Yelena, Thank you so much! 🙂 I probably would not store it for longer than about 3 days. It spreads easiest onto the cake before it is refrigerated though.
Hi Natasha. I want to make this cake. Got all the ingredients but the only spring form pan I found is 10 inch one. Will it still work or will the cake come out too short ? I can return it just in case
Hi Liliya, I always only use a 9″ springform pan and I do think having it 1″ wider will result in a shorter cake.
So how tall does the cake approximately come out with 9 inch pan?
Hi Liliya, after the crumbs are on, I would say it’s about 2 3/4″ or so tall in a 9″ springform pan.
So I made this cake yesterday and got the 9 inch pan. Brought it to Bible study today and everyone loved it 🙂
Yay, I’m glad to hear everyone loves the recipe! Thanks for sharing Liliya 😀
Hello, Natasha! Is it possible to substitute corn starch to potato starch?
Hi Natalia, I haven’t tried that so I can’t say for sure if it’s an exact straight across substitution.
This cake is delicious!!! Love it!!!!
I’m happy you love the cake recipe Marina! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Hi Natasha,
Was thinking of making it for a potluck coming up at at a park. My concern is that it will be sitting out a few hours without refrigeration. Would you suggest only serving this cake straight from the fridge? Worried it will melt or collapse if left out. Thanks!
Hi Monica, it won’t melt or collapse unless it is really hot out. Keep it refrigerated as long as possible and try to keep it out of direct sun.
Thank you so much for this recipe! I have been looking for an authentic tasting “zavarnoy” cream recipe for a while and this is it :). I have made this several times, following the recipe exactly, and it comes out perfect every time. I also add some rum to it to accent the vanilla flavor. Just like mom used to make a life time ago but of course she could not give me n exact recipe.
You’re welcome Zhanna! I’m happy to hear you love the recipe, thanks for sharing!
Hi there, we just put the un-crumbed cake in the fridge! Yay!!!. Ok, so I learned a few great things while making this recipe and I will try to make my comment here short so this posting doesn’t turn into a novel lol. First: Natasha, thank you so much for including the step-by-step pictures with the written directions, they really helped us (me). Second: Putting plastic wrap on the cooling custard is pure-genius! I will use that on my sauce pan of holiday dinner gravy until we serve it. Third: we love the custard. I know now how to make it and it was really simple, and it is by far the best we’ve ever tasted! So, thank you for that also. Lastly, to everyone making this dessert: It’s ok to taste the custard after it has cooled, but don’t keep tasting it! We barely had enough left to finish the top layer lol. We can’t wait to finish the cake and try it! Our hat’s off to you, Thank you for all that you do here.
Best Regards,
Jason & Yvonne
Reno, NV
You’re welcome Jason & Yvonne! What an amazing review! Thanks for following and taking the time to leave such thoughtful comments! 😀
I loved your comment on trying not to taste the custard too much. I make double recipe because everybody in our family loves it so we have extra to enjoy.
hi natasha, i want to try making this cake. my question is- how far in advance can i make it ?i don’t want it to be soggy, is 2-3 days before party too much ? please reply. appreciate it
Hi Vicky, This cake tastes best 1-2 days after it is made. If your berries are very ripe to begin with, I would say it should be enjoyed the day after it is made 🙂
Hey Natasha! Over many years my family has been using your recipes and they are devine, thank you 🙂 I really want to make Napolean from scratch (not store bought puff pastry and no shortcuts lol).. Would you be able to post a recipe any time soon for a loyal fan? I would appreciate it! Thank you 🙂
Hi Katya, I will put that on my to-do list. A homemade puff pastry is something I’ve been thinking about posting also. Thank you for the suggestion!!
I made this cake for our family for Easter dinner, it was the best and most appreciated cake. Love it, will definitely make it again. Thank you for the recipe.
You’re welcome Nicoleta! I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks for sharing your wonderful review 😀
Made this cake day before my guest came, it was soft and yammmmmm.
I’m happy to hear that Irina! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Hello, does it taste like Napoleon you have to bake or does it have its own different taste?
Thank you!
Hi Yuliya, it does taste pretty close to napoleon cake since it is basically the same kind of cream and the cookies are made of puff pastry 🙂
Hi, for the custard, is it ok to add organic cane sugar (the light brown one from Costco, the dry one, not the dark brown moist kind)?
Hi Lilly, I think that should work fine – it would probably work best if it isn’t coarse sugar.
So I’m going to make this cake tomorrow and am a little confused with the custard. Do you put it on heat only after the milk is incorporated? Not earlier ?
Hi Kristina, yes you put the pot over the heat after the milk is fully incorporated and blended in.
Hi Natasha,
Do you think it’s ok to make the custard a day ahead and assemble the next day?
Hi Lulu, the custard thickens with refrigeration so it’s really best to assemble before refrigerating.
Ok thanks! Glad I waited for your reply:) and if I’m going to make it in the 9×13 pan, is cutting the cookies necessary?
Hi Lulu, it depends on the size of your cookies. You can leave them whole and fill in with smaller pieces of cookie. I’ve found that cutting the cookies I had in half allowed me to fit an extra cookie with less spaces. 🙂
Wow. such a great idea. My husband loves Napoleon cake. but i dont bake very often, no time for baking layers. this is great idea. will try it.
Silvia, let me know how it turns out 😬
Hi Natasha, I want to make the Napoleon cake to go along with my kulich for Easter. Just wondering if I can make this ahead of time?
Hi Lena, this cake can be made a day in advance (max 2 days in advance). Happy Easter!
Would you suggest another cream for this cake instead of custard. I would love to give this cake a try but not a big fan of custard cream.
You might try the frosting on my Spartak cake. I think that would work well 🙂
I just made it and put it in the refrigerator to cool down. I am not sure if I can wait 24 hours to try 🙂
Julia, let me know how it turns out 😀
It turned out to be delicious!!! My dad and my my baby girl loved it especially 🙂
That’s great! I’m happy to hear the whole family enjoys the recipe!
I made the Blueberry-Lemon Cake yesterday and it was wonderful! I used frozen blueberries and had to improvise with some plain Greek yogurt since I did not have enough sour cream! It worked out very good!
I’m happy to hear that Mara! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Hi! Quick question about the custard. It seems a bit runny at the moment (its warm and has the consistency of buttermilk, maybe slightly thicker). Will it get thicker once it cools down?
Thanks for the help!
Hi Vitaliy, it should be the consistency of a thick putting when you take it off the stove and before it starts cooling down. Did you change anything about the proportions in the recipe, or make any substitutions?
I’ve been to 4 different stores including Costco can’t find the elephant ears, anything I could use instead?
Oh bummer!! Our Costco definitely had the best price on those. They get a little spendy when you try to buy them online. The next best thing would be to use frozen premade puff pastry. I have not experimented with any other cookies. you might check my other Napoleon recipe to get an idea of how to do it.
Walmart sells them in the Hispanic Food aisle! That was the only place I could find them.
I went to Costco and could not find them in the first place. And then I just found it on the costco online store and asked someone who works there. They directed me to the right place and found these elephant ears cookies 🙂 I suggest you ask, because in costco they always move their stuff around.
Oh my goodness. As a card-carrying LOVER OF NAPOLEONS, this cake looks like heaven to me. Thank you for the inspiration!
It is AMAZING! Please let me know what you think if you decide to make the recipe! 😀
Natasha, I made this cake for my daughters 1st birthday! I was very pleasantly surprised at how identical the flavors are to the “real” Napoleon Cake! And the berries add so much color and flavor and just enough zing to balance the sweetness of the cake!
This one is definitely a keeper. Especially for unexpected occasions when you just don’t have time to bake all the layers!
Thank you for the recipe! 👌
I’m so happy you enjoyed it and happy birthday and blessings to your baby girl!! 🙂
Loveee icebox cakes!I will definitely make this one so clever to use palmiers awesome idea! 😄🖒
Thanks Nina! Please let me know what you think!
Yum! I wouldn’t have thought to use Palmiers this way. What a good idea!! And love all the fresh berries on top. So bright looking 🙂
Thank you Lindsay! It tastes as good as it looks! 😀
Hi Natasha
I have if will make the cake Thursday is it going to be okay till Friday or Saturday ?
Yes that should work fine but I wouldn’t go longer than that. Also, Its best to put the berries on the same day you are serving.
Hi can you use arrowroot instead of cornstarch
Hi Lina, I haven’t tried that substitution so I’m not sure if you could substitute straight across in this recipe or if it would change the consistency. Without testing it, I really can’t advise on that.
Thank you for the reply
Can i use flour instead of corn starch?
Hi Kristina, it does work with flour – I’ve tested it, but the corn starch gives the custard a smoother consistency/texture. You can kind of tell that there’s flour in it if you use it – it has more of a pasty flavor to it which I didn’t think was as good.
So does the cake come out soft? And how sweet is it would you say?
Hi Alena, after resting overnight, the cake is soft and easy to slice. The custard softens the layers just right :). Also, it’s not overly sweet but very enjoyable. I’m not big on overly sweet cakes 🙂
Oh wow!! This looks so perfect. I love the process of making the custard. I often buy custard powder but it would be fun to make it from scratch.
What brand of custard to you buy? I wonder how that would work here – probably even easier! 🙂
I would never have thought of making a cake with those cookies! I’m intrigued! Now I just might have to give this recipe a try!
It really is a handy shortcut! I hope you love it! 🙂
Natasha! Stunning recipe!!! Can you post a recipe of the original Napaleon cake? I want to learn how to make the original cake layers and trust your recipes.
Hi Oksana, this is a more classic version of napoleon cake, although I used a store-bought puff pastry. You did just give me an idea though for a puff pastry recipe! 🙂 Thanks Oksana!!
Is your custard the same in that recipe as this one?
Hi Oksana, this one is quite a bit lighter and uses half of the butter. Both are very good though – also the cream on the other cake is slightly more caramel colored from the brown sugar.
Looks very unique. I’ll have to try it out.
It’s divine, you’ll love it! Let me know what you think Emily. 😀