No-Bake Napolean Cake 簡易拿破崙蛋糕
If you don’t want coffee flavour, simply omit adding the instant coffee. You may want to use cocoa powder or matcha powder to flavour the custard. Nuts are optional as well. You may also want to use sliced almonds or ground nuts to cover the sides of the cake.This recipe was designed to make one 9” cake. I was also able to make three cakes using 4” springform pans. Springform pans will make it much easier to make this cake.
Approximate cost (CAD) $15
Ingredients
- 500 ml Whipping cream (aka heavy cream or cream that has minimum 30% fat)
- 6 tbsp Confectioner’s sugar aka icing or powdered sugar
- 250 ml Milk
- 2 Egg yolks
- 3 tbsp Sugar
- 1/8 tsp Salt
- 2 tbsp Cornstarch
- 1 packet Instant coffee , approx. 3g
Starbucks Via packets work really well - 800 g Palmiers (Butterfly or palm leaf puff pastry cookies)
- 500 ml Pecans or any kind of nuts (optional)
Instructions
- Put a large mixing bowl, a small mixing bowl and beaters (from your electric mixer) in the refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes
- Take the large mixing bowl, add 500ml of whipping cream and 6 tbsp confectioner’s sugar and whip on high speed for 2-3 minutes using an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Wrap with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator
- In a bowl (not the small one in the fridge), combine 2 egg yolks, 3 tbsp sugar, 2 tbsp cornstarch, 1/8 tsp salt and 1 packet instant coffee. Whisk well until smooth
- In a pot, add 500ml milk and bring to approx. 90˚C or 194˚F (just before boiling point). Use a ladle to add one ladle full of milk into the egg yolk mixture. Mix well and add another ladle of milk and mix well again
We add the milk gradually so that we don’t cook the egg yolks and create lumps in the custard 
- Pour the rest of the milk into the egg yolk mixture and mix well
- Pour the whole mixture back in the pot and cook at low heat. Whisk constantly for around 3 minutes depending on the size of your pot.
- When the custard starts to thicken, turn heat down to simmer and keep whisking. It should soon thicken to the consistency of smooth peanut butter. Remove from heat and retrieve the small bowl from the refrigerator
- Pour the custard into the cold bowl and continue whisking until the custard cools down
This will help you achieve smooth custard. But even if your custard is lumpy (as you can see in my photo), it’s not a big deal. Chances are no one will notice. (Using the chilled bowl method, I did manage to make very smooth custard, but I was so happy that I forgot to take a picture!) 
- Cover your custard, let it cool completely
- Once the custard has cooled completely, fold it into the whipped cream in 1/3 increments until the cream and custard have fully mixed. Cover and refrigerate for an hour
- Optional step: toast pecans in a pan until lightly golden or aromatic. Let cool.
- Take 300 g of the palmiers, put into a zipper bag and pound with a rolling pin or rubber mallet to make loose flakes for coating the top and side of the cake
- Cut 1-2 strips of parchment paper to line the sides of the springform pan. The parchment paper should be taller than the side of the pan
- Take 2/3 of the whipped cream/custard mixture and leave the other 1/3 in the fridge the 1/3 is saved for covering the sides of the cake
- Spread approx. 4 tbsp of the cream on the bottom
- Layer one layer of palmiers. Press lightly. Break some of them apart so that you can fill the gaps with the smaller pieces
- Use half of the cream to make a layer on top of the first layer of palmiers and sprinkle all the pecans evenly onto the cream
- Put another layer of palmiers and press lightly so that the pecans are submersed into the cream
- Spread the remaining cream on top of the last palmier layer. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. Overnight would be best
The palmiers should soften from the moisture in the cream, making it easy to cut. However, if you would like it crisp and crunchy, you may want to freeze it for 20-30 minutes before cutting 
- Remove the cake from the fridge. Remove the springform pan and the parchment paper lining the sides
- Cut 4 strips of parchment paper and lay under the cake on 4 sides
- With the remaining cream, cover the sides of the cake
- Sprinkle the sides and the top of the cake with the broken pieces of palmiers
- Decorate your cake with fresh berries or fruit and/or dust with confectioner’s sugar or cocoa powder
- Remove the bottom pieces of parchment paper
- Serve
Nutrition
Calories: 1193kcalCarbohydrates: 96gProtein: 13gFat: 92gSaturated Fat: 22gPolyunsaturated Fat: 27gMonounsaturated Fat: 38gCholesterol: 138mgSodium: 249mgPotassium: 394mgFiber: 7gSugar: 54gVitamin A: 1069IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 126mgIron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!