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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.
I hope you love this simple and yummy no-bake napoleon cake!
