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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!
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.