Few people still know or haven't tried a cake with such a resonant name as "Napoleon." In its natural state, the cake is a true culinary masterpiece, but the process of preparing such a delicacy also requires effort, patience, and skill.

A cake with puff pastry is undoubtedly delicious and presentable, but it also takes a lot of time to create. The labor intensity lies not only in the need to bake a large number of cake layers, but also in the preparation of the custardIt's a different matter to make Napoleon at home, using ready-made semi-finished products, other ingredients, and cream components.

The key to this sweet recipe is the omission of the baking process, a key step in creating pastries. The filling cream is made with ready-made ingredients and is no less delicious. Most importantly, this cream is ready almost instantly. The use of sour cream and condensed milk creates a wonderful combination of flavors. The condensed milk won't be so cloying, and the sour cream will impart a unique softness to the cream.

The well-known Napoleon cake takes two to three hours to prepare, while creating a similar no-bake cake using our recipe will take no more than an hour.

No-bake Napoleon cake: cooking instructions

No-bake Napoleon cake 2

To quickly create a delicious cake, all you need is a little desire and a little time. Pre-made wafer layers, available at any supermarket, are perfect for the crust, along with crackers, sour cream, and condensed milk. For the finishing touch, chocolate icing can be used to give the treat a special charm. Nuts, added to the frosting, won't ruin the cake at all.

This no-bake cake is made using the following ingredients. To prepare it, you'll need:

  • wafer cakes - 8-10 pcs.;
  • sweet cracker – 500 g;
  • condensed milk – 400 g;
  • sour cream, 30% fat - 500 ml;
  • ground walnuts - half a glass;
  • vanillin - 1-2 g.

Cooking process

No-bake Napoleon cake 3

We make a lot of cream, as the layers need to be well-soaked, and the Napoleon cake itself needs to be moist and juicy. Since our dessert is made without baking, the preparation procedure is completely different.

After purchasing the necessary ingredients from the store, we begin preparing the cream. Whip the sour cream with sugar. Add vanilla to the whipped mixture. Next, it's time to prepare the nuts. The shelled nuts need to be ground. This process is done manually using a masher or an empty glass bottle, but today a coffee grinder can be used. Unlike grinding nuts by hand, which releases a large amount of nut oil, a coffee grinder simply grinds the nuts dry.

We spread condensed milk on the wafer layer, then layer crackers on top. Top with sour cream and sprinkle with nuts. It's impossible to spoil the cake with too much condensed milk or nuts, so we try to fill the layer as much as possible with all the ingredients, in order. We do the same with each layer, completely without baking.

So, our Napoleon cake has nine frosted layers. The last, topmost layer can be covered with chocolate icing. The icing is prepared using cocoa, sugar, and butter. You'll need:

  • cocoa - 3 tablespoons;
  • granulated sugar – 3 tablespoons;
  • water - 5 tablespoons;
  • butter - 20 g.

Mix the cocoa and sugar, add water, and beat until smooth. Reduce heat to low and then add the butter. Stirring thoroughly, cook for 5-10 minutes, then pour the hot glaze over the top layer of the cake.

This no-bake treat takes no more than an hour to prepare, and the results are sure to exceed your wildest expectations.

A video recipe for making a no-bake Napoleon cake.