Russian Napoleon Torte (Condensed Milk Cream Cake)

    Back in 2007, I was visiting with some friends in the Northeast. They're a close-knit Russian/Ukrainian family, and I had the pleasure of having a home cooked meal with them. The wonderful dinner concluded with this amazing Napoleon Torte. I wish I'd inquired about the recipe then, but after a rigorous search, I think I've found the next best thing! Actually, it may even be a little better...

   Before you undertake anything like this, be aware that it takes some time. Mind you, nothing about it is very difficult, but it requires a bit of work and patience. If you have a Kitchen Aid mixer, it'll save you a heap of time and save your hand from a lot of work.

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For the dough:

1/2 cup Sugar (more if you want a sweeter dough)

1/3 cup Butter at room temperature

2 eggs, at room temperature 

1 1/2 cups Milk (I used 1%, but any is fine)

1/2 tsp Baking Powder

4 cups Flour, plus more if needed

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For the condensed milk cream:

18 Oz Sweetened Condensed Milk (1 and 1/4 cans or so)

3 cups (1 1/2 half pints) Heavy Whipping Cream 

1 pint Milk 

4 Tbs starch (any kind)

2 eggs

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For the topping: (This is optional. You can leave the cake layered with just the cream, or really cover it however it suits you)

2 - 2 1/2 pints Heavy Whipping Cream

Sugar to taste (optional)

Slivered almonds

To start, mix the softened butter and sugar, until completely combined.

Beat two eggs and add to the mixer. Slowly add in the milk.

I recommend switching to the Dough Hook attachment, now. Slowly start adding flour. I started with 1-2 cups at a time. It doesn't really matter how much you add, just keep mixing it in until the dough is thick, and no longer sticky. I think I used a total of 4 1/2 cups. Make sure to add it in small increments -- once you add too much, you can't take it out!

The dough will be heavy and should pull away from the sides of the bowl, easily. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and set aside for about 30 minutes. Preheat your oven to 350 F.

Once your dough has sat around for awhile, split it into 20 equal balls. This may take a bit of time, but get them as even as you can.

Now the fun part begins! Flour your surface and rolling pin, and roll out each ball to as thin as a crepe. The best way I found to do this was alternating two non-stick baking sheets -- I'd roll out one ball while another sheet of dough was in the oven, and switch them. If you don't have non-stick baking sheets, a Silpat might be necessary. Each sheet of dough should bake for about 4-5 minutes, and should slide off the sheet easily.

Stack your layers and place something circular on top to cut around for evenness -- I used a large upside down mixing bowl.

Traditionally,  the edges are saved to decorate the sides of the cake, but I chose not to do this.

The condensed cream. This next step is a little tricky. Beat your eggs with the starch, making sure to not leave any lumps. Add your milk to a heavy bottomed pot, and warm it SLIGHTLY. Slowly mix in your egg and starch mixture, being very careful that the temperature of the milk doesn't get too high, or the egg will cook and become lumpy. This took me a couple tries! Keep the heat on the lowest setting and stir constantly to prevent scorching for about 10 minutes. This is tedious, but worth it. The milk must thicken. It'll reduce quite a bit. Once it's thickened, turn off the heat and let it cool for awhile. Once it's cooled, stir in the sweetened condensed milk. Let cool completely.

While the cream is cooling, add your heavy whipping cream to a chilled glass bowl. Remember to use a large bowl, because the cream will increase in volume quite a bit. Using a whisk or hand mixer, beat the cream until hard peaks form. If you're doing this with a whisk, it's going to take quite awhile! Gently fold the whipped cream into the cooled condensed cream mixture.

Assembly --

Using a pastry brush, cover the top of each layer of the cake with the finished cream. About 4-5 Tbs of the mixture should do for each layer, but use more if you like. Keep coating and stacking the layers, and coat the sides once completely stacked. Let the cake sit in the fridge for a few hours, or overnight. 

After some time in the fridge, the cake is ready to eat, or you can add to it -- I covered it in fresh whipped cream and slivered almonds, which went over VERY well! You can add fresh strawberries, raspberries, peaches, nuts, or even drizzle chocolate across the top. Such a rich and simple sweetness tastes great with almost everything! I adore it with a cup of coffee.

Enjoy!