When my mother was in high school back in Ukraine, she worked part-time at a bakery where she learned how to decorate cakes. In particular, she became extremely skilled at piping buttercream roses. When I turned one, for my birthday, she made me a cake decorated with a single rose. This tradition continued for the next twenty-four years with her adding one additional rose to my birthday cake for every year of my life.

Unfortunately, my mother got burned out on this tradition around the time of my 25th birthday. And really, who could blame her. After all, she had faithfully maintained it for a quarter of a century. Although I missed the beautiful roses, I especially missed the cake that she would always make, Napoleon.

But not just any Napoleon. Russian Napoleon. You might think it’s odd for someone who was born in Ukraine to be so fond of a Russian pastry, especially given current world events. But you see, because Ukraine is physically so close to Russia and because it was part of the former Soviet Union which for a very long time was collectively referred to as Russia, the cooking styles are intertwined. Napoleon, in particular, has always been a part of my Ukrainian heritage. This is the cake that is always brought out for special occasions like birthdays and tradition dictates that it be served on New Year’s Eve.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with this gastronomic delight, you’re in for a treat. Unlike it’s French cousin the Mille-Feuille, which is typically made with three layers of crispy puff pastry separated by thick slabs of pastry cream and topped off with royal icing, the Russian Napoleon is made up of many delicate wafer-like layers smothered in vanilla custard and topped off with leftover wafer crumbs. Once assembled, the Napoleon is refrigerated for a period of time which allows the custard to permeate the layers, creating the perfect balance of flaky and moist ice box cake perfection.

Although it’s beautiful and undeniably delicious, Napoleon recipes always seemed a bit too daunting for me. A sentiment shared by my mother who told me to just use store bought puff pastry when I recently asked for her recipe. So, of course, I had to search out a recipe that was both manageable and delicious. That search ended when I stumbled on Smitten Kitchen’s Russian Napoleon.

Delicate pastry that comes together quickly in one bowl. Vanilla-cognac kissed eggy custard that’s made in one pan. And the messy creation that emerges as this cake is initially assembled rises to an unparalleled level of scrumptiousness as it chills overnight. This is exactly the flavor that I remember from my childhood, without all the hours that I remember my mother spending in the kitchen, and is guaranteed to make repeat appearances in my household.

I hope that you give this Napoleon Torte recipe a whirl. If you do, please let me know what you think or tag me on Instagram. I always love hearing from everyone and seeing pictures of anything that you make. And above all, thanks so much for stopping by.