Shortbread Napoleon cake
I intended to make a simple layered shortbread cake, but my family decided it resembled Napoleon. Despite all the layers, it is easy to make: the soft dough is a pleasure to roll. The butter and condensed milk cream is very sweet, so I added 2 tart jam layers in the middle. I used plum jam, though blackcurrant might be even better. The cake is firm rather than hard, like Anthill cake, and sweet with a pleasant tart note. It is rich, so a little goes a long way. This makes a large cake; halve the ingredients for a smaller group.
Mix sugar, egg and sour cream in a bowl and set aside. While we are making margarine, the sugar will have time to disperse a little.
Sift flour together with baking powder. Grate the frozen margarine directly into the flour. To prevent it from sticking together, the piece itself and the grater can be sprinkled with flour.
Pour sugar and sour cream into the flour mixture. Knead soft dough. It should come together in one lump, but remain a little sticky. When rolling, you will need to dust it with flour.
Divide the dough into balls weighing 130-140 g. for a mold with a diameter of 26 cm. I got 12 pieces. Cover the container with the dough with a tight lid and put it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
On baking paper, roll out each ball into a thin layer and cut to the desired diameter. We don’t throw away the scraps; they are baked along with the cake.
The cakes are baked at 200°C for about 8 minutes until lightly browned. I baked two at a time on different levels with the fan on.
Remove the finished cakes from the paper and stack them. The cakes are very fragile, so we act extremely carefully. Although even if some break, it will be unnoticeable in the final form.
Now let's prepare the cream. Beat softened butter until fluffy.
Gradually add caramelized condensed milk, at the very end - cognac. Mix well again.
If the jam is very thick, heat it in a water bath or in the microwave. This will make it easier to apply.
I assemble the cake in a springform pan. This is optional. The cream is quite thick and does not flow.
Coat each cake with buttercream. One cake requires 2 tablespoons. Grease layers 4 and 8 with jam.
Coat the top and sides with a thick layer of cream. Level the top with a warm knife with the flat side. Sprinkle the sides with crumbs from the cake scraps. Place the chocolate in a pastry bag and melt it in hot water or in the microwave. We cut off the tip to make a very small hole and draw a pattern on the surface of the cake.
Leave the cake at room temperature for a couple of hours, then put it in the refrigerator.