Layers of flaky puff pastry, orange and vanilla bean yogurt pastry cream, and tart rhubarb compote make up this simple Rhubarb Napoleon Cake.
What does rhubarb taste like?
Rhubarb is a tricky flavor to describe but it is tart with a bit of a red berry fruit taste and a little bit of acidity. There are also two types of rhubarb, forced and standard. Forced rhubarb is grown by candle light and is sweeter, with a brighter red color, and my favorite of the two but it can be difficult to find in the US. Standard rhubarb has a slightly later growing season and tends to be a bit more sour and bitter but still delicious, you’ll just need a bit more sugar to balance it out!
What can I use instead of rhubarb compote?
Really any jam will work for this fruit forward take on a napoleon cake. If possible I recommend making your own to ensure it isn’t too sweet.
What brand of puff pastry is best?
You are more than welcome to make your own puff pastry from scratch but I tend to find it not really worth the time and effort that it takes. I prefer to buy frozen puff pastry and I have tried quite a few.I f you want the best, best ingredients, best flake, best everything (except price) Dufour puff pastry is for you. However, if you’re looking for a more budget friendly option, the puff pastry from Pepperidge farm is great!
Can this cake be made in advance?
Yes! In my opinion a napoleon cake is best made the day before and left in the fridge overnight to set up. The pastry does soften but it is delicious and how it is meant to be. If you wait to top it with the pastry crumbs until you serve it, you’ll still get the flaky crunch in every bite.
Additional Recipes to try:
Tips for making a Rhubarb Napoleon
- If you don’t have access to rhubarb I recommend cooking down a mixture of peaches and raspberries. White peaches are ideal and start with about half the sugar. Alternatively using just raspberries will work too!
- To keep this cake simple I usually buy store bought puff pastry but the pie dough from this pie also works great!
- If you don’t have forced rhubarb aka the super pink one, I would make this compote. It includes raspberries to create that beautiful pink color!
- Make sure your oven is hot enough. I prefer to bake all puff pastry at or around 400 F no matter the package instructions because I find it gives the best puff and bake.
- Allow the layers and fillings to cool completely before assembling the cake.
- To assemble this cake you’ll have the best success with a cake collar. I love this cake ring from ikea but any ring or even a springform pan will work to create the stability to stack the cake.
- For the cleanest slices you’ll want to let this cake set overnight in the fridge!
Ingredients
- Rhubarb: Forced (aka the super pretty pink kind) or regular rhubarb work! If using regular rhubarb I recommend making this compote with rhubarb and raspberries instead to maintain the pink color!
- Granulated Sugar: Granulated sugar is used in the rhubarb compote, the yogurt pastry cream, and to roll out the puff pastry.
- Orange: Orange juice is used for cooking down the rhubarb and orange zest adds a bit of flavor to the yogurt pastry cream.
- Puff Pastry: I prefer to buy ready made frozen puff pastry but you can also make your own. The size of the cake will somewhat depend on your sheets of puff pastry. The recipe I have for pie dough also works wonderfully for the layers of this cake!
- Corn Starch: Starch works to thicken the yogurt pastry cream. Arrowroot will also work to thicken the cream.
- Fine Sea Salt: I use fine sea salt in the pastry cream to enhance the flavors and balance out the sweetness.
- Whole Milk: Whole milk is best for the yogurt pastry cream. I believe a non dairy milk would work too but I haven’t tested it.
- Egg Yolks: Egg yolks add a delicious rich custard flavor to the pastry cream.
- Vanilla Bean Paste: Vanilla bean paste adds flavor and those beautiful flecks of vanilla to the cream but vanilla extract can be used in it’s place as well.
- Greek Yogurt: Full fat unsweetened greek yogurt is best for this yogurt pastry cream. Other yogurts can be too soft and cause the filling to be too runny.
How to make a Rhubarb Napoleon Cake
Rhubarb Compote
- Rinse and chop the ends off of the rhubarb stalks. Chop the rhubarb into 1″ chunks and add them into a medium pot.
- Pour in the sugar and then add in the orange juice.
- Place over medium low heat and cover with a lid. Cook covered for about 5 minutes or until the mixture starts to bubble. The lid on will keep the rhubarb from burning.
- Once it starts to bubble, remove the lid and continue to cook, for about 10 minutes until you are left with a thick syrupy type of sauce.
- Pour the compote into a large shallow bowl and leave to cool to room temperature. Use same day or store covered in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.
Vanilla Orange Yogurt Pastry Cream
- In a large pot, whisk together the corn starch, salt, and sugar.
- Pour in the milk and whisk to combine. Add in the egg yolks, orange zest, and vanilla bean paste, and whisk once more.
- Place the pot over medium low heat and whisk constantly scraping the bottom and edges of the pot. It will feel like it’s taking a while but all of a sudden it’ll get really thick so don’t stop whisking.
- Once thick, remove the pot from the heat and pour through a fine mesh sieve into a heat safe mixing bowl.
- Whisk in the greek yogurt.
- Cover the surface with a layer of plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming.
- To cool it down faster you can always spread it on a quarter sized baking sheet and cover the surface with plastic wrap.
- If making it in advance, store it in the fridge. Otherwise you can leave it at room temperature until assembling.
Puff Pastry Layers
- Preheat the oven to 400 F and place a rack in the center of the oven.
- Working with one sheet of pastry at a time, sprinkle the top of the sheet with 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar. Use a rolling pin to roll over the pastry and press the sugar in. Use flour as needed to keep the other side of pastry from sticking to your work surface.
- The pastry sheets should be close to 12″ x 17″ once rolled out. Different puff pastry brands will have different sizes but just make sure you have the area of two 12″ x 17″ rectangles before baking.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lay the pastry on top. Prick the surface all over with a fork.
- Bake the pastry for about 15 minutes, then rotate the baking sheet 180 degrees and bake for another 10 minutes until golden brown and flaky.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven. If puffy, immediately flatten the layers by pressing the air out with a metal spatula and leave the pastry to cool completely.
- Repeat these steps with the second sheet of pastry.
- Once completely cooled, use a 6″ cake pan or circle of some sort to cut a total of 5 circles. I can usually only get 2 whole circles from each sheet of pastry and then cut half a circle from each sheet which can be used for the 5th circle. Save your scraps of pastry without a cover on a baking sheet at room temperature until the next day!
Assemble
- Place a piece of parchment paper on a large plate or 1/4 sized baking sheet. Lay one of the whole circles of pastry onto the parchment. Place the cake ring around the pastry and tighten to hug the pastry round.
- Top it with just over 1/2 a cup of the yogurt pastry cream and smooth it into an even layer.
- Carefully spoon or pipe about 1/5th of the rhubarb over the pastry cream. It just needs to be enough to create a thin even layer.
- Lay another round of pastry on top.
- Repeat with layering the cream, then rhubarb, then pastry until all layers of pastry have been used. Finish it off with a layer of cream and then rhubarb. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap over the surface and place it in the fridge overnight.
- The next day, remove the plastic wrap and cake ring. Crumble the scraps of pastry into a bowl and then sprinkle them into a complete layer over the surface of the rhubarb and cream.
- To serve, slice through use a sharp knife to it into 8-12 slices.
- Store leftovers, uncovered in the fridge.
Rhubarb Napoleon Cake
Layers of flaky puff pastry, orange and vanilla bean yogurt pastry cream, and tart rhubarb compote make up this simple Rhubarb Napoleon Cake.
Servings: 8
Calories: 523kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
Rhubarb Compote
- 750 grams rhubarb
- 35 grams granulated sugar add more to taste depending on the season of the rhubarb!
- 1 orange juiced
Vanilla Orange Yogurt Pastry Cream
- 75 grams granulated sugar
- 40 grams corn starch
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 500 grams whole milk
- 3 egg yolks large eggs
- 1 orange zested
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste vanilla extract will work too!
- 375 grams full fat greek yogurt
Puff Pastry
- 2 sheets puff pastry each sheet should be about 400 grams
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
Instructions
Rhubarb Compote
- Rinse and chop the ends off of the rhubarb stalks. Chop the rhubarb into 1″ chunks and add them into a medium pot.
- Pour in the sugar and then add in the orange juice.
- Place over medium low heat and cover with a lid. Cook covered for about 5 minutes or until the mixture starts to bubble. The lid on will keep the rhubarb from burning.
- Once it starts to bubble, remove the lid and continue to cook, for about 10 minutes until you are left with a thick syrupy type of sauce.
- Pour the compote into a large shallow bowl and leave to cool to room temperature. Use same day or store covered in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.
Vanilla Orange Yogurt Pastry Cream
- In a large pot, whisk together the corn starch, salt, and sugar.
- Pour in the milk and whisk to combine. Add in the egg yolks, orange zest, and vanilla bean paste, and whisk once more.
- Place the pot over medium low heat and whisk constantly scraping the bottom and edges of the pot. It will feel like it’s taking a while but all of a sudden it’ll get really thick so don’t stop whisking.
- Once thick, remove the pot from the heat and pour through a fine mesh sieve into a heat safe mixing bowl.Whisk in the greek yogurt.
- Cover the surface with a layer of plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming.
- To cool it down faster you can always spread it on a quarter sized baking sheet and cover the surface with plastic wrap.
- If making it in advance, store it in the fridge. Otherwise you can leave it at room temperature until assembling.
Puff Pastry
- Preheat the oven to 400 F and place a rack in the center of the oven.
- Working with one sheet of pastry at a time, sprinkle the top of the sheet with 1 teaspoon of granulated sugar. Use a rolling pin to roll over the pastry and press the sugar in. Use flour as needed to keep the other side of pastry from sticking to your work surface.
- The pastry sheets should be close to 12" x 17" once rolled out. Different puff pastry brands will have different sizes but just make sure you have the area of two 12" x 17" rectangles before baking.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lay the pastry on top. Prick the surface all over with a fork.
- Bake the pastry for about 15 minutes, then rotate the baking sheet 180 degrees and bake for another 10 minutes until golden brown and flaky.
- Remove the baking sheet from the oven. If puffy, immediately flatten the layers by pressing the air out with a metal spatula and leave the pastry to cool completely.
- Repeat these steps with the second sheet of pastry.
- Once completely cooled, use a 6" cake pan or circle of some sort to cut a total of 5 circles. I can usually only get 2 whole circles from each sheet of pastry and then cut half a circle from each sheet which can be used for the 5th circle. Save your scraps of pastry without a cover on a baking sheet at room temperature until the next day!
Assemble
- Place a piece of parchment paper on a large plate or 1/4 sized baking sheet. Lay one of the whole circles of pastry onto the parchment. Place the cake ring around the pastry and tighten to hug the pastry round.
- Top it with just over 1/2 a cup of the yogurt pastry cream and smooth it into an even layer.
- Carefully spoon or pipe about 1/5th of the rhubarb over the pastry cream. It just needs to be enough to create a thin even layer.
- Lay another round of pastry on top.
- Repeat with layering the cream, then rhubarb, then pastry until all layers of pastry have been used. Finish it off with a layer of cream and then rhubarb. Lay a sheet of plastic wrap over the surface and place it in the fridge overnight.
- The next day, remove the plastic wrap and cake ring. Crumble the scraps of pastry into a bowl and then sprinkle them into a complete layer over the surface of the rhubarb and cream.
- To serve, slice through use a sharp knife to it into 8-12 slices.
- Store leftovers, uncovered in the fridge.
Notes
Tips for making a Rhubarb Napoleon
- If you don’t have access to rhubarb I recommend cooking down a mixture of peaches and raspberries. White peaches are ideal and start with about half the sugar. Alternatively using just raspberries will work too!
- To keep this cake simple I usually buy store bought puff pastry but the pie dough from this pie also works great!
- If you don’t have forced rhubarb aka the super pink one, I would make this compote. It includes raspberries to create that beautiful pink color!
- Make sure your oven is hot enough. I prefer to bake all puff pastry at or around 400 F no matter the package instructions because I find it gives the best puff and bake.
- Allow the layers and fillings to cool completely before assembling the cake.
- To assemble this cake you’ll have the best success with a cake collar. I love this cake ring from ikea but any ring or even a springform pan will work to create the stability to stack the cake.
- For the cleanest slices you’ll want to let this cake set overnight in the fridge!
Nutrition
Calories: 523kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Cholesterol: 83mg | Sodium: 273mg | Potassium: 475mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 297IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 225mg | Iron: 2mg
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