Napoleon with Ginger and Cinnamon
Valentine's Day Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian Recipes Desserts Eggs
In our kitchens, ginger is still trending. This collection is completed with a refined Napoleon-style cake that emphasizes the contrast between super crispy caramelized biscuits and light, sweet-spicy meringue.
For a beautiful result, you need some experience and patience when decorating. Mine didn't turn out right the first time either; only by the fourth cake did my Napoleon start to look good, like the one in the photo. The first ones were kind of like... the Leaning Tower of Pisa 😊
Ingredients
Caramelized Biscuits
4 phyllo pastry sheets
50g butter
50g cinnamon-flavored biscuits
4 tablespoons brown sugar
Meringue
2 egg whites (at room temperature)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
100g brown sugar
30ml water
50g fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon ginger powder (optional)
1/2 packet unflavored gelatin
20ml water
ground cinnamon
Makes: 6 pieces
How to prepare napoleon with ginger and cinnamon
- For the biscuits: melt the butter and grind the biscuits very finely.
* If you don't have cinnamon biscuits, grind plain biscuits (petit beurre) and add cinnamon to taste. - Take one phyllo sheet at a time and brush with melted butter using a silicone brush. Sprinkle the sheet with 1 tablespoon of biscuit powder and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Place another phyllo sheet on top and repeat the brushing and dusting. Continue the same way until you finish the sheets.
- Cut 12 circles of 8cm diameter (using a decorating ring) from the phyllo sheets.
* Don't throw away the dough scraps; they can be baked at the end as a super crispy snack. - Place the cut discs on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Cover the discs with another sheet of parchment. Place a heavy pan on top to press the discs during baking.
- Bake the discs at 170°C for about 13 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let cool completely.
- For the meringue: put the egg whites with lemon juice in a mixer and beat until stiff peaks form, about 8 minutes.
- While beating the egg whites, bring 30ml water to boil with the brown sugar and peeled ginger sliced thin. Cook for 8 minutes until a thick syrup forms. If you run a cold spoon through the syrup and draw your finger across the back of the spoon, it should leave a clean trail and feel sticky.
- With the mixer running, pour the hot syrup (being careful not to let ginger pieces fall in) into the egg white foam in a thin stream. Then add the gelatin dissolved quickly in 20ml water.
- Let the mixer continue running for 5 minutes. Taste the meringue during this time and if you want a stronger ginger flavor, add the ginger powder.
- Put the meringue in a pastry bag with a 1.5cm plain tip. Pipe the meringue onto the caramelized biscuits as follows: make a mound in the center, then pipe 6 mounds around it. Try to make the mounds as even as possible. On 6 of the biscuits, press down the peak of the mounds with your finger dipped in cold water. These will be the base biscuits.
- Leave everything like this for 30 minutes so the meringue sets.
- Place the biscuits with peaked mounds on top of those with flattened mounds. You'll get 6 Napoleon cakes. Dust the cakes with cinnamon.
Phyllo discs in the baking pan
Discs covered with parchment and a pan
The caramelized biscuits
Napoleon with Ginger and Cinnamon
