I’ve been making Napoleon cake for years, but this version with cherries baked right into the layers stopped me in my tracks the first time I tried it. I originally made it for a holiday dinner, and now I find myself making it for regular Tuesday nights just because my family won’t stop asking. The combination of flaky buttery layers, tart cherries, and that silky pastry cream is honestly one of the best things I’ve ever pulled out of my kitchen. When you slice into it, the layers are just gorgeous.
Fair warning — this isn’t a last-minute dessert. The dough needs to chill overnight and the finished cake needs another night in the fridge to soak and set. But the actual hands-on time is pretty reasonable, and every single minute is worth it.
For the pastry dough:
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2½ sticks cold unsalted butter
- 4 egg yolks
- ½ cup sour cream
- pinch of salt
For the meringue layer:
- 4 egg whites
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup cornstarch
- 3½ cups pitted cherries, fresh or thawed from frozen
For the pastry cream:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1½ tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1½ tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2½ sticks unsalted butter, softened
Start with the dough the night before. Sift the flour into a large bowl, add the pinch of salt, then grate the cold butter straight into the flour on a box grater. Work it together quickly with your fingers until it resembles coarse crumbs — you want it to stay cold, so don’t overdo it. Mix the egg yolks with the sour cream, pour that into the flour mixture, and bring the dough together just until it forms a ball. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
When you’re ready to bake, make the meringue first. Beat the egg whites until foamy, then gradually add the sugar and keep beating until you get stiff, glossy peaks. Gently fold in the cornstarch with a spatula — don’t knock the air out.
Divide the chilled dough into 6 equal portions. Roll each one out on a sheet of parchment paper to fit your baking sheet. Spread a third of the meringue over the first layer of dough, scatter a third of the cherries on top, then lay the second dough layer over it and prick it all over with a fork. Bake at 400°F for about 20 minutes until golden. Repeat with the remaining layers — you’ll end up with 3 baked double-layer sections.
For the pastry cream, whisk together the sugar, flour, cornstarch, and vanilla in a saucepan, then whisk in the milk until smooth. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens and just comes to a boil. Give it another 30 seconds, then pull it off the heat and let it cool completely. Once it’s fully cooled, beat the softened butter until fluffy, then gradually beat in the cooled custard until you have a smooth, silky cream.
Spread the pastry cream generously between each layer, then cover the top and sides too. Crumble the off-cuts and trimmings from the dough into fine crumbs and press them all over the outside of the cake.
Now refrigerate it overnight. I know it’s hard to wait, but that resting time is what transforms this from a pile of layers into something that melts in your mouth. By the next day the layers have soaked up the cream and everything becomes tender and almost custardy. It’s so good it doesn’t even taste like something you made at home.