Napoleon Cake Cooked in a Skillet
A super-fast way to make the famous cake! A perfect classic Napoleon with condensed milk - but made in a skillet! Fantasy? No, it’s real. A very tasty, quick cake with lots of layers and a great cream. Helpful not only if your oven is acting up!
Updated : 08 January, 2026
Easy
More than 1 hour.
Ingredients
Dough
500 grams
Wheat flour
190 milliliters
Milk
100 grams
Butter
100 grams
Sugar
1
Eggs
1 tablespoon
Vegetable oil
0.5 teaspoon
Baking soda
to taste
Salt
Cream
350 grams
Butter
250 milliliters
Milk
75 grams
Sugar
2
Eggs
1
Condensed milk
1 tablespoon
Vanilla sugar
Table
Table of volume measurements:
- teaspoon - 5 ml
- dessert spoon - 10 ml
- tablespoon - 20 ml
- glass - 200 ml
Preparation
Step 1
How to make Napoleon cake in a skillet? Prepare the ingredients for the dough. Use all-purpose flour. Milk fat affects only the final calories - any milk is fine. Use a large or medium egg. The butter should be softened at room temperature. Use baking soda that has been neutralized.
Step 2
In a clean bowl, mash the egg with sugar using a spoon or fork until combined.
Step 3
Add the vegetable oil and softened butter; mix.
Step 4
Pour in the milk, add salt, mix. Then quickly stir in the baking soda neutralized with vinegar. Add the flour in small portions, mixing so no lumps form.
Step 5
Now knead the dough by hand. Watch the dough and add a bit more flour if needed. You should get an elastic, non-sticky dough - fairly firm but not too stiff - holding its shape well.
Step 6
Divide the dough into 18-22 pieces, depending on your skillet diameter (mine is 20 cm / about 8 in).
Step 7
Dust the table well with flour; dust the rolling pin too. Roll each piece into a thin round the size of your skillet.
Step 8
Carefully roll the sheet onto the rolling pin and transfer it to a dry, hot skillet. Cook the layer on both sides - this takes very little time. You can lift the edge to check doneness. The layers should be very thin and well dried in the skillet - up to a light crunch and a few toasted spots. Then they won’t be rubbery and they’ll absorb the cream well.
Step 9
While the layer is still warm, quickly trim the edges to get a neat, perfectly even circle. Save the trimmings for crumbs.
Step 10
Prepare the ingredients for the cream. ATTENTION: this custard is WITHOUT FLOUR. If you’re not confident making it, or you usually make custard with flour, use your usual recipe. The butter must be soft (room temperature) so it whips well.
Step 11
In a separate bowl, rub the eggs with sugar and vanilla sugar until mixed.
Step 12
Put a heavy-bottomed saucepan on the stove, pour in the milk, and heat over low heat. Often milk is brought to a boil, but not everyone can whisk it into eggs without curdling. So if you’re not very confident, don’t boil it - just heat until you see steam: hot, but not boiling.
Step 13
In a very thin stream, slowly pour the warmed milk into the egg mixture while whisking constantly and quickly. If you rush, the eggs will curdle and the cream will turn grainy (with or without flour). Ideally, whisk as fast as you can and pour the milk very slowly. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened.
Step 14
Turn off the heat, remove the saucepan, and let the custard cool. To prevent a skin, cover it with plastic wrap touching the surface. Cool to room temperature or lower. If it’s warm inside, it will melt the butter and the mixture will become too runny. Add the softened room-temperature butter to the cooled custard.
Step 15
Beat well with a mixer until fluffy and doubled in volume.
Step 16
Add the sweetened condensed milk and vanillin and beat again until smooth. Add the condensed milk gradually - depending on the custard thickness, you may need less. Watch the consistency. Don’t overbeat or the cream may split. Stop as soon as it’s uniform.
Step 17
On a wide flat cake plate, stack the layers, spreading cream between each one. The layers must be fully cooled inside and out - otherwise warm layers will melt the butter in the cream and the cream will thin, split, and run during assembly.
Step 18
Crush the layer trimmings and coat the top and sides with the crumbs. Leave the cake at room temperature for 2-3 hours so the layers soak up the cream, then refrigerate overnight. Before serving, you can decorate with mint, berries, or fruit. The author sprinkled powdered sugar on top.
Author note
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