Mango-Lime Napoleon Cake
44
- Prep Time40 min
- Total Time1 h 10 min
(Produced by Aimee Nishitoba; Photo: Christie Vuong; Food styling: Sage Dakota; Prop styling: Nicole Billark)
At its core, a Napoleon cake is an icebox cake. In this version, strips of puff pastry are enveloped in a bright mango-lime mousse and transform into a billowy bite. It makes for a stunning dessert that’s a breeze to pull together and can even be made ahead of time.
Ingredients
1 454-g pkg frozen all-butter puff pastry sheets, thawed
2 cups cold 35% cream, divided
6 tbsp icing sugar, divided
1 250-g block cream cheese, at room temperature
3/4 cup mango purée
Zest of 2 limes
Instructions
Position rack in centre of oven, then preheat to 400F. Line two baking sheets with parchment.
Unroll puff pastry, then cut each roll into 1⁄2-in. wide strips. (You should have about 40 strips in total.) Arrange strips on prepared sheets. Place one sheet in the fridge while the other is baking.
Bake for 10 min, then flip strips over. Continue baking until golden brown, about 5 min. Remove from oven and let pastry cool on sheet. Repeat with remaining sheet.
Meanwhile, combine 1 cup cream with 5 tbsp icing sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium until stiff peaks form. Scrape into a bowl.
Add cream cheese, mango purée and lime zest to stand mixer bowl. Beat until smooth. Gently fold in whipped cream. Chill until ready to use.
Using a serrated knife, trim cooled puff pastry strips to 9-in. long, and set aside trimmings.
Line a 9×5-in. loaf pan with overhanging plastic. Spread a scant amount of mousse over bottom of pan. Arrange 6 to 8 pastry strips overtop. Scoop a generous amount of mousse over pastry, then spread to edges. Repeat layering until pan is filled to the top, finishing with a layer of mousse. Cover top with plastic and refrigerate at least 6 hrs, or overnight.
To assemble cake, beat remaining 1 cup cream with 1 tbsp icing sugar in a bowl, using an electric mixer on medium, until stiff peaks form. Unmould cake onto a platter, then spread whipped cream over top and sides. Crumble pastry trimmings overtop and sprinkle with additional lime zest, if desired. Slice with a serrated knife to serve.
Kitchen tip
Cake will keep in fridge for 2 to 3 days. Or, freeze it after step 7. Thaw in fridge overnight, then unmould and proceed with step 8.
