Sweet ELEGANCE

This delicate French treat is made up of three golden layers of flaky puff pastry, sandwiching smooth custard and topped with fruit and icing. In Hong Kong, it is called the Napoleon Cake, but in France or other countries, it is best known by its French name, millefeuille, meaning “a thousand leaves”.

The origins of the Napoleon are a mystery. “Napoleon” is believed to be a mistranslation of “Neapolitan” since the pastry is said to have originated in Naples, Italy. According to one of the earliest records, the gastronomic chronicler François Pierre de La Varenne had written “napoleon” in his cook book Le Cuisinier François in 1651. Almost 200 years later in the early 19th century, the renowned chef Marie-Antoine Carême refined and popularised the dessert. Decades after that, the Parisian pastry master Adolphe Seugnot made his mille-feuille a legend, and the dessert shot to stardom where it has remained since then.

The secret of a crispy Napoleon is to give the puff pastry a thorough baking so that its delicate flakiness is maintained, even though surrounded by soft custard fillings or berries. A light but rich Napoleon is considered an absolutely imperial choice for afternoon tea.

The Nina Napoleon Collection offers three choices of mixed berries, mango and strawberry and is now available online on Nina Patisserie eshop. And cake-lovers can purchase at the first physical shop in Nina Hotel Tsuen Wan West starting mid-May.