Freshly made whipped cream is tucked in-between tasty lemon pudding and fresh raspberries nestled in between flaky puff pastry. Each Raspberry Lemon Napoleon pastry is dusted with powdered sugar for a deliciously easy bakery quality treat at home.
Are you looking for a delicious pastry that pretty much any level of home baker can replicate? If so, this recipe is for you! Refrigerated puff pastry cuts out the extra work in this dessert.
The end result is a flaky, sweet pastry that will tantalize your taste buds with every tasty bite.
Fruit options
I used fresh red raspberries as a colorfully delicious fresh element. While blueberry and lemon also pair together tastefully, so does red raspberries. They are also a wee bit more photogenic than blueberries. You could use your choice of the two as well as blackberries.
Working with frozen puff pastry
Frozen puff pastry is a baking lifesaver. I love working with it for both sweet and savory desserts and appetizers. However, there are a few things I will note about using it.
Keep frozen – Do not refridgerate your puff pastry as this can ruin the baking process. Only thaw it on the day you plan on baking with it.
Thawing- When thawing your puff pastry you can take the paper package out of the box. Additionally, you can remove both sheets from the box and place them on a plate with a dishtowel over them.
You will notice they are wrapped with paper to prevent sticking and easy unfolding. They also have a good amount of flour on them for this very same reason.
Thaw at room temperate for about 1 hour or until they are pliable. Do not over thaw or they will get gummy and sticky. If this happens, place them in the fridge immediately to firm back up.
Slice- To slice, place one sheet of pastry on a large cutting board and unwrap. Remove any paper pieces. Try to cut slices evenly into 9 total squares.
Baking- I used a large oven-sized baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Since puff pastry do not really spread (they rise upwards) you can line them about 1/2 inch apart. I bake mine for 13-15 minutes each. You want them to be puffed, golden brown, and not burnt on the bottom.
Separating Squares – Once puff pastry is baked, you want to allow it to cool for at least 15 minutes. To separate, gently pull the top from the bottom. They should easily come apart. If they do not, use a serrated knife to gently and carefully slice through.
Instant pudding
Instant pudding is a wonderful baking ingredient. It literally sets in minutes but gets firmer as it cools. I use lemon instant pudding whisked with ice cold whole milk. I made it as the puff pastry thawed and chilled it in the refrigerator until I was ready to assemble.
Making fresh whipped cream
Making fresh whipped cream is so easy! Your best kitchen tool for success is a stand mixer with a whisk attachment. Just 1 8-ounce container of heavy whipping cream and 2 tablespoons of confectionery sugar is all you need to make it.
Sometimes I add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract but that was not needed for this recipe. The lemon pudding was the main flavor star here which the whipped cream complemented.
Be sure to use only powdered sugar to sweeten as regular sugar will alter the texture of the cream. You also want to use ice cold cream. Warm or room temperature heavy cream will not form stiff peaks.
Only whip on high speed for 3-5 minutes until stiff, fluffy peaks form. Whipped cream should stick to the whisk attachment and be of thick consistency.
Making napoleons
Once puff pastry is halve, line the bottom half with lemon pudding, 4- raspberries, and a piping of whipped cream. Assemble and sprinkle with a pinch of powdered sugar.
Storing
These are best eaten on the same day. They do last up to 24 hours in the fridge, covered, but taste best when the pastry is flaky and delicious.
More puff pastry desserts
Raspberry Lemon Napoleons
Equipment
- large baking sheet
- Stand Mixer
- Piping Bag
Ingredients
- 17.3 ounces Puff Pastry dough I used Pepperidge Farms frozen puff pastry dough
- 3.4 ounces instant lemon pudding
- 2 cups whole milk (for instant pudding)
- 12 ounces fresh raspberries
- 8 ounces heavy whipping cream
- 3 tbsps. powdered sugar
Instructions
- Prepare instant pudding according to the package instructions. Typically this includes adding mix to a large bowl, and adding in 2 cups of cold milk. Whisk until thick. Refrigerate as puff pastry thaws.
- Allow puff pastry to full thaw until it is cool and workable.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Slice puff pastry into 9 even squares per sheet.
- Bake puff pastry for 13-15 minutes. Pastry will rise and be golden brown. Be sure not to over bake or the pastry will get scorched bottoms.
- Cool puff pastry for 15 minutes before carefully separating the tops from the bottoms.
- Add whipping cream and 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar to the stand mixer bowl. Whip for 3-5 minutes on high speed or until soft firm peaks appear. Do not over whip or you will be making butter. Place whipped cream in a large piping bag.
- After each puff pastry square is separated, layer the bottom with 1 tablespoon of lemon pudding.
- Add 4-5 raspberries on top of the lemon.
- Pipe whipped cream onto each square. Add the top layer of the puff pastry and sprinkle each with a pinch of powdered sugar. Store in the fridge until ready to eat.
Pastry with whipped cream, lemon pudding and fresh raspberries – perfect combo! You just can’t go wrong with that!!!
This napoleons scream summer deliciousness! Love all the freshness and sweet-tang from the raspberries and lemons!
These napoleons look amazing, and so perfect for summer. Will be making them soon.
The lemon and raspberry together..OH MY GOSH! SO GOOD. and with the whipped cream all within a puff pastry. This dessert was delightful! Thanks for the recipe!
I am making this tomorrow! Love this