Strawberry box millefoglie cake

17/11/2023

The Millefoglie Cake is a classic and highly appreciated dessert, the “strawberry box” version is a variant that plays with the presentation of the dessert, making it resemble a box of fresh strawberries. Here is the recipe with an Italian twist:

Ingredients

1 kg of puff pastry
600 ml of custard cream
300 g of fresh strawberries
200 g of whipped cream
Icing sugar (for dusting)
20 g of sheet gelatin (fish glue)
100 ml of water
1 tablespoon of granulated sugar

Preparation

Start by preheating the oven to 200 °C. Roll out the puff pastry to obtain three rectangles of the same thickness and size. Prick them with the tines of a fork to prevent them from puffing up too much during cooking.
Bake the puff pastry sheets for about 15 minutes or until they become golden brown and crispy. Let them cool on a wire rack.
Meanwhile, prepare the custard cream by following your favorite recipe or purchasing a good quality ready-made one. Also whip the cream.
Once the custard cream has cooled down, gently fold in the whipped cream.
Prepare a light gelatin by heating the water with the granulated sugar and dissolving the gelatin sheets that have been previously softened and squeezed.
To assemble the cake, place a first layer of puff pastry on a serving plate, then spread a generous portion of custard cream and whipped cream.
Lay the second layer of puff pastry and repeat the operation with the cream.
Cover with the last layer of puff pastry. Spread a very thin layer of gelatin on the surface to adhere the strawberries.
Cut the strawberries in half and arrange them on the surface of the cake, trying to create the effect of a box full of fruit. Use the gelatin to glaze the strawberries and make them adhere well.
Gently dust the edges of the cake with icing sugar for a more elegant effect.

A tasty curiosity: this cake combines the crispiness of the puff pastry with the sweetness of the cream and the freshness of the strawberries. In Italy, especially during the spring and summer, strawberries are widely used in pastry for their liveliness and versatility. The strawberry box millefoglie is therefore a perfect tribute to the seasonality that strongly characterizes Italian cuisine.