There’s nothing like a slice of Italian Sfoglia Cake with strawberries to celebrate the perfect occasion. Easy to make, this homemade sfoglia cake recipe, a cake with puff pastry layers in it, is filled with an easy to make copycat chantilly cream is one of those desserts that will make you look like you're a chef in the kitchen.
Want something smaller than a cake? Why not try my easy recipe for Mille Feuille using puff pastry sheets or my easy recipe for Cream Filled Pastry Horns.
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- Here's Why You'll Love this Dessert
- Ingredients You’ll Need to make Italian Sfoglia Cake
- How to Make Italian Sfoglia Cake with Strawberries
- Top Tips
- Possible Ingredient Substitutions and Variations
- Recommended Equipment
- Storage
- Answers to Commonly Asked Questions
- Other Recipes Using Puff Pastry
- Recipe Details
- Pin for later
- Food Safety
- Comments
This Italian sfoglia cake with strawberries was made for my mom's 77th birthday. The first time I made this cake I used a buttercream frosting which was too heavy and later led me to cover the cake with a lighter option like a vanilla whipped dessert topping.
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Here's Why You'll Love this Dessert
- Traditional Italian cake that’s easy to make at home at a fraction of the cost
- Customizable in the way that you can add fresh or frozen fruit or you can infuse chocolate, cocoa or coffee for a mocha version.
- Kid Friendly flavor and texture are enjoyed by both children and adults
- Store bought ingredients make this cake easy to make with less than 6 ingredients
- Size can be adjusted based on need and the number of guests
Ingredients You’ll Need to make Italian Sfoglia Cake
For this sfoglia cake recipe you will need: puff pastry, strawberries, Jello powder, Dream Whip Dessert Topping Powder, whole milk.
Puff pastry is the base of this cake which makes it light and fluffy. Buy pre-made at your local grocer in the freezer section.
Dream Whip Dessert Topping Powder is light and fluffy and is used to frost the cake as well as to fill the cake.
Fruit such as strawberries or chocolate are used to give the cake a flavor boost.
Whole Milk is used to help thicken and stabilize the Dream Whip Dessert Topping.
How to Make Italian Sfoglia Cake with Strawberries
Base
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll out, thawed but cold, puff pastry sheets so that they are large enough to cut out an 8" base. Using a plate or the bottom of an 8" spring form pan cut out a circle using a knife and place puff pastry on baking sheet. Work quickly.
- Using a fork, prick the puff pastry circles so that they do not overpuff while baking. Bake for about 10 minutes or until golden and flaky.
- Repeat to make another two circles so that you have a total of 5 puff pastry rings. Let the puff pastry cool completely.
Cake Filling
- Mix two packages of Dream whip with 1 cup of the milk. Make as per package directions. As you are whipping it, add in 2 tbsps of strawberry Jello powder. Have the strawberries drained and ready for the next step.
- Prepare either a plate or a cake board by placing a dollop of cream in the center and then placing the first puff pastry layer on it. The cream will prevent the cake from slipping. Spread a layer of the strawberry cream on the puff pastry. Then layer some strawberries on top ensuring you are reserving enough strawberries for all layers.
- Repeat until you have used up all the layers but do not put any whipped strawberry cream on the last layer as that is where the frosting is going to go.
Cake Frosting
- Mix two packages of Dream whip with 1 cup of the milk. Make as per package directions. As you are whipping it, add in 1 tbsp of strawberry Jello powder.
- Place the whipped topping into a piping bag fit with a large star tip. Use the piping bag to squeeze and cover the sides of the cake as your turn the cake. Keep turning and covering the cake with whipped topping until you reach the top then cover the top. Just frost a very light coat on the cake as a crumb coat. Try and level the sides and the top. Refrigerate for about 1 hour.
- Repeat the step above to cover the cake with the second coat of whipped topping. This time finish to decorate. I used some reserved Jello powder to sprinkle on the top of my rosettes that where on top of the cake.
- Refrigerate the cake over night. The longer the puff pastry soaks up the strawberry and cream the better it will taste.
Top Tips
Wait for the puff pastry to cool down completely before you start layering the cake with cream, otherwise the cream will melt.
Use a piping bag to load and squeeze the whipped topping onto each layer, that will be easier than trying to spread it.
Once you have assembled the cake, you should let it rest in the fridge for 24 hours.
Possible Ingredient Substitutions and Variations
Here are some possible substitutions for you to try:
- Coffee - substitute coffee in place of the strawberries and Jello for a mocha flavored sfoglia cake recipe
- Sponge Cake - replace the puff pastry with thin layers of sponge cake
- Custard Filling - use custard filling with strawberries instead of the whipped topping and Jello for a traditional Italian Sfoglia Cake recipe
- Fresh Strawberries - use fresh strawberries if you don't have frozen strawberries on hand.
Recommended Equipment
You might need some cake boards to place your first layer of puff pastry. A sharp knife to cut this cake is essential to cutting the perfect slices.
Pastry bags will come in handy to apply the whipped topping to the sides as well as on the layers. If you plan on making rosettes on top of the cake you'll also need pastry tips.
Storage
Once you have assembled the cake, you should let it rest in the fridge for 24 hours. But, you should also consume it within 3 days of making it.
You can also freeze for later. Before you freeze the cake, slice it in serving sizes. That way when you want to eat a piece, you can take it out per serving. Let the whole frozen cake thaw out in the refrigerator overnight. If you are taking a slice out, let it thaw out on the counter.
Answers to Commonly Asked Questions
Sfoglia translated to English refers to thin layers or sheets of pasta dough. And that's exactly what a Sfoglia Cake is, it's layers of puff pastry with cream in between.
Both look very similar to one another.  Chantilly cream has about twice as much sugar in it, as well as vanilla extract. They can be used interchangeably.
Sfoglia cake is a cake made up of layers of puff pastry and a light cream filling that is traditionally flavored with fresh strawberries. Often times, sfoglia cakes are made with other flavors like Mocha.
Other Recipes Using Puff Pastry
Recipe Details
Italian Sfoglia Cake with Strawberries
Ingredients
Cake
- 450 g puff pastry 4 sheets, frozen
Cream Filling
- 250 ml frozen strawberries thawed and drained
- 2 tbsp Jello strawberry flavor
- 85 g KRAFT Dream Whip Dessert Topping Mix You need 2 pouches
- 250 ml whole milk
Frosting
- 85 KRAFT Dream Whip Dessert Topping Mix You need 2 pouches
- 1 tbsp Jello strawberry flavor
- 2501 ml whole milk
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper. (Assuming that you have three racks in your oven).
- Ensure that your puff pastry is completely thawed out otherwise place it back in the fridge to completely thaw out. Roll out puff pastry so that they are large enough to cut out an 8" circular base. Using a plate or the bottom of an 8" spring form pan cut out a circle using a knife and place puff pastry on baking sheet. You should be able to put 2 puff pastry circles on each baking sheet.
- You will need to work quickly so that the puff pastry does not completely come to room temperature. Using a fork, prick the puff pastry circles so that they do not overpuff while baking. Follow the directions for baking the pastry. Bake for about 10 minutes or until golden and flaky.
- Repeat to make another two circles so that you have a total of 5 puff pastry rings. (You can use the remnants of the cutouts to make your 5th piece, it doesn't have to be pretty, just piece it together and bake.) Let the puff pastry cool completely.
Cake Filling
- Mix two packages of Dream whip with 1 cup of the milk. Make as per package directions. As you are whipping it, add in 2 tbsps of strawberry jello powder. Have the strawberries drained and ready for the next step.
- Prepare either a plate or a cake board by placing a dolip of cream in the center and then placing the first puff pastry layer on it. The cream will prevent the cake from slipping. Spread a layer of the strawberry cream on the puff pastry. Then layer some strawberries on top ensuring you are reserving enough strawberries for all layers. (use a piping bag to load and squeeze the whipped topping onto each layer, that will be easier than trying to spread it)
- Repeat until you have used up all the layers.
Frosting
- Mix two packages of Dream whip with 1 cup of the milk. Make as per package directions. As you are whipping it, add in 1 tbsp of strawberry Jello powder.
- Place the whipped topping into a piping bag fit with a large star tip. Use the piping bag to squeeze and cover the sides of the cake as your turn the cake. Keep turning and covering the cake with whipped topping until you reach the top then cover the top. Just frost a very light coat on the cake as a crumb coat. Try and level the sides and the top.
- Repeat the step above to cover the cake with the second coat of whipped topping. This time finish to decorate. I used some reserved jello powder to sprinkle on the top of my rosettes that where on top of the cake.
- Refrigerate the cake over night. The longer the puff pastry soaks up the strawberry and cream the better it will taste.
Nutrition
Pin for later
Food Safety
Note that the storage guidelines provided on this page and site are estimates from personal experiences. We are all adults and as an adult you are responsible to ensure that the food you eat is safe to eat. Since, I'm not a food safety expert, you are responsible to review your local guidelines on food storage prior to storing any food left-overs.
Remember to:
- Not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
- Wash hands after touching raw meat
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
For Canadian Guidelines check the Government of Canada Food Safety Guidelines or see more guidelines at USDA.gov.
Jackie says
This was so easy to make and my family loved it!
Stephanie Gatto says
My family and I love this recipe!
Charmaine Galivan says
Oh I can not wait to try this. This is my favorite cake. I am going to use the Chantilly cream though. Will keep you posted!
AmyG says
Please do let me know how it turns out!
Terri says
Wow - I am a cake decorator and never heard of this cake! I love this concept - must be so light and airy. I can't wait to try it1!
AmyG says
Hi Terri,
Thanks, let me know how you like it.
NANCY WU says
interesting I've never heard of Sfoglia cake before. Pinned for later
AmyG says
You will like it! Let me know how it turns out.
Amy
Bernice Hill says
I'm 100% with you...buy the puff pastry no need to be a hero lol. Seriously though, my birthday is in February and I would LOVE to have this cake then. It sounds amazing.
AmyG says
Thanks Bernice. I would love to know how it turns out.