Millefogli help?

[StephMac]

Hi, all - I'm a bit confused here and am hoping you all can help me sort this out... my brother-in-law and his fiancee want a millefogli for their wedding cake to represent her Italian heritage. However, this is the photo she sent me as an example:

To me, this looks a lot like a croquembouche. And now that I've looked up what a millefogli is, my first instinct - that it's like a mille feuille - seems to be correct; it's a flat cake of puff pastry layered with cream and sometimes fruit. My future sister-in-law says she doesn't have a recipe, so I'm thinking this isn't a family tradition (which should give me some leeway if I make the millefogli - won't be competing with grandma's version!).

So my questions are: first, is it possible to make a stacked millefogli, croquembouche-style (I'm thinking the answe is no...)? And second, is there an Italian version of a croquembouche? The only thing I can think of is struffoli, but those aren't usually filled, are they?

[Nina C.]

I've seen them in towers like this http://www.italyweddings.com/couples/images/elidav06.html

but I'm hardly an expert on Italian food. I can't imagine that the delicate nature of a millefoglie would stand up to being stacked on each other.

[alligande]

I attended a wedding in Positano, and after a superb meal we were served a croquembouch style cake as the wedding cake. The bride(american) and groom (Irish) had not specified what type of cake and this was what was served.

[chefpeon]

Maybe your future sister-in-law is the one who's confused?

Perhaps she thinks that pic of a croquembouche is a Millefogli?

Maybe just say, "Hey, you sent me a picture of a croquembouche, which is French in origin...."

Then describe what a Millefogli is and see which she wants.

I've had a lot of clients of mine ask for something by name, then show me a picture and they've been two completely different things! Now, I sort of always assume my clients are misinformed....

[StephMac]

Thanks, all. Yeah, I'm thinking things got a little lost in translation here... I just didn't want to bring it up and try to clarify everything until I was sure I knew what I was talking about!

I'll gather some photos of both and figure out what they really want. Either way, I'll probably be back looking for help...

At least it's not as bad as the friend who was adamant that she wanted a Boston cream pie... and couldn't understand why I showed up with a cake That's the one that taught me to get photos, recipes, descriptions of everything, even if someone says something as seemingly simple as "I want a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting."

[Desiderio]

Yep definately confused ( the bride I mean).It is true sometimes people have an idea and the name doesnt match the real stuff they think of.Millefoglie is as the french one , layers of delicate puff pastry with pastry cream and whatever you like, chocolate pastry cream can be alternate with the vanilla one in layers , that how usually I had the millefoglie.I did one for my birthday a while a go with strawberryes cream .