Let’s prepare the popular Italian Diplomatic Cake together without using any expensive food processor! This is the most beautiful layered cake you can make at home!
The Italian Diplomatic Cake, or Torta Diplomatica, is a layered masterpiece that’s perfect for special occasions like Sunday family gatherings or birthday celebrations. This delectable dessert is a true testament to classic pastry-making skills, with the star being the luscious diplomatic cream that gives it its name. But that’s not all – it also features other timeless treats like sponge cake (flavored with alchermes for an extra touch) and flaky puff pastry.
Now, you might think that whipping up an excellent diplomatic cake at home is a daunting task, but it’s totally doable. Sure, it takes some time since there are multiple steps involved, but the end result is an incredible medley of flavors and textures that’ll have you savoring every bite. So roll up your sleeves and get ready to impress with this showstopper dessert!
What is Diplomatic Cake?
The Torta Diplomatica, also known as “Diplomatic Cake,” is a classic Italian dessert that blends the richness of custard with the lightness of sponge cake and puff pastry. This popular Italian dessert gets its name from the use of Diplomatic Cream, a delicious custard made with pastry cream and whipped cream.
Its origins can be traced back to Italy, where it has been a beloved treat for many years. This delectable dessert is a perfect example of Italian pastry craftsmanship, combining creamy flavors with a delicate texture.
But the exact origins are rather uncertain. Some report, for example, that the cake thus composed and filled was sent as a gift from a Diplomat of the Duchy of Parma to Francesco Sforza, Duke of Milan. But more likely, as mentioned above, the name “Diplomatica” seems to originates from the use of “Crema Diplomatica”, an Italian chantilly cream made from a combination of pastry cream and whipped cream. In any case, this dessert symbolizes harmony and diplomacy, reflecting the seamless fusion of different layers and flavors.
The Diplomatic Cake is often enjoyed on special occasions and celebrations in Italy, adding a touch of elegance to any gathering. Its popularity has spread beyond Italy, captivating the palates of dessert lovers around the world. Whether served at a family dinner or a festive event, the Diplomatic Cake continues to hold its place as a timeless classic in the realm of Italian desserts.
Italian Diplomatic Cake Video Tutorial
A Delightful and Easy Recipe for Diplomatic Cake – A Classic Italian Dessert
This delightful dessert consists of layers of Puff Pastry, Diplomatic Cream, Sponge Cake soaked in Alchermes liqueur, another layer of Diploatic Cream, and a final layer of Puff Pastry.
Whipping up sponge cake and puff pastry from scratch is definitely the way to go if you’ve got the time. But hey, we all lead busy lives – so don’t sweat it if you need to grab pre-made versions from the store. Your diplomatic cake will still hit the spot, even if it doesn’t quite pack that homemade punch. For this recipe I chose to use ready-made puff pastry, but we will prepare the sponge cake together!
Diplomat Cake Ingredients
For a 30×23 cm mold (13×9 inch), you will need:
Sponge Cake:
- 3 eggs
- 100 g (½ cup) granulated sugar
- 95 g (¾ cup) all-purpose flour
- 10 g (2 tsp) honey
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- A pinch of Salt
- Zest of 1 organic lemon
Puff Pastry:
- 2 rectangular sheets of puff pastry (about 35×25 cm or 13×10 inch each)
You’ll need two sheets of this final size: about 35×25 cm or 13×10 inch each. If you find them smaller, you can also join them until you get two of this size. Alternatively, you can also prepare homemade puff pastry, following this recipe.
Diplomatic Cream:
- 750 g (3 cups plus 2 tbsp) whole milk
- 10 egg yolks
- 50 g (⅓ cup plus 1 tbsp) all-purpose flour
- 50 g (⅓ cup plus 1 tbsp) cornstarch
- 230 g (1 cup plus 2 tbsp) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean
- A pinch of salt
- 400 g (1⅔ cups plus 1 tbsp) fresh whipping cream
- 30 g (¼ cup) powdered sugar
Sugar Syrup:
- 120 g (½ cup) water
- 50 g (¼ cup) granulated sugar
- 50 g (3 tbsp plus 1 tsp) Alchermes liqueur – Instead of Alchermes, you can use rum as an alternative, but the result won’t be the same! For a non-alcoholic version, you can make a coffee soak, a raspberry sauce, or a milk soak. Additionally, you can add a natural red food coloring to your chosen syrup to recreate the color of Alchermes.
To Garnish:
- Powdered Sugar, for dusting
NOTE — If you’re looking to bake a smaller cake (around 15×23 cm or 6×9 inch), simply cut all the ingredient amounts in half. It’s an easy way to make a more petite dessert without wasting any of those precious ingredients.
Easy Diplomat Cake: Step-by-step Instructions
1. Prepare the Sponge Cake and let it cool
Grease with butter and flour a rectangular cake pan of about 30×23 cm (13×9 inch). Beat the eggs and sugar for about 10 minutes until light, fluffy, and thick. Gradually add honey, vanilla, lemon zest, and salt while continuing to beat. Gently fold in sifted flour (1) and pour the batter into the cake pan (2). Bake at 175 °C (347 °F) for 15–20 minutes, until golden brown, then let it cool completely.
2. Bake the Puff Pastry Sheets and let them cool
Roll out the puff pastry sheets to form rectangles about 35×25 cm (13×10 inch) each. You can also prepare homemade puff pastry, following this recipe.
Place each sheet on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, prick them with a fork (3), and bake one sheet of puff pastry at a time in a preheated 190 °C (ca. 374 °F) conventional oven for around 20 minutes or until golden on top (4), positioning it on the center rack. Keep an eye on the pastry towards the end of baking — you may need to add or subtract a couple of minutes depending on your oven’s performance or how thick you rolled out the dough. Once done, remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before handling.
3. Make the Diplomatic Cream
It’s time to make the Diplomatic Cream. Follow my instructions to prepare the perfect Diplomatic Cream and refrigerate until ready to use (5).
PRO TIPS — To make the Diplomatic cream thicker and more compact, in case you don’t want to serve it as a spoon dessert, simply add a sheet of gelatin softened in cold water to the pastry cream while it’s still hot.
4. For Sugar Syrup
To make the sugar syrup, bring water and sugar to a boil. Once the mixture has cooled down, add the Alchermes liqueur and whisk it together (6). Store the soaking syrup in the fridge or at room temperature until you’re ready to use it.
5. Assemble your Diplomatic Cake
Once the sponge cake and puff pastry sheets have cooled down completely, you can use a knife to trim off the darker bits (7) and even out the edges into clean, straight rectangles (8). This will give your dessert a neater, more presentable look.
Add a small amount of cream on a serving plate and place a layer of puff pastry to secure it. Cover with a first layer of Diplomatic Cream (9).
Lightly brush the sponge cake with the syrup (10). Once it’s nicely moistened, flip it over so the damp side is facing down and place it right on top of the cream layer (11). Next, take that pastry brush and gently brush the top of the sponge cake with more of the tasty syrup. This helps keep the whole dessert nice and moist. Repeat with another layer of diplomatic cream (12) and gently place the final layer of puff pastry on top.
Chill the Diplomatic Cake in the fridge for a couple of hours to set, and dust with powdered sugar just before serving (13).
Diplomatic Cake Serving Tips
The diplomatic cake can be prepared either in a rectangular or round shape and can be brought to the table whole or already divided into small regular portions.
Enjoy this exquisite dessert with friends and family on special occasions, or as a delightful treat any time!
Classic Italian Diplomatic Cake Wine Pairing
Torta Diplomatica cake pairs beautifully with a sweet dessert wine like Moscato d’Asti or a light, fruity red like Brachetto d’Acqui.
Storage Instructions
You can keep the Diplomatica in the fridge covered with plastic wrap for up to 3 days max. If you want to keep it longer, you can freeze it and then just move it to the fridge the day before you plan to eat it, so it can thaw out properly.
Easy Italian Diplomatic Cake: A Showstopper Dessert Worth the Effort
Equipment
- 1 rectangular cake pan of about 30×23 cm (13×9 inch)
- 1 large baking tray
Ingredients
For Sponge Cake:
- 3 eggs
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 10 g honey
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- A pinch of Salt
- Zest of 1 organic lemon
- 95 g all-purpose flour
For Puff Pastry:
- 2 rectangular sheets of puff pastry about 35×25 cm or 13×10 inch each
For Diplomatic Cream:
- 750 g whole milk
- 10 egg yolks
- 50 g all-purpose flour
- 50 g cornstarch
- 230 g granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1 vanilla bean
- A pinch of salt
- 400 g fresh whipping cream
- 30 g powdered sugar
For Syrup:
- 120 g water
- 50 g granulated sugar
- 50 g Alchermes liqueur or another syrup of your choice
To Garnish:
- Powdered Sugar for dusting
Instructions
Sponge Cake
- Grease with butter and flour a rectangular cake pan of about 30×23 cm (13×9 inch) and preheat your oven to 175 °C (347 °F) in static mode.
- Beat the eggs and sugar for about 10 minutes until light, fluffy, and thick.
- Gradually add honey, vanilla, lemon zest, and salt while continuing to beat.
- Gently fold in sifted flour and pour the batter into the cake pan.
- Bake at 175 °C (347 °F) for 15–20 minutes, until golden brown, then let it cool completely.
Puff Pastry
- Roll out the puff pastry sheets to form rectangles about 35×25 cm (13×10 inch) each. Preheat your oven to 190 °C (ca. 374 °F) in static mode.
- Place each sheet on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, prick them with a fork, and bake one sheet of puff pastry at a time for around 20 minutes or until golden on top, positioning it on the center rack. Keep an eye on the pastry towards the end of baking — you may need to add or subtract a couple of minutes depending on your oven’s performance or how thick you rolled out the dough.
- Once done, remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before handling.
Diplomatic Cream
- Follow my instructions to prepare the perfect Diplomatic Cream and refrigerate until ready to use.
Sugar Syrup
- Bring water and sugar to a boil.
- Once the mixture has cooled down, add the Alchermes liqueur and whisk it together
- Store the soaking syrup in the fridge or at room temperature until you’re ready to use it.
Assemble your Diplomatic Cake
- Once the sponge cake and puff pastry sheets have cooled down completely, you can use a knife to trim off the darker bits and even out the edges into clean, straight rectangles. This will give your dessert a neater, more presentable look.
- Add a small amount of cream on a serving plate and place a layer of puff pastry to secure it.
- Cover with a first layer of Diplomatic Cream.
- Lightly brush the sponge cake with the syrup. Once it’s nicely moistened, flip it over so the damp side is facing down and place it right on top of the cream layer. Next, take that pastry brush and gently brush the top of the sponge cake with more of the tasty syrup.
- Repeat with another layer of diplomatic cream and gently place the final layer of puff pastry on top.
- Chill the Diplomatic Cake in the fridge for a couple of hours to set, and dust with powdered sugar just before serving.
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