Mimosa Cake: Sponge Cake and Diplomat Cream for The Famous Italian Spring Cake (VIDEO)

Mimosa cake is a traditional recipe featuring a delicate sponge cake and creamy diplomat cream filling. This classic dessert is often prepared for occasions such as Women’s Day, parties, and birthdays. With its soft texture and vintage charm, the mimosa cake harkens back to an earlier era yet remains a staple in many Italian pastry shops.

What is Mimosa Cake?

Mimosa cake is an elegant dessert traditionally prepared in Italy on or around March 8th to commemorate International Women’s Day. This confection is also commonly enjoyed at the beginning of spring, specifically when mimosa flowers are in full bloom.

This seasonal Italian cake features soft sponge cake cut into disks and filled with diplomat cream, a blend of custard and whipped cream. The finished cake is decorated with small pieces of additional sponge cake arranged to resemble the yellow, fluffy blooms of the Mimosa flower – hence its evocative name, “Mimosa cake.”

The History of Torta Mimosa Cake

The Mimosa Cake was created by renowned pastry chef Adelmo Renzi in Rieti, Italy in 1950. However, it was not until 10 years later that the cake found widespread success, when it won first place at the prestigious pastry competition in San Remo. The contest was held to honor the city of flowers. Particularly popular during the 1980s, the Mimosa Cake later fell out of favor but has since regained popularity in recent years.

Watch the Mimosa Cake Video Tutorial

How to Make Mimosa Cake

Are you interested in preparing this classic cake at home? Below you can find the Mimosa Cake recipe along with helpful techniques and step-by-step photos to guide you towards replicating the same quality found in top-tier bakeries. With attention to ingredients, process, appearance and ease of creation, one can achieve mimosa cake success.

There are multiple variations of the Mimosa Cake recipe. Some include fillings like custard or fresh fruit, while others utilize gluten-free sponge cake or incorporate ingredients like chocolate or almonds. The preparation I will outline is for the classic Mimosa Cake.

This recipe provides a simple yet elegant dessert option. For optimal results, it is important to thoroughly chill both the sponge cake layers and cream filling before assembly.

Classic Mimosa Cake Ingredients

• 5 eggs
• 4 egg yolks
• 150 g all-purpose flour or 00 flour
• 40 g corn starch
• 450 ml milk
• 200 g heavy cream
• 320 g sugar
• 50 g powdered sugar
• 100 ml water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 – 3 tablespoons lemon juice or Rum or Grand Mariner
• Butter for greasing

Mimosa Cake Instructions

I trust these instructions and tips will help you achieve excellent results replicating this beloved Italian cake at home. Please let me know if you need any clarification or have additional questions as you bring this timeless recipe to life in your kitchen.

Tools you will need

• 22cm – 9 Inch Non-stick Springform Pan
• Hand Mixer Electric
• Mixing bowls

Prepare the Sponge Cake and let it cool completely

Get Full Easy Sponge Cake Recipe here

Ingredients:

• Butter for greasing
• 5 eggs, about 60 g each
• 150 g sugar, ¾ cup
• 150 g all-purpose flour, 1¼ cups

Preheat the oven to 160°C (320°F) in static mode, with top and bottom heat. Line the bottom of the springform pan with parchment paper and grease the edges with butter. Separate the egg whites and yolks into two different bowls.

Whip egg whites – Add half of the sugar to the bowl of egg whites. Whip the egg whites with half the sugar using an electric mixer to stiff peaks. Stop beating when the egg whites form a line, indicating they have reached stiff peaks (1). Set aside.

Whip egg yolks – Add the remaining sugar to the bowl of yolks. Mix the mixture using the electric mixer without cleaning between uses. The yolks will lighten in color and texture, stopping when a line forms, similar to the egg whites (2).

Combine – Add the sifted flour to the egg yolks gradually through a strainer or sieve (3). Now, use a folding motion to incorporate the mixtures gently. To maintain volume, alternate additions of 2–3 spoonfuls of egg whites (4) and sifted flour. Carefully avoid deflating the mixture, as it does not contain leavening agents. Add more flour and when mixing becomes difficult, incorporate more egg whites. Continue folding gently until fully combined (5).

Bake – Pour the cake batter into the prepared springform pan. Smooth the surface with a spatula (6). Place the pan on a tray on the middle rack of the preheated oven. Bake at 160°C (320°F) for 30–35 minutes, until lightly golden brown (7). The cake is done when it stops rising and begins to fall slightly. Test for doneness by inserting a skewer, which should come out clean. For this recipe, baking took 35 minutes (8).

Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to rest in the pan for a few minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely (9).

Prepare the Diplomat Cream

You can obtain Diplomatica cream (Diplomat cream) by combining pastry cream with Chantilly cream (whipped cream with icing sugar).

Ingredients:

• 450 ml milk, 1¾ cups plus 2 tbsp
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 egg yolks
• 120 g sugar, ½ cup plus 1 tbsp
• 40 g corn starch, ⅓ cup
• 200 g heavy cream, ¾ cup plus 1 tbsp
• 50 g powdered sugar, ⅓ cup plus 1 tbsp

Pastry Cream – Add milk and vanilla extract to a saucepan. Heat the milk over low heat. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, and sifted corn starch until well combined (10). Slowly pour the heated milk into the egg yolk mixture while whisking constantly (11). Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and return it to low heat. Continue stirring continuously until the pastry cream thickens to a coating consistency. Remove the pastry cream from the heat and immediately pour it into a bowl to cool completely (12).

Get Full Pastry Cream Recipe here

Whipped cream – Whip heavy cream with sifted powdered sugar until full volume is reached and soft peaks form (13).

Combine – Once cooled, gently fold the whipped cream into the pastry cream using a spatula (14), mixing from the bottom but being careful not to overmix (15).

Prepare the Sugar Syrup

To prepare the syrup, bring the water and sugar to a boil while stirring continuously. Once the sugar has completely dissolved, add the lemon juice and continue cooking briefly while maintaining the boil. Then remove from the heat and allow it to fully cool at room temperature before use or storage.

For the classic alcoholic variation, you can add rum or Grand Marnier instead of lemon. Alternatively, you can easily prepare a non-alcoholic vanilla syrup using water, sugar, and vanilla extract. This is a kid-friendly choice and provide flavor versatility to meet a variety of tastes.

Assemble your Mimosa Cake

Carefully cut the sponge cake into 3 even rounds (16), aiming for uniform thickness across all discs (17). Gently scrape any browned portions of the first disc using a small knife. Remove all darkened areas to reveal the pristine yellow base free of burns or imperfections (18). Cut the disc into small pieces approximately 1 centimeter wide or slightly smaller (19).

NOTE – I suggest chilling the sponge cake thoroughly prior to cutting. For optimal results, place the sponge cake in the refrigerator for 40 minutes or freezer for 15 minutes to ensure it is very cold throughout. Once chilled, the sponge cake can then be divided smoothly into three equal disks for further preparations.

Place the first round on the tray and moisten the top lightly with syrup from the outer edge inward (20). Spread an even layer of diplomatic cream over, leveling it smooth (21). Top with the second round, moistening the top. Finish by spreading the remaining diplomatic cream in an even layer (22) across the entire structure, leveling and feathering the cream up along the outer edge (23). Place any remaining sponge cake pieces on and around the cake to resemble a mimosa flower (24). Gently press pieces into place.

Refrigerate the completed traditional mimosa cake for approximately 2 hours before serving.

Follow my tips, and you’ll make the most gorgeous and delicious mimosa cake around. It’s not just for celebrating women or mothers – this cake is a classic spring dessert perfect for any special occasion. Just do what I say, and I promise you’ll wow everyone with this one!

How to Store Torta Mimosa

Place the cake in an airtight container or cover it tightly with plastic wrap to prevent it from absorbing any odors, and store in the refrigerator. Enjoy your Mimosa cake within 2 days for the best taste and texture. If you need to store the cake for an extended period, consider freezing it. Wrap the cake securely in plastic wrap and aluminum foil to maintain its texture and flavor. Thaw the frozen cake in the refrigerator before serving.