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Easy Italian Diplomatic Cake: A Showstopper Dessert Worth the Effort

Easy Italian Diplomatic Cake: A Showstopper Dessert Worth the Effort

The popular Italian Diplomatic Cake gets its name from the use of Diplomatic Cream, a delicious custard made with pastry cream and whipped cream. 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.
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Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Resting Time 8 hours
Total Time 9 hours 40 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine Italian
Servings 12 servings

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.