Raise your hand who, at least once in their life, has had one diplomatic like birthday cake. Everyone (or almost) has tasted it at least once, to get lost in the crunchy pastrythe delicacy of custard combined with Chantilly creamthe softness of the sponge cake bathed in a very sweet liqueur syrup. A recipe that may seem complicated, but it is not at all: just follow the procedure with a few small tricks and you’re done. In less than an hour at work and after 3 hours of rest in the refrigerator you will have a delicious cake that will make you look great with your guests. You can prepare it in square, round or rectangular shapeor prepare some small portions to be served individually, garnishing the dessert with fresh mint leaves or other decorations to your liking. Ready to get to the stove?

PREPARATION

1

Start with the preparation of the sponge cake. In a large bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar with an electric whisk until the mixture is light and frothy. It will take about 15 minutes.

2

Sift the 00 flour and the starch. Add the flour mix and the pinch of salt to the mixture one spoon at a time, mixing from bottom to top so as not to disassemble.

3

Turn on the oven in static mode at 180° to preheat it.

4

Grease and lightly flour a square pan. Pour the mixture into the mold and level it. Bake for 30 minutes without ever opening the oven.

5

After 30 minutes check the cooking by opening the oven. If it should still be very clear, you can cook another 5 minutes.

6

When cooked, remove the mold from the oven and let the sponge cake cool completely before unmolding it. Once cool, trim all four edges and remove the top layer of sponge cake.

7

Make the diplomatic cream following our recipe.
For the diplomatic cream recipe, you will need 300 ml of whole milk, 2 egg yolks, 50 g of granulated sugar, 30 g of corn starch and 1/2 vanilla bean to make the custard. 200 ml of liquid fresh cream, 70 g of icing sugar to make the chantilly cream.

8

Remove the puff pastry from the fridge. After ten minutes, unroll it and cut two 20×20 cm squares with a small knife.

9

Transfer the two rectangles to a baking tray covered with parchment paper and prick it with the prongs of a fork. This step is very important to prevent the pastry from swelling during cooking!

10

With a kitchen brush, lightly wet the surface of the sheets with water and sprinkle with brown sugar.
Bake the sheets in the oven at 180° for 12-13 minutes, until the surface is golden brown.

11

In the meantime, prepare the syrup for the sponge cake: pour water and sugar into a saucepan and place over medium heat. When the sugar is completely dissolved, turn off the heat and add the rum.

DESSERT COMPOSITION

1

Place a sheet of puff pastry on a serving plate and sprinkle it with diplomatic cream, taking care to level it.

2

Place the layer of sponge cake on the cream and wet it abundantly with the rum syrup, using a kitchen brush. Then pour the diplomatic cream on the sponge cake, leaving a few spoons aside.

3

Finish with the last layer of puff pastry. Sprinkle with plenty of icing sugar.

4

With the cream that you have kept aside, try to level the edges, so as to obtain a smooth dessert.
Let the cake rest for at least 3 hours in the refrigerator before serving.

Accessories

• Electric whisks
• Bowls
• Thick bottomed saucepan
• Square mold 20×20 cm
• Kitchen brush

Advice and tips

The diplomat cake can be stored in the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap or closed in an airtight container, for two days to the utmost. Alternatively, you can freeze it: if necessary, you can then defrost it by keeping it in the refrigerator for a whole day.

The individual ingredients of the diplomat cake can be frozen: the cooked sponge cake can be frozen wrapped in plastic wrap, while the puff pastry should be frozen raw.

Diplomat cake must rest at least 3 hours in the fridge before being consumed.

It is possible to prepare sponge cake, cream and puff pastry the day before assembly, keeping sponge cake and cream in the refrigerator wrapped in plastic wrap. The pastry, on the other hand, should be kept in a cool, dry place, covered with a clean cloth.

You can replace the rum with a liqueur of your choice: alchermes, marsala, limoncello or another fortified wine. You can possibly even eliminate it completely (if the cake is to be prepared for children, you can add a few drops of vanilla essence).

An advice? Try adding one layer of fresh berries! Blueberries, raspberries and blackberries adapt perfectly to the rest of the recipe and will give you a diplomatic cake that is perhaps less traditional, but certainly very tasty!

History

It is said that the diplomatic cake takes its name from the preparation created by the chef of the Duke of Parma who, in the fifteenth century, wanted to give a delicious dessert to Francesco Sforza. The idea of ​​calling it “diplomatic” derives from the fact that the “diplomats” were people of the wealthy aristocratic class; they were cultured and knew the languages, mediated between the nobles and went abroad to deal with foreign rulers. The dessert was supposed to be served during the meetings between diplomats: for this reason it was called “diplomatic cake”.

Sicily and Campania also claim paternity, but the true origin of the cake is actually uncertain.