Traditional Diplomat Cake Recipe

I wanted to make this diplomat cake recipe for New Year's but life happened so we're making it now. Don't forget about it for the next end of the year as well. It's perfect for New Year's but also great to make anytime before that because it's a delicious diplomat cake. Hi, I'm Robert and from today's recipe we'll get two 18 centimeter cakes about 1.4 kilograms each. Let's get started and we'll begin with the cream because it takes the longest to cool. Classic diplomat cream. First in a slightly larger pot I added 720 grams of milk and put it on the heat to warm up. Meanwhile in a medium bowl I added 180 grams egg yolks, about 9 or 10 yolks depending on the egg size, 145 grams of sugar, 40 grams of cornstarch and 80 grams of vanilla. I use this amount but you can adjust depending on the vanilla you're using. We mix the dry ingredients with the yolks then temper the mixture by slowly pouring in the hot milk while stirring. We return the entire mixture to the pot and cook it over medium to high heat stirring continuously until it thickens and starts to boil. Once it starts boiling we keep it on the heat for another 30 seconds to one minute stirring constantly. When the cream is ready we transfer it to a bowl. If you're in a hurry put it into a larger bowl so it cools faster. Otherwise you can use a smaller bowl, cover it with plastic wrap directly on the surface and let it cool. I personally like not to chill it too much, just bring it to room temperature either by refrigerating it for a shorter time or by letting it cool at room temperature for longer. This helps later when adding the gelatin reducing the risk of it setting too quickly. If you're making a larger batch or multiple cakes this also helps keep the cream soft and workable longer so it stays fluffy and easy to use. While the cream cools we'll take care of the cake layers. Inside the cake I use one type of sponge and on the outside we'll use ladyfingers. You can also use ladyfingers inside the cake but it's best to lightly syrup them so they're easier to eat. We'll make a very thin moist and delicious vanilla sponge for the inside and as mentioned ladyfingers on the outside. If you don't want to make them you can buy them but homemade ones are much better. So let's start with the inner sponge first and we'll deal with the ladyfingers afterwards. It helps to have two mixers. If you only have one start with the egg whites and then move to the yolks. I have two so I'll use both. In one bowl four egg yolks in the other four egg whites. Over the yolks add 20 grams of sugar and mix at high speed until very airy and double in volume. Meanwhile from the egg whites we'll make a french meringue. Whip them and when they start to aerate gradually add 50 grams of sugar mixing at medium speed until you get a stable glossy meringue with no visible grain of sugar. Add the meringue over the whipped yolks and gently fold with wide light movements until incorporated. There is no other leveling agent here besides the air incorporated in the eggs so it's important to be gentle and preserve as much air as possible. Continue with 55 grams of flour sprinkled over the foam and fold gently from bottom to top rotating the bowl with each movement to evenly combine everything. At the end mix 40 grams of oil with 30 grams of milk in a bowl. Add a small amount of the foam to this mixture to balance the density then pour it back over the full mixture and fold gently. Pour the batter into a 32 by 32 centimeter pan. I use a silicone mold so the sponge comes out easily. Level it with a spatula and bake it at 180 celsius with fan for about 10-11 minutes. It should be nicely browned on top and spring back when pressed. Now we move on to the ladyfingers. Mrs. Anna Consulia kindly shared her ladyfinger recipe during the holidays and we're using it because it's very good. Again two mixers help. If you only have one start with the egg whites and then the yolks. In one mixer add 75 grams egg yolks, 45 grams of sugar and a bit of vanilla and mix on high speed until doubled in volume. Meanwhile in the other mixer add 110 grams of egg whites and 100 grams of sugar. Make a french meringue again with the egg whites and when they start to aerate gradually add the sugar mixing at medium speed until you get a medium density meringue with soft peaks. Just like with the sponge gently fold the meringue into the whipped yolks preserving as much air as possible. Finally add 150 grams of flour and 2 grams of salt. Lightly mix together. I add them all at once and fold until incorporated. The batter should be fairly thick. Transfer it into a piping bag with a round tip. You have two options. On a baking paper draw two lines 10 centimeters apart, flip the paper over and pipe either connected ladyfingers to form a strip or individual ladyfingers that you later assemble into a fence. It's your choice. The issue is that for an 18 centimeter ring you need about 50 centimeters strip of ladyfingers which is hard to achieve in a home oven. So either make it in two pieces or honestly I recommend individual ladyfingers. Don't pipe them too thick they will grow a lot in the oven and if they're too thick they'll take up too much space and you won't have room for all the cream. Bake the ladyfingers at 180 celsius with fan after generously dusting them with powdered sugar for about 9 to 10 minutes until well browned. Remove and let cool. I cheated a bit and prepared two strips at the lab along with some individual ladyfingers. I placed them in two 18 centimeter rings lined with acetate measuring exactly 50 centimeters for each strip. From the 32 by 32 centimeter sponge I cut four circles of 15 or 16 centimeter diameter. Each cake will have two sponge layers one at the base and one in the middle. Now we assemble the cake. Over the cooled vanilla cream lightly whisk to loosen it. Add 14 grams of gelatin hydrated in 70 grams of cold water for about 10 minutes. Then melt it using a double boiler or microwave. Pour it directly into the cream. Because the cream is at room temperature there's no risk for the Mix well. Then add 570 grams of whipped cream. Whip fairly stiff because the cream base is warm. Mix thoroughly until fully combined. Finally add 145 grams of candied orange peel. This is how the diplomat cake I ate as a child was made. If you use fresh fruit the shelf life drops to about 24 hours so it's not recommended. You can use other candied fruits instead. Fill each layer with 450 grams of cream. Each cake has a base sponge, then cream, another sponge and more cream. Cover the cake with plastic wrap in contact and refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours to set. You may notice some syrup moisture on top from the candied orange peel. This is normal it will be covered with decoration anyway. For decoration whip 350 grams of cream with 150 grams of mascarpone, 25 grams of powdered sugar and a bit of vanilla to a soft consistency. Don't whip too stiff. Use small amounts in the piping bag because it continues to aerate while piping. Decorate as you like and add fruits in the center. And that's it! These are our cakes. They can be eaten right away. Enjoy! For more recipes like this don't forget to like, subscribe and follow me on Instagram for more useful tips.