The diplomatic cake with English trifle is an idea that came about somewhat by accident, on a regular workday while I was, as usual, browsing various recipes on social media. Under the recipe for a diplomatic cake, I saw a comment asking if it was possible to replace a layer of classic custard with a layer of chocolate cream.
I wondered, indeed, why, given the presence of Alchermes and ladyfingers in the classic diplomatic cake recipe, no one seems to have thought to make a diplomatic cake with English trifle!
Maybe some of you have been making it for years, but I haven’t found anything specific online, so here I am writing to you in detail, with the FULL VIDEO, all the steps to make this very simple dessert, but at the same time perfect to serve during holidays and really impress all your friends and family.
The only real recipe you need to follow and make is the custard, for which I provide both HERE and later my super-tested recipe, smooth, velvety, and just the right thickness.
As I will repeat a few lines below, for the custard needed for this diplomatic cake, I used 100 g of sugar, not 90 g as you will find recommended when you open the link to my custard.
For the rest, once the cream is made, it will just be a matter of assembling the various ingredients.
Here are also some other recipes of mine that might surely interest you to make your holidays extra special with your culinary preparations 😉
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Rest time: 2 Hours
- Preparation time: 25 Minutes
- Portions: 8
- Cooking methods: Stove, Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients for the DIPLOMATIC CAKE WITH ENGLISH TRIFLE
- custard (for this recipe I used 100 g of sugar)
- 1 sheet puff pastry (rectangular)
- 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 35 Pavesini (or as needed of ladyfingers if you prefer)
- as needed Alchermes
- as needed powdered sugar
Tools to make the DIPLOMATIC CAKE WITH ENGLISH TRIFLE
- Baking tray
- Serving plate for serving
Steps to make the DIPLOMATIC CAKE WITH ENGLISH TRIFLE
First, focus on preparing the custard. Click HERE and you’ll find my recipe for a custard that is thick and velvety.
The only change I recommend in this specific case is to increase the sugar to 100 g when making your custard.
When it’s ready and still hot, divide it into two bowls in roughly equal amounts, and in one of them add a couple of tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa and mix vigorously with a hand whisk.
Allow the two creams to cool, preferably stirring them occasionally with the whisk until they become lukewarm; at that point, cover them with plastic wrap and set them aside.
Once you’ve made the two creams, it’s time to deal with the puff pastry. Unroll it directly onto a baking tray with its parchment paper, poke it all over the surface with a fork, sprinkle it with powdered sugar, and bake it in a static oven at 356°F for about 20 minutes, or until it’s nicely golden.
Let it rest for a few minutes, and while it’s still warm, cut it with a serrated knife into two equal parts along the short side.
When the puff pastry has completely cooled, prepare all the ingredients needed to assemble your diplomatic cake with English trifle and position the first layer of pastry on a serving plate.
Spread all the chocolate custard with a spoon (or with a piping bag), being careful to be gentle so as not to risk breaking the puff pastry.
Now create two layers of Pavesini soaked in Alchermes (you can decide whether to dilute it with water or leave it pure). I recommend watching the VIDEO at the top of the page to understand how to best distribute the Pavesini.
Of course, if you prefer, you can replace the Pavesini with ladyfingers (in which case I recommend forming only one layer) or sponge cake.
Also spread all the classic custard, distributing it evenly, and finally cover with the second layer of puff pastry.
Sprinkle with plenty of powdered sugar, then put your diplomatic cake with English trifle to rest in the refrigerator for about two hours.
After the resting time in the refrigerator, during which all the ingredients have had time to stabilize, you can, if you want to create convenient individual portions in advance, proceed to cut. You’ll get eight servings.
To cut them, I recommend a serrated blade knife, and to avoid crumbling the pastry too much, primarily use the tip of your knife, making small and quick movements.
And now these wonderful sweets are ready, to be served on occasions when you want to make a great impression in a short time; with my custard recipe, you’ll get the perfect consistency; really, you absolutely can’t miss this DIPLOMATIC CAKE WITH ENGLISH TRIFLE.
Storage and Variations
The diplomatic cake with English trifle keeps for a couple of days in the refrigerator.
As you can imagine, you can replace the Pavesini with ladyfingers or sponge cake.
If you add whipped cream to the custard and spread it both above and below the ladyfingers, you’ll get the classic version of the diplomatic cake.
For a different version, you can soak the Pavesini or ladyfingers in coffee!
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
What can I substitute for Pavesini?
You can substitute Pavesini with ladyfingers or sponge cake.
To make this cake suitable for children, what can replace Alchermes?
You can use a soaking syrup with just milk or milk and a splash of fruit juice. Or, why not, to add some color, you can use berry fruit juice.
