Ingredients for 1 Cake
For the sponge Cake
- 9 eggs
- 150 g sugar
- 1 package vanilla sugar
- grated zest of 1 lemon
- 1 pinch of salt
- 160 g all-purpose flour
For the diplomat cream
- 3 sheets of gelatin
- 150 g milk
- 330 g heavy cream
- 45 g sugar
- seeds of 1 vanilla bean
- 25 g cornstarch
- 3 egg yolks
- 60 g butter
For the meringue
- 2 egg whites from large eggs
- 240 g granulated sugar
For soaking the sponge cake
- 6 cl STROH 40
Preparation
- Preheat the oven to 160 °C fan.
- For the sponge cake, separate the eggs. Beat the egg yolks with 50 g of sugar, vanilla sugar, and lemon zest until creamy using a hand mixer.
- Beat the egg whites with salt and the remaining sugar until stiff peaks form.
- Gently fold the beaten egg whites and then the flour into the egg yolk mixture.
- Line a cake ring (26 cm in diameter) with parchment paper.
- Pour the batter into the ring and bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes.
- Allow to cool and remove from the ring.
- For the diplomat cream, soak the gelatin in cold water.
- Bring the milk, 75 g of heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla seeds to a boil.
- Mix the cornstarch with the egg yolks, then stir into the milk and simmer briefly while stirring vigorously with a whisk.
- Squeeze out the gelatin and melt it into the cream.
- Cool the cream over ice water. Gradually incorporate the butter in pieces.
- Whip the remaining cream until creamy and fold it into the cream mixture.
- Cut the sponge cake into three equal layers. Place the first layer back into the cake ring and drizzle with STROH.
- Spread half of the diplomat cream over the cake layer and repeat the process.
- Chill the punch cake in the refrigerator until set.
- For the meringue, warm the egg whites and sugar over steam to 60 °C. Beat until stiff peaks form, then remove from the steam and let it cool.
- Before serving, place the cake on a serving plate, loosen the cake from the cake ring with a knife, remove the ring, and decorate the cake with the meringue. Fill the meringue into a piping bag fitted with a smooth, round tip and create the desired pattern.
- Carefully brown the peaks of the meringue with a Bunsen burner.
