Christmas Cake with Diplomatic Cream Recipe

Christmas is just around the corner, and if you’re looking to try your hand at a show-stopping dessert that will add an extra touch of magic to your holiday table, keep reading! Our Cesarina Anna from San Quirico d’Orcia presents a cake that will leave your guests speechless. While it does require some time and patience to prepare, the final result will make every effort worth it!

This festive cake with diplomatic cream features a light sponge cake, gently spiked with a touch of alcohol, filled with a soft and silky diplomatic cream, and topped with a luscious buttercream and fondant. It’s the perfect centerpiece dessert to impress family and friends this holiday season.

Christmas cake filled with diplomatic cream by Cesarina Anna from San Quirico d'Orcia, Christmas 2025, holiday menu, Christmas dessert

"This is the Christmas cake of past holidays, full of memories, from when my dear father was still alive".

Christmas Cake Filled with Diplomatic Cream

A show-stopping sponge cake, perfect for the Christmas holidays

DifficultyMedium

Preparation time4h

Cooking time30m

€

CostHigh

Ingredients

For the sponge cake (22 cm pan):
200 g all-purpose flour
180 g granulated sugar
6 eggs
Grated lemon zest
For the diplomatic cream:
250 g fresh milk
3 egg yolks
80 g sugar
30 g cornstarch
1 vanilla pod
200 g fresh cream
For the rum syrup:
200 ml water
100 g sugar
1 shot of rum
For the Swiss buttercream to frost the cake:
170 g butter
100 g granulated sugar
40 g egg whites
Rum flavoring
For decoration:
White fondant and food coloring

Method

Prepare the sponge cake by beating the eggs with the sugar until pale and fluffy.
Add the lemon zest and sifted flour gradually, folding gently with a whisk from bottom to top to avoid deflating the mixture.
Pour into a round pan and bake in a preheated static oven at 180°C for about 30 minutes.
Let the sponge cake cool completely and cut it into three layers.
Prepare the syrup by placing water and sugar in a small saucepan and heating over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves.
Remove from heat and let the syrup cool slightly, then add the rum.
Pour the syrup into a bottle for soaking or, alternatively, use a spoon or poke holes in a plastic bottle cap.
Prepare the classic pastry cream by whisking the yolks with sugar and cornstarch, add hot milk and vanilla seeds, and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened.
Cover the cream with plastic wrap directly on the surface and let it cool completely.
Whip the cream until thick and fluffy.
Gently fold the whipped cream into the pastry cream using a spatula from bottom to top.
Now prepare the Swiss buttercream. Let the butter sit at room temperature for about an hour.
Whip the egg whites with a tablespoon of sugar until stiff.
In a small saucepan, heat the remaining sugar with one or two tablespoons of water and boil for about 7 minutes.
Pour the hot syrup in a thin stream over the whipped egg whites while beating with electric mixers continuously until the bowl cools.
Add the butter piece by piece, mixing until smooth and homogeneous.
Assemble the cake by soaking the first sponge layer with syrup, spreading the diplomatic cream, and repeat with the second layer.
Add the third layer, soak, and frost with the Swiss buttercream.
Place the cake in the fridge and start working on the fondant: color part green and a small portion red.
Form leaves and cones, cutting with scissors to create small fir trees.
Roll out the white fondant and cover the cake.
Decorate around the cake with leaves and small red balls; place the fir trees in the center; finally, pipe small cream swirls.
Let rest in the fridge until serving.
Before serving, dust the cake with powdered sugar to simulate snow.

Anna

Christmas Cake Filled with Diplomatic Cream

Christmas Cake Filled with Diplomatic Cream

Ingredients

Method

Sweet Tooth

Homemade tarts, mousses, tiramisu, regional cakes, biscuits and much more! Do you want to have fun and pamper yourself with taste because you can't resist sweet treats? Discover Cesarine's experiences and treat yourself to a moment of pure sweetness to make your day unforgettable!