Glazed cake with chocolate diplomat cream

To make the glazed cake with chocolate diplomat cream, start with the preparation of the latter. Take the dark chocolate, chop it with a knife 1, and set it aside. Cut a vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape it with a small knife; extract the seeds 2 and keep them together with the pod. In a saucepan, pour the milk and 50 g of cream 3;

add the vanilla seeds and pod 4 and turn on the heat, bringing everything to just below the boiling point. In a separate bowl, pour the egg yolks with the sugar 5 (with the remaining egg whites, you can make some Lingue di gatto (flat cookies) or some Italian Meringue) and the sifted corn starch 6.

Mix with whisks to blend all the ingredients well, adding 1-2 teaspoons of milk and cream 7. Turn off the heat and remove the vanilla pod by infusion using kitchen tongs 8; pour the egg-based mixture into the milk and cream mixture and thicken everything over low heat 9.

Once the cream has thickened 10, add the previously chopped dark chocolate and mix to incorporate it into the cream 11. When the chocolate has completely melted 12,

transfer it to a container and cover with cling film to prevent the formation of an annoying crust 13; let the cream cool at room temperature and then let it firm up in the refrigerator. Meanwhile, prepare the biscuit dough: in a stand mixer fitted with a whisk, whip 3 whole eggs and 1 yolk at room temperature with half the sugar 14 and the honey 15.

When you have obtained a light and foamy mixture, add the remaining sugar 16 and continue with the whisk for another 4-5 minutes. Stop the mixer and sift the flour into the mixture 17, incorporating it gently with a spatula without deflating the eggs 18.

When you have obtained a thick and homogeneous mixture, pour the dough into 3 circles (or a pan) with a 9-inch diameter on a baking sheet greased and lined with parchment paper 19. Level the surface with a spatula 20 and bake in a static preheated oven at 392°F for 5-6 minutes (at 356°F for 3-4 minutes if using a convection oven): the surface of the biscuit dough should become just golden 21 and you should never open the oven to retain the moisture inside. Once ready, remove the biscuit dough disks from the oven, unmold them, and let them cool completely.

Revive the diplomat cream by working it with an electric beater; pour 210 g of fresh cream into a stand mixer 22 and whip it with the whisks. When the cream is whipped 23, add it to the cream (which in the meantime will have firmed up) mixing gently with a spatula 24.

Once you have obtained a thick and homogeneous mixture, transfer the chocolate diplomat cream you obtained into a piping bag with a smooth nozzle of 0.5 cm diameter 25. When the disks have completely cooled 26, you can assemble the cake: with the help of a spatula, place the first disk inside a 9-inch diameter ring equipped with a base of a springform pan and fill with a layer of cream about 5 mm high 27.

Level the filling with a spatula 28, then finish the cake by placing the second disk, fill again, and then finish by placing the final disk; bring the cake to cool for 2 hours in the freezer. Once the necessary time has passed, unmold it from the ring, detaching the edges with a small knife 29 and sliding it gently: the cake is ready 30, all you have to do is proceed with the preparation of the glaze and decorations.

To decorate the cake, start with the preparation of the dark chocolate glaze. In a pot, pour the sugar and fresh cream, bringing to a boil. When it has reached just below boiling point, turn off and add the 70% dark chocolate, chopped 1: mix with a spatula until you obtain a uniform glaze 2. Place the cake on a rack and pour the glaze on the surface in the center 3;

being careful to cover it entirely 4 also around the sides, then let it cool in the refrigerator for a few minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the chocolate hemisphere: melt the 70% dark chocolate in a bain-marie (the water in the pot should not touch the bottom of the bowl where you put the chocolate) 5; when it has reached a temperature of 129°F (measured with a kitchen thermometer), dry the pot well, so that the chocolate never comes into contact with water, and pour 2/3 of it on the marble slab positioned on a work surface and start spreading the chocolate on the marble slab with a spatula and a scraper, spreading it on the surface 6.

When the chocolate has reached 82°F, transfer it to the bowl where you left the remaining 1/3 and mix: the chocolate should reach 88-90°F 7. If in these phases the temperature should drop too much, always keep the bain-marie pot with hot water handy, to slightly heat the chocolate. Conversely, if it is still too hot, repeat the operation of spreading on marble with a small part of the chocolate. At this point, fill a parchment paper cone (or a piping bag without a nozzle to which you can make a hole) with the tempered dark chocolate (keep the remaining part as it will be used to prepare the straws). Take some finger food cups in the shape of a hemisphere and make lines to obtain a grid of chocolate threads, moving the cone in a zigzag 8. When finished 9, clean the excess chocolate on the edges and put the cups in the refrigerator to cool.

When the hemispheres are ready, unmold them by gently pressing with your fingers on the plastic cup 10. Finally, prepare the two-tone straws; melt the white chocolate in a bain-marie and then proceed again with tempering: when the chocolate has reached a temperature of 113°F (measured with the kitchen thermometer), pour 2/3 of it on the marble slab positioned on a work surface 11 and start spreading the chocolate on the marble slab with a spatula and a scraper, spreading it on the surface 12.

When it has reached 81°F, transfer it to the bowl where you left the remaining 1/3 and mix. The chocolate should reach 82-84°F 13. Once ready, put the white chocolate in a parchment paper triangle (or in a piping bag without a nozzle to which you can make a hole) and pour it into a cocktail straw for about half 14; repeat the operation with the dark chocolate you saved by pouring it from the two ends 15 and then let everything cool in the refrigerator for a few minutes.

After a few minutes, unmold the straws, making a small cut with scissors to help you more easily 16 (alternatively, you can use a skewer). Extract them 17 and then proceed to distribute the decorations you have prepared on the glaze: add the hemisphere, the straws, a truffle, and finally complete by distributing dark chocolate flakes around the cake. Your glazed cake with chocolate diplomat cream is ready 18; to complete it and make it even more beautiful, you can add a couple of strawberries!