Diplomatico-A Chocolate Dessert with Rum and Coffee
This recipe is full of surprises.
1. First, it stretches over 3 pages in the book. Hey, must be complicated, right?
2. Not exactly, because the recipe starts with a store-bought pound cake.
3. And some of the length is due to different options for the cake frosting.
4. But, I found it impossible to buy a plain pound cake. Sara Lee used to make one, but it has been delisted, according to Brian at the local supermarket.
5. And no luck trying to buy a pound cake at a couple of specialty stores in the area.
6. But, BW came through (again) and made a pound cake.
7. Everything was going fine – well, not exactly but I’ll explain later – when, WHOA! the preparation stretches over two days. Guess I should have read the directions more carefully the first time through.
…The last surprise, I’ll leave to the end.
The ingredients below include some expresso coffee, semi-sweet chocolate, a 16-ounce pound cake, some sugar, water, a few eggs, a bit of butter, a small amount of whipping cream and, oh yes, some rum. Marcella also suggests a garnish of fresh berries or walnuts and candied fruit, but I skipped the garnish this time.
A nine-inch rectangular pan, lined with damp cheesecloth provides the structure for the dessert. The pound cake is cut into slices; the individual slices are soaked in a rum & coffee mixture; then line the bottom of a nine-inch pan. A filling of chocolate, egg yolk and a bit of sugar is spread over the layer of pound cake; then a second layer is placed on top. The cheesecloth is folded over the top and the pan is refrigerated until the next day.
A chocolate frosting is made the next day. Marcella also provides an option for a whipped cream frosting, but how much chocolate is too much?
What remains of the initial servings. The white spots on the cake are where I missed with the rum & coffee soak. The soak was the trickiest part of the preparation – too wet and the pieces fall apart.
What I liked about this recipe:
This turned out great the first time I tried it a few months ago & I have improved the esthetics in subsequent efforts. I received many compliments on my initial preparation from an international audience – well a couple of my son-in-law’s relatives from Scotland were at the dinner.
And, by the way, I did locate a source for a store-bought Sara Lee pound cake for the recipe & used it once – but the scratch cake is a lot better.
What I didn’t I like about this recipe:
Well, I wasn’t thrilled that it stretched over two days, but that was my problem. Also, the initial difficulty in locating a main ingredient (the pound cake) was an unexpected hurdle.
Would I make it again?
Yes, this is the best dessert I have ever made. This is a great recipe. I have made it a few times and it always impresses. It is equal to, or better, than any restaurant dessert in my experience. It is the most professional result I have achieved in this project.
This dessert is at the top of my favourite recipes I’ve prepared for this project – the final surprise.
This is obviously meant to be the same dessert that I have made for decades now under the same name but mine differs slightly.
First it is made in a large bowl so that it is dome shaped. Second, the filling to cake ratio is much higher and the filling is, I suspect, a lot stiffer since it is meant to hold its shape when the cake is sliced so more a butter cream than a cream Anglais which is what I think you’re making. Third, I’ve never heard of it being garnished with anything.
Nonetheless, its clearly the same thing and WOW, it is great isn’t it!?
Hah! This is the man who would never make those sensational almond pralines because he had to control his sugar intake. Mrs Doug must be a very understanding woman. Glad you liked it, Doug.