Rhubarb and Apricot Torta Diplomatica

A torta diplomatica is a decadent Italian dessert made with layers of puff pastry, sponge cake or ladyfingers, and crème diplomate — a thick pastry cream that won’t collapse in the confectionery structure.

This version brings the tartness of rhubarb and the mild sweetness of apricots together to elevate the traditional elements of a torta diplomatica, making it a gorgeous centrepiece for your next celebration. Note: The recipe also calls for rhubarb vodka — made by combining equal parts chopped rhubarb and vodka in a jar, and letting it infuse for two weeks — but you're welcome to sub in water.

Loïc’s Rhubarb and Apricot Torta Diplomatica wowed the judges in the Season 7 finale of The Great Canadian Baking Show.

Rhubarb and Apricot Torta Diplomatica

By Loïc Fauteux-Goulet

Ingredients

Rhubarb Curls:

• 1 stalk pink rhubarb
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar

Rough Puff Pastry:

• 2⅔ cups (378 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup plus 2 tbsp (255 g) unsalted butter, frozen, grated and divided
• ⅔ cup cold water
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 egg, beaten

Apricot Crème Diplomate:

• 2 packets (14 g) powdered gelatin
• ¼ cup cold water
• 2 cups apricot purée
• 2½ cups 35% cream, divided
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and scraped
• ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
• ¼ cup plus 1 tsp (30 g) cornstarch
• 8 egg yolks
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter

Ladyfingers:

• 6 eggs, separated
• ½ cup plus 5 tsp (120 g) granulated sugar
• ½ cup plus 1 tbsp (83 g) all-purpose flour
• 6 tbsp plus 2 tsp (47 g) cornstarch
• Zest of 2 lemons
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 drops pink liquid food colouring

Rhubarb Purée:

• 3 cups (375 g) chopped rhubarb
• 1½ cups (300 g) granulated sugar
• 3 tbsp water
• 1 to 2 drop pink liquid food colouring, if desired

Rhubarb Syrup:

• ½ cup rhubarb vodka
• ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• ½ cup rhubarb purée
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Swiss Meringue:

• 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
• 3 egg whites

Assembly:

• 1 ripe but firm apricot
• Edible flowers, such as marigolds

Preparation

Rhubarb Curls:

Heat the oven to 175 F. 

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Wrap parchment paper around a few cooking utensil handles (such as wooden spoons and whisks). Using a vegetable peeler, peel the rhubarb stalk into long, thin ribbons.

Combine the water and sugar in a medium saucepan set over medium heat, and stir until the sugar has dissolved completely. Remove the saucepan from the heat, add the rhubarb ribbons and let them soak for 5 minutes. 

Working one at a time, remove the ribbons from the liquid and roll them around the parchment-wrapped utensil handles. Place the utensils on the prepared baking sheet and reserve the remaining liquid for later use.

Dry the rhubarb in the oven for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Remove the curls from the parchment while still warm and set aside.

Rough Puff Pastry:

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

Whisk together the flour and salt in a large bowl. Add about a quarter of the butter and toss to coat in the flour mixture. Add the water and lemon juice and stir into a ragged dough. Tip the dough out onto a clean work surface and knead until smooth. Lightly flour the surface and roll the dough into a 7-by-14-inch rectangle.

Sprinkle half of the remaining grated butter over two-thirds of the dough rectangle (this will cover about 7-by-9½-inches of the dough). Fold the unbuttered third over a one-third buttered section, like you’re folding a brochure, then fold the last buttered section over top to form a roughly 7-by-4½-inch rectangle.

Lightly flour the work surface and roll the dough, once again, into a 7-by-14-inch rectangle. Quarter-turn the dough and repeat the sprinkling and folding process using the remaining butter. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Once the dough has chilled, repeat the rolling, turning and folding process two more times. Rewrap and chill the dough for another 20 minutes before rolling and folding one last time. Rewrap and chill for 20 minutes. 

Heat the oven to 425 F.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the chilled dough into a rectangle that measures just over 10 by 12 inches and is about ¼-inch thick. Trim the sides so they’re straight. Cut the rectangle in half on the long edge to form two 6-by-10-inch rectangles. 

Place the rectangles onto the prepared sheet, and cover with parchment paper and another baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove the top baking sheet and parchment, brush the pastry with the beaten egg, then return the pan to the oven. Bake until the pastry is golden brown, about 8 to 12 minutes, then set aside to cool. 

Apricot Crème Diplomate:

While the pastry is cooling, sprinkle the gelatin over the cold water. 

In a medium saucepan, combine the apricot purée, 1 cup of cream, the vanilla bean pod and its seeds and warm over medium heat until just steaming. While the mixture is warming, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch in a medium heatproof bowl. Add the egg yolks and whisk until combined. 

Remove the saucepan from the heat and discard the vanilla bean pod. Slowly add the hot apricot mixture to the eggs, whisking constantly. Add the mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it starts to boil and has thickened.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir the gelatin and butter into the mixture. Spread the mixture onto a rimmed quarter sheet pan and cover the surface with plastic wrap. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Place the remaining cream in a medium bowl and whip to soft peaks using a hand mixer. Once the apricot mixture has cooled, transfer it to a large bowl and fold in a quarter of the whipped cream to loosen the mixture. Fold in the remaining whipped cream. Transfer the crème diplomate to a piping bag fitted with a medium round tip and refrigerate until ready to use.

Ladyfingers:

Heat the oven to 410 F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and place onto another sheet of the same size to double the base.

Combine the egg yolks and sugar in a medium bowl. Using a hand mixer, beat on high until pale yellow in colour. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and cornstarch. Add the lemon zest and mix to combine. 

Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whip to soft peaks. Add the vanilla extract and food colouring. Gently fold the egg yolk mixture into the whipped egg whites until just combined. Repeat with the flour mixture.

Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a medium round tip. Pipe 5-inch-long ladyfingers onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving about an inch of space between them. Bake until golden and crispy, about 10 to 13 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Rhubarb Purée:

In a medium saucepan, combine the rhubarb, sugar and water. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the rhubarb has broken down, about 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a food processor and blitz until smooth. 

Using a fine-mesh sieve, strain the rhubarb back into the saucepan. Continue to cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until thick, about 4 to 6 minutes. If your rhubarb was on the greener side, stir in a drop or two of pink food colouring, if desired. Set aside.

Rhubarb Syrup: 

In a medium saucepan, combine the rhubarb vodka, sugar, rhubarb purée (the purée can still be warm) and vanilla extract. Cook over medium-high heat until the mixture comes to a simmer. Cook for 2 more minutes. Remove the saucepan from the heat, strain the syrup into a bowl and set aside. 

Swiss Meringue: 

Combine the sugar and egg whites in a heat-proof bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water (the water should not touch the bottom of the bowl). Heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches 160 F. Transfer the mixture to a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, and whip on medium-high until the bowl of the stand mixer is no longer warm. 

Transfer the swiss meringue to a piping bag fitted with a St. Honoré tip.

Assembly:

Place a piece of puff pastry on a serving platter. Pipe lines of apricot crème diplomate, about as thick as the ladyfingers, on top. Top with ladyfingers and brush them with the prepared rhubarb syrup (not the reserved rhubarb curl liquid). Pipe another layer of crème diplomate and top with the remaining piece of puff pastry.

Spread about 1 cup of the rhubarb purée on the top piece of pastry, then pipe an undulating line of swiss meringue down the centre. Use a kitchen torch to lightly toast the meringue.

Cut the apricot into thin slices, place them on top of the meringue and brush them with the reserved rhubarb curl liquid. Garnish with the rhubarb curls and edible flowers.

Make one cake