Hi Domminick, Here is the recipe that I believe you are looking for. :)
TORTA DIPLOMATICA
INGREDIENTS
2/3 batch of pasta sfogliata (RECIPE ON BOTTOM OF PAGE)
SPONGE CAKE
4 lg eggs
2 lg egg yolks
pinch salt
3/4C sugar
1C All Purpose flour
RUM SYRUP
1/4C sugar
1/3C water
3T dark rum
PASTRY CREAM FILLING
1/2C currants or golden raisins
3T dark rum
1C milk
1/4C sugar
3lg egg yolks
pinch salt
3T All Purpose flour
1 stick unsalted butter
confectioners’ sugar for dusting
PUFF PASTRY
Roll out the sfogliata dough on a floured surface into a 10 by 15 inch rectangle. Cut the dough into 2 rectangles each 10 by 7 ½ inches then roll each into a 10 inch square. Pierce the squares of dough all over with a fork and slide each onto a 10 by 15” pan lined with parchment or buttered wax paper. Chill the layers of dough overnight or several hours
Bake the layers at 350 for about 30 minutes until they are an even, deep golden color. Change the positions several times while cooking so that it is baked evenly. If they begin to puff excessively pierce the bubbles in the dough with a fork so that the layers remain flat. Remove the baked puff pastry layers to a cutting board and cut each layer into a 9” disk. Return the baked disks to the pans and cool. Crumble all the scraps finely to be used for finishing the torta
SPONGE CAKE
Butter a 9” by 2” deep round cake pan and line it with a disk or parchment or wax paper. Cut to fit. Combine the eggs, egg yolks, salt and sugar in a heat proof bowl or the bowl of an electric mixer. Whisk to mix. Place the bowl over a pan of gently simmering water and whisk until warm. About 100 to 105 degrees. Remove the bowl from the pan and whip on high speed with a hand mixer or heavy duty mixer fitted with a whip. Continue whipping until the mixture has lightened in color, cooled and increased about 4 times its original volume. Sift the flour over the egg foam in 3 or 4 additions, folding it in gently but thoroughly with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake the layer at 325 for about 30 minutes until it is well risen, firm to the touch and a deep golden brown color. With a knife, loosen the cake from the sides of the pan and invert so your bottom side is now up. Invert again with the parchment still on the bottom of the cake so that your cake is right side up. Wrap in plastic and chill
RUM SYRUP
Bring the sugar and water to a boil in a small saucepan. Cool and stir in the rum.
PASTRY CREAM
Place the currants or raisins in a sauce pan and cover with water. Bring to a boil, drain, and pour into a bowl and cover with rum. Allow to stand at room temperature while preparing the pastry cream. Bring the milk to a boil with half the sugar. Whisk the egg yolks in a bowl with salt and whisk in the remaining sugar. Sift the flour over the yolk mixture and whisk it in smoothly. When the milk boils, whisk 1/3rd of it into the yolk mixture. Return the remaining milk to a boil and whisk in the yolk mixture. Continue to whisk until the cream thickens and comes to a boil. Whisk constantly to prevent scorching. Scrape the cream into a clean bowl. To finish the filling beat the butter on medium speed until soft and light. Beat in the cooled pastry cream all at once then continue beating until the filling is smooth and light. Stir in the rum and currants (or raisins) by hand.
ASSEMBLY
Place one of the puff pastry disks onto a cardboard or platter. Spread with half the pastry cream filling. Moisten the top of the sponge cake with half of the rum syrup using a brush. Place the cake layer on the filling top side down. Moisten the other side with the remaining syrup. Spread the remaining filling on top. Top with remaining filling. Spread the filling that’s on the SIDES of the cake all around as if you were icing the side of a cake. Then press the scraps from the puff pastry on the side and dust with confectioners’ sugar
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Pasta Sfogliata
(Italian puff pastry)
Ingredients
DOUGH
2C AP flour
1t Salt
4 T unsalted butter, softened
1/3C white wine or white vermouth
1/3C cold water
BUTTER SQUARE
1/4C AP flour
2 sticks COLD butter
DIRECTIONS
For the dough, combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Cut the butter into 3 or 4 pieces and rub it thoroughly into the flour with your fingertips so that no pieces of butter remain visible make sure that the mixture remains cool and powdery and does not become pasty.
Combine the wine or vermouth with the water. Blend the liquid into the flour and butter mixture with a fork, working the fork, tines up, through the mixture from the bottom of the bowl upwards being careful NOT to stir, which would toughen the dough. Once all of the flour and butter mixture is evenly moistened it will look like a mass of rough curds; do not attempt to make the dough smooth. Cover the dough loosely and refrigerate it while preparing the butter square.
For the butter square, spread the remaining flour on a work surface and unwrap the chilled butter onto it. Turn the sticks of butter to coat them with the flour and pound them with a rolling pin to soften them to the point where you can easily make an indentation by pressing with a fingertip. With floured hands, press and squeeze the butter into a rough square, about 4 inches on a side. If the kitchen is warm, refrigerate the butter square while forming the dough that will envelop it.
Scrape off any bits of butter sticking to the work surface and scrape it out on the bowl onto the surface. Press the dough well with the palms of your hands once or twice to make sure all the bits of dough adhere. Flour the dough very lightly and roll it gently into a 5 x 10 inch rectangle.. place the square of butter at the narrow end of the rectangle closer to you and fold the other half of the dough over it.
Turn the package of dough so that the fold is on the left and roll it into a 6 x 12 inch rectangle. This time fold each narrow end of the dough towards the middle and fold again at the middle to make 4 layers.
Wrap the dough loosely in plastic and refrigerate about 1 hour. When you remove the dough from the fridge unwrap it and position it on a floured surface so that the fold is on the left. Flour the dough and roll it again into a 6 by 12 inch rectangle and give it another 4 layer fold. The dough is no finished and needs to rest again for about 3 to 4 hours before you use it to make your dessert
