The classic mimosa cake in cupcake form: easier to portion and just as eye-catching, with the swirl of golden crumbs that mimics the flower. The diplomat cream, pastry cream lightened with whipped cream, keeps it light even though it looks rich.

Why the cupcake version

The classic mimosa cake is beautiful but awkward: it has to be cut into slices that crumble everywhere, and for a buffet or a party that means plates, forks and someone dedicated to slicing. In single-serving form it solves everything: you pick them up with your hands, they travel well, and everyone gets their own swirl of cream without any fuss.

It's traditionally the cake for March 8th, but between the lemon cream and the golden crumbs it works perfectly well any time of year.

Diplomat cream: what it is and why it's lighter

Diplomat cream simply means pastry cream lightened with whipped cream. Pastry cream on its own would be dense and heavy to eat in any quantity; the whipped cream folds in air and makes it light, while keeping the flavor.

Two rules to not get it wrong:

The pastry cream must be completely cold before you fold in the cream. If it's still warm, the cream deflates instantly and you end up with a runny mixture.
Fold from the bottom up, with the spatula, never with a whisk. You're trying to keep the air in, not mix things together.

The cling film pressed onto the hot cream isn't a minor detail: it stops a dry skin from forming on the surface, which would otherwise end up as lumps in the finished cream.

The crumbs: where they come from

The "mimosa" crumbs aren't an extra ingredient: they're the dome of the cupcakes themselves, the part you scoop out to make room for the cream. Nothing goes to waste, which is also why the color matches so perfectly.

Crumble it with your fingers without pressing too hard: it needs to stay light and irregular, which is what mimics the flower. If you crush it into powder, you lose the visual effect.

Variations

Alcohol-free: swap the limoncello or Alchermes for orange or lemon juice. It's the version I make when there are children around.
With pineapple: add cubes of syrupy pineapple inside the cream, as in the classic bakery-style mimosa cake.
Without the soak: if the cupcakes are already very soft, you can skip it entirely.
White chocolate: melt 50 g of white chocolate into the still-warm pastry cream for a richer version.

Storage

They contain fresh cream, so they need to be kept in the fridge and eaten within 2 days. The hour of chilling before serving isn't optional: it lets the cream firm up, otherwise the swirl collapses and the crumbs slide off.

You can make the base the day before and assemble at the last minute: it keeps perfectly in a closed container at room temperature.

Ingredients

3 medium eggs, at room temperature

120 g sugar

120 g plain flour

30 g potato starch

50 g seed oil

8 g vanilla baking powder (half a sachet)

grated zest of 1 lemon

400 g whole milk

3 egg yolks

100 g sugar

40 g cornstarch

zest of half a lemon (yellow part only)

200 g fresh whipping cream, cold from the fridge

optional for soaking: 60 g water, 25 g sugar, 1 tablespoon limoncello or Alchermes (or orange/lemon juice for the alcohol-free version)

Method

Put the sugar and lemon zest in the bowl and powder them. Push the mixture down to the bottom with the spatula

⏱ 10 secvel 10

Add the milk, the egg yolks and the cornstarch and cook to a thick cream

⏱ 7 minvel 4🌡 90°C

Pour the cream into a bowl, cover with cling film pressed onto the surface (to stop a skin forming) and let it cool completely: first at room temperature, then in the fridge

Fit the butterfly whisk into the clean, well-chilled bowl, pour in the cold liquid cream and whip it, checking through the hole rather than setting a fixed time

⏱ 1-2 minvel 3.5

With the spatula, gently fold the whipped cream into the now-cold pastry cream, working from the bottom up, until light and airy. Return it to the fridge

Fit the butterfly whisk into the clean bowl, add the eggs and sugar and whip

⏱ 6 minvel 4🌡 37°C

Keep whipping, no temperature

⏱ 6 minvel 4

Remove the butterfly whisk. Add the flour, potato starch, seed oil, baking powder and lemon zest

⏱ 30 secvel 4

Fill a muffin tin with paper cases and fill each two-thirds full with the batter. Bake in a preheated conventional oven, then take them out and let them cool completely

⏱ 15-18 min🌡 180°C

Scoop out the center of each cupcake, removing the domed top. Set the crumb aside and gently crumble it with your hands

If using the soak: heat the water and sugar in a small saucepan until dissolved, turn off the heat and add the liqueur or fruit juice. Lightly brush the inside of each hollowed cupcake

Fill a piping bag with the diplomat cream and generously fill the cavity of each cupcake, forming a generous swirl on top

Press the sponge crumbs onto the cream until it's completely covered, for the mimosa effect

Chill in the fridge before serving

⏱ at least 1 hour

Tip

It's the traditional cake for International Women's Day, but with that lemon cream and golden crumbs it's good in any season.

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