Diplomat pudding

Diplomat pudding is a historic French molded dessert made from layers of bread or ladyfingers, candied fruit, and custard or Bavarian cream. The common cold version is chilled before being removed from its mold. [Oxford Companion to Food](https://app.ckbk.com/reference/food77337c03s001e003/cabinet-pudding)

A common recipe uses ladyfingers soaked in rum or Kirsch syrup, candied fruit, apricot jam, and egg custard or Bavarian cream. Another traditional method replaces the ladyfingers with stale brioche soaked in milk. [Diplomat pudding](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diplomat_pudding)

Diplomat pudding is the finished molded dessert, while creme diplomate is a pastry filling made by combining pastry cream with whipped cream, often stabilized with gelatin. The pudding may use creme diplomate or Bavarian cream as one of its layers. [Valrhona](https://www.valrhona.com/fr/l-ecole-valrhona/decouvrir-l-ecole-valrhona/lexique-du-chocolat/creme-diplomate)

A popular culinary tradition connects the dessert with Antonin Carême and the diplomat Talleyrand during the Congress of Vienna in 1815. The story is widely repeated, but historical sources differ on the exact origin of the name. [Diplomate pastry history](https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diplomate_%28p%C3%A2tisserie%29)