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For the pastry cream

For the diplomat cream

  1. Preheat your oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas mark 6, and line a 35x25cm baking tray.
  2. Unroll the pastry and cut down the centre to make two long rectangles. Then cut each rectangle into nine 4cm strips – 18 strips in total. You’ll need to get the ruler out to make sure your pastry sits neatly when stacking later.
  3. Place the pastry strips onto the baking tray, leaving a gap between each. Prick each strip multiple times with a fork, then place another sheet of baking paper over the entire tray, and another tray on top. This will stop the pastry from puffing up. (You may need to do this twice if you don’t have enough trays).
  4. Bake for 18-20 minutes until golden brown. Set aside to cool completely.
  5. To make the pastry cream, whisk together eggs, granulated sugar, and cornflour in a mixing bowl until combined. Set aside.
  6. Meanwhile, in a small pot, heat the milk on medium heat until it comes to a simmer. Sieve in the matcha powder and whisk to combine.
  7. Slowly pour the hot milk into the egg mixture while whisking vigorously to temper the eggs.
  8. Pour the entire mixture back into the pot and bring to a medium heat. Keep stirring constantly for about 8-10 minutes, until the mixture thickens into a custard-like consistency. If you drag a spatula through the pastry cream, it should part and then come back together after 1-2 seconds.
  9. Stir in the butter cubes one at a time until melted and combined. Push the pastry cream through a fine mesh sieve (optional, but recommended), into a bowl and press a piece of cling film right onto the surface of the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming. Let cool completely and store in the fridge for later.
  10. To make the icing, add icing sugar to a small bowl and slowly mix in the water, one teaspoon at a time, mixing after each addition. The icing should be thick but runny.
  11. To make the pastry lids, top six of the pastry strips with a thin layer of icing, using a spoon or a piping bag.
  12. Combine white chocolate and matcha powder until smooth. Using a teaspoon or a piping bag, drizzle thin lines of matcha chocolate lengthways on top of the icing and feather it by dragging a toothpick across it. Leave to set for about 20 minutes before assembling.
  13. Use an electric mixer to beat the dou- ble cream until almost stiff peaks. Add in half of the matcha pastry cream you made earlier and use a silicone spatula to gently fold in an upwards motion, combining without deflating the whipped cream. This now becomes diplomat cream.
  14. Transfer the diplomat cream and the remaining half of the pastry cream into separate piping bags. To assemble, add a layer of diplomat cream to six of the un- iced pastry strips and drizzle some pastry cream down the centre.
  15. Add another strip of uniced pastry on top of each one, repeat with the diplomat cream and pastry cream, and place an icing-topped pastry strip on top.

Test kitchen tip: If you’re not a matcha fan, you can replace the powder with the same quantity of another flavoured powder, such as cocoa powder.

Nutrition Facts

Per serving: 396kcals, 20.4g fat (10.7g saturated), 50.5g carbs (34.2g sugars), 5g protein, 1.9g fibre, 0.295g sodium

Sweet thingsSpecial OccasionsPastryAfternoon teaBaking

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