Charlotte with ladyfingers and cream is a showy dessert but also so easy to make! Apart from the custard, which is ready in about 10 minutes, this dessert requires no other cooking and it’s truly delicious!
The Christmas charlotte can also be served as an ice cream cake. In this case, it should be stored in the freezer so it can be enjoyed a little at a time.
The charlotte cake is one of those perfect desserts for various occasions! For example, to present at the end of a nice Sunday lunch spent with family! Or for the birthday of someone special! Or why not, during holidays and occasions like Christmas.
The Christmas cake is a dessert not only beautiful to present but also truly delicious. It can be filled in many ways and personalized according to your tastes.
In this case, I chose to fill my Christmas Charlotte with custard and chocolate chips. Covered and decorated with cream and enhanced with a beautiful ribbon to make it more elegant.
You can try it, for example, with tiramisu, a delicious version for lovers of this delightful dessert. Or with cream and berries, fresher and more delicate.
Let’s see together with step-by-step photos how to make the Charlotte cake.
Other no-bake desserts that are easy and delicious for you to try:
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 6 Hours
- Preparation time: 25 Minutes
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 14 oz ladyfingers (ABOUT)
- 1 oz chocolate chips (dark or milk)
- 1 1/4 cup whipping cream (about. Fresh or long-life vegetable)
- 10 oz alchermes (or orange or pineapple juice)
- 8.8 oz water (to dilute the Alchermes)
- 17 oz whole milk (fresh)
- 4 oz sugar
- 3 egg yolks (from medium eggs)
- 1.6 oz cornstarch (or all-purpose flour)
- 1 lemon (organic and fairly large)
Tools
- Cake Pan
- Bowls
- Whisk
- Spatula
- Mixer
- Saucepan
- Grater
Steps
Making the charlotte is very simple and also fun! Follow my tips and you’ll see what a spectacular dessert!
For this cake, I used a narrow and tall springform pan, 17 cm.
If you want to use a larger pan, you will need to increase the indicated amounts.
Let’s start with the custard which will then need to slightly cool before assembling the dessert.
Pour the milk into a saucepan and grate some lemon zest inside. Bring the saucepan to the stovetop on a low flame.
In a bowl, grate the remaining lemon zest (organic and previously well washed). Add the granulated sugar.
Mix the sugar and lemon zest with your fingers to release all the aromas and make the sugar aromatic.
At this point, add the egg yolks and vigorously work for a few minutes with a hand whisk.
You should obtain a light and frothy mixture. Then add the cornstarch (or all-purpose flour if not available) and mix.
Thin it with a ladle of milk taken directly from the saucepan to better blend the cornstarch (or flour).
When the milk becomes hot (but NOT boiling), pour it over the beaten eggs and sugar and immediately mix with the whisk.
Then pour everything back into the saucepan and return to the flame to cook the cream.
Stir continuously until the cream starts to puff, at this point after about a minute you can remove it from the heat.
Pour the cream into a container, preferably glass or ceramic (avoid plastic containers). Cover with plastic wrap and let it cool down.
Now comes the most fun part: composing the charlotte!
Take the pan (mine measures 16.5 cm in diameter and 10 cm in height), spread two generous tablespoons of custard on the bottom, which must NOT be completely cold.
Take the ladyfingers and dip them, one at a time, in the Alchermes diluted in water (you can also use it pure).
For a non-alcoholic soak, you can use milk or, if you prefer, pineapple or orange juice that pairs well with the other ingredients.
Arrange the ladyfingers standing around the entire circumference of the pan to create the first layer.
Now we need to make the second layer of ladyfingers, but after dipping them, you need to cover them, only on one side, with some custard and attach them to the already made row of ladyfingers.
Continue in the same manner until you almost close the circle.
I chose to leave the center of the Charlotte empty to fill it with custard and achieve the “volcano effect” when cutting.
However, if you prefer, you can complete the circle with the remaining ladyfingers. Do as you please.
Once you reach the point where there is a small empty space in the center, fill it with the cream until reaching the height of the other ladyfingers.
Add a handful of chocolate chips on top of the Charlotte (or if you prefer, nuts of your choice).
Whip the cold cream from the fridge for just a few minutes. You should obtain a semi-whipped cream, almost liquid for guidance.
Pour all the cream over the surface of the charlotte and wait a few moments for it to spread well and enter inside the pan.
Done! Place the pan on a plate to contain any liquids released by the soaked ladyfingers.
You just need to put the Charlotte in the fridge for at least 6 hours, even better if all night.
When serving your dessert, take it out of the fridge and gently remove the springform.
Level the surface gently if necessary, and decorate with the remaining cream that you should whip well with electric beaters.
With the help of a pastry bag, make lots of tufts both at the base and on the surface and decorate with chocolate chips.
The Christmas Charlotte is ready to go to the table and surprise everyone when cutting!
To make it even more beautiful and elegant, you can use a nice colored ribbon to tie with a beautiful bow.
It will be a real pleasure to taste this charlotte cake, beautiful to look at and so delicious!
I hope you enjoyed this recipe! If you try it, let me know in the comments 😘
FAQ (Questions and Answers)
Can I fill the Charlotte with just whipped cream instead of custard?
Yes, of course, you can replace the custard with just whipped cream or make it half whipped cream and half mascarpone. You can add a couple of tablespoons of hazelnut or pistachio spreadable cream to the whipped cream for an even more delicious version. You will obviously need to increase the doses of the whipped cream, to be safe it’s best to get two 500 g containers so you can also use it for decoration.
Can I prepare this dessert in advance and store it in the freezer?
Yes, the charlotte can be stored in the freezer well-covered with food wrap. In this case, the decoration on the surface with whipped cream can be done after it has completely thawed to avoid ruining it with the wrap. It can also be served as an ice cream cake so that you can leave in the freezer the part you want to consume later. In this case, to facilitate cutting, it can be left out of the freezer for about twenty minutes to then cut only the necessary number of slices and immediately return the remaining part to the freezer. Obviously, once thawed it cannot be refrozen.
How many days can a Charlotte last in the fridge? Can I leave it at room temperature?
The charlotte cake can stay in the fridge for about two to three days. It can also be left at room temperature but for half an hour at most, especially if it is particularly hot, otherwise the decoration can become “spoiled”.
I don’t have a tall and narrow pan, how can I substitute it?
I chose to use this type of pan to avoid cutting the ladyfingers. You can use a lower and wider baking dish and cut the cookies based on the height of the pan. In this case, adjust according to the dimensions. If it is round, a pan of about 22 cm should be fine.
Can I use either fresh cream or vegetable cream interchangeably?
Yes, of course, you can use either without distinction. Usually, when you use fresh cream, you add a tablespoon (or two) of sugar while vegetable cream is already sweetened. Do as you prefer.
