If there’s one dessert you’ll never say no to after a meal, it’s a definitely charlotte cake, and especially this one made with a vanilla bavarian mousse very light and fluffy and raspberries that add a touch of freshness. This vanilla and raspberry charlotte cake is very light and so delicious!
I have already suggested a strawberry charlotte cake based on an eggless mousse, made simply with strawberry coulis and whipped cream. You’ll love it too, because you can make it with a variety of seasonal fruits.
All you need to make this raspberry charlotte cake
Table of Contents
Ladyfingers : ladyfingers are very soft, not to be confused with “boudoirs”, which are very dry. You can use my recipe to make your own, or use store-bought ones.
Vanilla mousse : here a delicious vanilla bavarian mousse
Simple syrup to soak
Fresh raspberries to incorporate inside and for garnishing
How to make this vanilla and raspberry charlotte cake ?
Making a charlotte cake becomes child’s play once you have mastered the making of simple or glued lady fingers. If you’re just starting out in pastry-making or planning to prepare for your pastry chef certification, I’ve put together a very complete step-by-step article with images and also a video on how to make and master the homemade ladyfingers easily.
Of course, you can also use store-bought ladyfingers to make a charlotte cake, which will be just as good.
You can make this vanilla raspberry charlotte cake using glued ladyfingers as I did. The lady fingers are piped side by side and after baking, they form a strip or band.
You can also pipe the biscuits as no glued ladyfingers and place them side by side in the cake ring after baking. You can also pipe the glued ladyfinger biscuits diagonally; it depends on the visual effect you want to achieve.
This charlotte cake will make a great dessert to finish off a hearty meal like Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve, for example.
You’ll need to make a vanilla Bavarian cream, which is the ideal mousse for the charlotte cakes. The Vanilla Bavarian cream is made from a custard ‘crème anglaise’ thickened with gelatin, to which whipped cream is added. It’s easy to make, and produces an light and airy vanilla mousse.
The raspberry mirror is not obligatory on top of the charlotte cake if you intend to garnish it entirely with raspberries.
Recipe in video
Preparation steps :
| NB: Find the quantity of ingredients in the recipe card at the end of the article, which you can print. Below are the instructions, also available with visual images. |
For a 22 cm x 6 cm (8.5 in x 2.5 in) Charlotte
The ladyfingers “biscuits à la cuillère”
You can see the recipe with more pictures and the video on the article : ladyfingers
Make 2 strips of glued lady fingers “cartouchières” for the side each 35 cm by 7 cm (14 in by 3 in) and 2 circles of 18 cm (7 in) in diameter for the bottom (You can make them day before).
1. Draw 2 strips measuring 35 cm (14 in) by 7 cm (3 in).
Turn the sheet over onto the buttered baking sheet, with the design against the sheet.
2. Place egg whites in bowl of the stand mixer and whisk at medium speed.3. When frothy, add 1/3 of the sugar without stopping the stand mixeur.
4. Increase speed slightly.
5. Add half the remaining sugar when they have risen but are not yet very firm.
6. When they are almost firm, add the remaining sugar to tighten them and increase the speed to maximum.
7. Stop as soon as they are firm and smooth. Until stiff peak. They have to make a bird’s beak on top the whisk
8. Add the egg yolks and mix gently with a rubber spatula to prevent the meringue from collapsing.
9. Add the sifted flour all at once.
10. Gently fold in the mixture, lifting and turning the bowl. Scrape the bottom to blend everything together. Do not mix or whisk vigorously. The batter must remain frothy, do not try to smooth it.
11. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip of 10 (0.39 in ) or 12 mm (0.47 in).
Preheat oven to 180°C (350 degrees fahrenheit) fan-assisted or 200°C (400 degrees fahrenheit) static heat.
12. Arrange sticks, side by side. Leave a slight gap between them; they should be almost touching.You can space them 2 mm (0.07 in) apart, as they will stick together as they swell.
13. Make 2 circles of 18 cm in diameter (7 in).
14. Sprinkle 2 times, 5 minutes apart, with a thin veil of icing sugar.You can leave them unsprinkled if you want them smooth and not pearly (a crunchy, pearly layer on top).
15. Bake for 10 to 12 min.
16. Open the oven halfway through cooking to allow steam to escape and close immediately. This prevents the cookies from falling and cracking.
17. They should be lightly browned to keep them soft. Below, they’re a little more golden than they need to be.
18. Carefully remove from parchment paper as soon as they hold together a little, to avoid breaking them. The ladyfingers are nicely pearlescent and super soft. Allow to cool.
Simple syrup for soaking
1. Combine water, sugar and vanilla sugar in a saucepan and bring to the boil over medium heat.
2. Remove from the heat as soon as the sugar has completely dissolved, without boiling to avoid evaporation.
3. Allow to cool
Vanilla bavarian mousse
1. Split the vanilla bean in half and scrape out the seeds.
2. Place the vanilla seeds and the leftover pod in the milk and cream.
3. Cover the saucepan with plastic wrap and heat without boiling.
4. Leave to infuse for 30 min.
5. When the milk has infused, rehydrate the gelatin in very cold water for 15 min. Cover well with water.
6. Meanwhile, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until smooth and pale.
7. Bring the milk to the boil and pour it through a sieve over the egg yolks, whisked with the sugar.
8. Remove the vanilla beans, pressing them well to extract any remaining seeds.
9. Mix well and pour it back into the saucepan.
10. Bring to a medium heat while stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, making sure to reach all corners to prevent the cream from sticking to the bottom.
11. Stir constantly, making a figure of 8 with the spatula until the mixture coats the spoon. The custard should thicken slightly. A finger drawn through spatula leaves a clean, stable line. If you have a thermometer, the temperature should not exceed 82°/ 84°C (180°/183° F).
12. Lift the saucepan above the heat 2 times, and return it to the heat while continuing to stir. This way the cream will thicken slightly without exceeding the required temperature. Il will be smooth and silky, with no lumps.
Lifting it from the heat prevents it from quickly reaching 84°C (183°F). ⚠️ Be careful not to let the cream boil. Above 84°C (183°F) the eggs will coagulate and the cream will curdle.
13. Remove from heat and add the gelatin. Mix well and strain through a sieve (chinois).
14. Leave to cool, stirring occasionally to prevent a skin from forming on top.
15. Place the bowl on an ice-water bath to cool quickly. Don’t let it set.
16. Whip the chilled heavy cream in the bowl of stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, gradually increasing the speed. It will whip better this way.Whip heavy cream until soft peaks form to easily fold it to the custard.
17. Once the custard is almost cold but still liquid, add 3/4 of it to the softly whipped cream. Normally, it’s the whipped cream that is added to the custard, but I prefer to do it the other way round. Mixing is better and easier this way.
18. Gently fold in from bottom to top with a spatula.
19. Add the remaining custard in 3 times in the same way.
20. Use the Bavarian mousse immediately, before it sets.
Assembly :
I place a strip of rhodoïd (acetate sheet) in the adjustable cake ring, but it’s optional.
1. Adjust the bottom glued ladyfingers strips, place them in the mold, and trim off the excess on the side. Adjust the sponge-cookie discs to fit inside the mold once the rectangular strips are placed in the mold.
2. Soak the sponge-cookie disc with the cold syrup (you can use store-bought raspberry syrup).
3. Pour in half the vanilla bavarian mousse.
4. Insert the raspberries in the mousse, generously garnish.
5. Cover raspberries with a little bit of mousse.
6. Soak the second sponge-cookie disc on the side that will go against the mousse and place it on top of the mousse.
7. Press down lightly and pour in the remaining vanilla bavarian mousse.
8. Place in the freezer until the day of tasting, or just until the mousse sets.
Just leave to set in the fridge for at least 3 h, or preferably overnight.
The raspberry mirror (for a nice red color)
To prepare once the charlotte is ready
1. Rehydrate the gelatin in cold water for 10 min (the water should cover the gelatin well).
2. Heat the raspberry coulis with the sugar and a few drops of lemon without boiling. All you need to do is dissolve the sugar and get it hot enough to melt the gelatin.
3. Off the heat, add the well-drained gelatin and mix well.
4. Filter through a sieve.
5. Allow to cool, but do not allow to set.
Decoration
1. Remove the charlotte from the fridge or freezer.
2. Unmold and coat the top with the coulis. If you’re not going to cover the top with raspberries, don’t use a spoon to spread the coulis.
3. Pour it in and move the charlotte cake to spread it over the entire surface. This way, it will be perfect.
4. Decorate with raspberries to taste.
5. Remove rhodoid (acetate sheet) and decorate with a ribbon.
6. I filled a few raspberries with coulis and placed them on top.
7. You can leave the center empty or fill it completely with raspberries.
8. I put some flowers in sugar paste and chamomile flowers . Decorate to your taste, be creative.
9. Let it to thaw in the refrigerator if you had frozen it, for approximately 6 hours, more or less.
I hope you’ll enjoy this recipe for the vanilla and raspberry charlotte and want to make it yourself.
Vanilla and raspberry charlotte cake (vanilla bavarian mousse)
Ingredients :
- For a 22 cm 8.5 in x 6 cm (2.5 in) charlotte cake
Ladyfingers
- 160 g (5.6 oz) egg whites (4 egg whites) from 4 large eggs or 5 medium-sized eggs.
- 80 g (2.8 oz) egg yolks (4 egg yolks) from 4 large eggs or 5 medium-sized eggs.
- 120 g (4.2 oz) granulated sugar
- 120 g (1 cup) flour
- 50 g (1/2 cup) icing sugar for dusting
The vanilla bavarian cream
- 125 ml (1/2 cup) whole milk
- 125 ml (1/2 cup) heavy cream ( you can use milk )
- 90 g (3 oz) egg yolks
- 100 g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar
- 1 plump vanilla bean
- 300 ml (10.5 oz) heavy cream
- 3 and 1/2 gelatin sheets (7 g)
Garnish and decoration
- 250 g (8.8 oz)fresh or frozen raspberries, for the inside garnish
- 300 g (10.5 oz) fresh raspberries for garnish the top
- A few sugar-paste flowers optional
Simple syrup for soaking
- 95 g (3.3 oz) granulated sugar
- 75 ml (2.6 oz) water
- 1 vanilla sugar bag (0.32 oz)
For the raspberry mirror (optional)
- I used it for two charlottes this one and the strawberry charlotte cake.
- Halve for a single charlotte.
- 125 ml (4.4 oz) seedless raspberry coulis
- 30 g (1.1 oz)granulated sugar
- 1 and 1/4 gelatin sheet (2.5 g)
- 1 tsp lemon juice
Instructions :
Ladyfingers
- You can see the recipe with more pictures and the video on the article : ladyfingers
- Make 2 strips of glued lady fingers “cartouchières” for the side each 35 cm by 7 cm (14 in by 3 in) and 2 circles of 18 cm (7 in) in diameter for the bottom (You can make them day before).
- Draw 2 strips measuring 35 cm (14 in) by 7 cm (3 in). Turn the sheet over onto the buttered baking sheet, with the design against the sheet.
- Place egg whites in bowl of the stand mixer and whisk at medium speed.
- When frothy, add 1/3 of the sugar without stopping the stand mixeur.
- Increase speed slightly.
- Add half the remaining sugar when they have risen but are not yet very firm.
- When they are almost firm, add the remaining sugar to tighten them and increase the speed to maximum.
- Stop as soon as they are firm and smooth. Until stiff peak. They have to make a bird's beak on top the whisk.
- Add the egg yolks and mix gently with a rubber spatula to prevent the meringue from collapsing.
- Add the sifted flour all at once.
- Gently fold in the mixture, lifting and turning the bowl. Scrape the bottom to blend everything together.
- Do not mix or whisk vigorously. The batter must remain frothy, do not try to smooth it.
- Fill a pastry bag fitted with a plain tip of 10 (0.39 in ) or 12 mm (0.47 in).
- Preheat oven to 180°C (350 degrees fahrenheit) fan-assisted or 200°C (400 degrees fahrenheit) static heat.
- Arrange sticks, side by side. Leave a slight gap between them. They should be almost touching. You can space them 2 mm (0.07 in) apart, as they will stick together as they swell.
- Make 2 circles of 18 cm in diameter (7 in).
- Sprinkle 2 times, 5 minutes apart, with a thin veil of icing sugar. You can leave them unsprinkled if you want them smooth and not pearly (a crunchy, pearly layer on top).
- Bake for 10 to 12 min.
- Open the oven halfway through cooking to allow steam to escape and close immediately. This prevents the cookies from falling and cracking.
- They should be lightly browned to keep them soft. Below, they're a little more golden than they need to be.
- Carefully remove from parchment paper as soon as they hold together a little, to avoid breaking them. The ladyfingers are nicely pearlescent and super soft. Allow to cool.
Simple syrup for soaking
- Combine water, sugar and vanilla sugar in a saucepan and bring to the boil over medium heat.
- Remove from the heat as soon as the sugar has completely dissolved, without boiling to avoid evaporation.
- Allow to cool.
Vanilla bavarian mousse
- Split the vanilla bean in half and scrape out the seeds.
- Place the vanilla seeds and the leftover pod in the milk and cream.
- Cover the saucepan with plastic wrap and heat without boiling.
- Leave to infuse for 30 min.
- When the milk has infused, rehydrate the gelatin in very cold water for 15 min. Cover well with water.
- Meanwhile, whisk together egg yolks and sugar until smooth and pale.
- Bring the milk to the boil and pour it through a sieve over the egg yolks, whisked with the sugar.
- Remove the vanilla beans, pressing them well to extract any remaining seeds.
- Mix well and pour it back into the saucepan.
- Bring to a medium heat while stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, making sure to reach all corners to prevent the cream from sticking to the bottom.
- Stir constantly, making a figure of 8 with the spatula until the mixture coats the spoon. The custard should thicken slightly. A finger drawn through spatula leaves a clean, stable line. If you have a thermometer, the temperature should not exceed 82°/ 84°C (180°/183° F).
- Lift the saucepan above the heat 2 times, and return it to the heat while continuing to stir. This way the cream will thicken slightly without exceeding the required temperature. Il will be smooth and silky, with no lumps. Lifting it from the heat prevents it from quickly reaching 84°C (183°F).
- ⚠️ Be careful not to let the cream boil. Above 84°C(183°F) the eggs will coagulate and the cream will curdle.
- Remove from heat and add the gelatin. Mix well and strain through a sieve (chinois).
- Leave to cool, stirring occasionally to prevent a skin from forming on top.
- Place the bowl on an ice-water bath to cool quickly. Don't let it set.
- Whip the chilled heavy cream in the bowl of stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachmen, gradually increasing the speed. It will whip better this way
- Whip heavy cream until soft peaks form to easily fold it to the custard.
- Once the custard is almost cold but still liquid,add 3/4 of it to the softly whipped cream.
- Normally, it's the whipped cream that is added to the custard, but I prefer to do it the other way round. Mixing is better and easier this way.
- Gently fold in from bottom to top with a spatula.
- Add the remaining custard in 3 times in the same way.
- Use the Bavarian mousse immediately, before it sets.
Assembly :
- I place a strip of rhodoïd (acetate sheet) in the adjustable cake ring, but it's optional.
- Adjust the bottom glued ladyfingers strips, place them in the mold, and trim off the excess on the side.
- Adjust the sponge-cookie discs to fit inside the mold once the rectangular strips are placed in the mold.
- Soak the sponge-cookie disc with the cold syrup (you can use store-bought raspberry syrup).
- Pour in half the vanilla bavarian mousse.
- Insert the raspberries in the mousse, generously garnish.
- Cover raspberries with a little bit of mousse.
- Soak the second sponge-cookie disc on the side that will go against the mousse and place it on top of the mousse.
- Press down lightly and pour in the remaining vanilla bavarian mousse.
- Place in the freezer until the day of tasting, or just until the mousse sets.
- Just leave to set in the fridge for at least 3 h, or preferably overnight.
The raspberry mirror (for a nice red color)
- To prepare once the charlotte is ready
- Rehydrate the gelatin in cold water for 10 min (the water should cover the gelatin well).
- Heat the raspberry coulis with the sugar and a few drops of lemon without boiling. All you need to do is dissolve the sugar and get it hot enough to melt the gelatin.
- Off the heat, add the well-drained gelatin and mix well.
- Filter through a sieve.
- Allow to cool, but do not allow to set.
Decoration
- Remove the charlotte from the fridge or freezer.
- Unmold and coat the top with the coulis
- If you're not going to cover the top with raspberries, don't use a spoon to spread the coulis.
- Pour it in and move the charlotte cake to spread it over the entire surface. This way, it will be perfect.
- Decorate with raspberries to taste.
- Remove rhodoid (acetate sheet) and decorate with a ribbon.
- I filled a few raspberries with coulis and placed them on top.
- You can leave the center empty or fill it completely with raspberries.
- I put some flowers in sugar paste and chamomile flowers . Decorate to your taste, be creative !
- Let it to thaw in the refrigerator if you had frozen it, for approximately 6 hours, more or less.
Thank you for your visit to my pastry blog of easy and foolproof recipes, and your comments.