French · Desserts

Charlotte aux Fraises

A dome of sponge fingers filled with a strawberry bavarois and fresh strawberries, set in the fridge for at least 4 hours.

55 min prep and cooking plus 4 hr Chilling plus time for cooling to room temperature, which the recipe does not time at least 4 hr 55 min start to finish Serves 10 servings Hard
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Charlotte aux Fraises

Photograph credit: Charlotte au fraises by Mythe · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · this resized copy is shared under the same licence

How to Make Charlotte aux Fraises

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  1. Soak the gelatine leaves in cold water for 5 minutes. Line a 20 cm charlotte mould with cling film.

  2. Heat the 250 ml milk until steaming. Whisk the yolks and sugar, pour on the milk, whisking, and return to the pan. Stir over low heat for 5 minutes until the custard coats a spoon.

  3. Squeeze the gelatine and stir it into the hot custard until dissolved. Cool to room temperature, stirring often.

  4. Fold in the strawberry purée, then the whipped cream.

  5. Dip the sponge fingers briefly in the 4 tbsp milk and stand them around the mould. Pour in the cream and cover with more sponge fingers. Chill for 4 hours.

  6. Turn out and decorate with the strawberries.

Small Things That Help

  • Cool the custard fully before folding in the cream.
  • Dip the sponge fingers very briefly.
  • Chill for at least 4 hours so it sets.

Serving Suggestions

  • Fresh strawberries
  • Whipped cream
  • Sweet sparkling wine

Storing & Reheating Charlotte aux Fraises

Keeps for 2 days in the fridge.

Charlotte aux Fraises FAQ: Common Questions

How long does Charlotte aux Fraises take to make?

45 minutes of preparation and 10 minutes of cooking, plus 4 hours of Chilling, so allow 4 hours 55 minutes from start to finish. The method also needs time for cooling to room temperature, which it does not time, so treat that as a minimum. The recipe serves 10.

Charlotte aux Fraises Nutrition

Per serving, an approximate calculation from the ingredient list. Treat it as a rough guide: part of the energy comes from foods, or weights per item, with no recorded source. How the figures are worked out.

297Calories
7gProtein
38gCarbs
13gFat
2gFibre
25gSugar
70mgSodium

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Compiled by Turab

Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked.

First published ; last changed .