Triple Charlotte Russe Recipe

By Jurgen Krauss

This is a multilayered, rich, and colorful cake for special occasions. It takes some effort to make, but since the sponge cake and ladyfingers can be made a day in advance, the effort can be spread out. It is important with this cake, as with all Charlotte-style cakes, to have enough time and space for proper cooling.

This recipe was excerpted from 'The German Baking Book' by Jurgen Krauss. Buy the full book on Amazon.

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15 x 10 In Baking Pan

$12 $8 At Amazon

Orange Blossom Water

$7 At Amazon

Gelatin

$21 At Amazon

10 In Springform Cake Pan

$28 At Amazon

Serves 16

To make the Genoise sponge cake base, line a 15 x 10 in baking pan with parchment paper. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Put the eggs and sugar in a heatproof bowl. Place over a pan of boiling water and beat until the egg mix has reached 85°F or has doubled in volume. Take the egg mixture off the heat and beat until the eggs are at room temperature—this takes about 10 minutes.

Fold in the flour, then fold in the melted butter. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and carefully even out the batter. Bake for about 8 to 10 minutes. The sponge cake should begin to turn golden and spring back when gently touched. Remove the sponge cake with the parchment paper from the pan and let cool on a wire rack.

To make the ladyfingers, line two baking pans with parchment paper or silicone sheets. Increase the oven to 425°F.

Beat the egg whites to soft peaks. Add one-third of the sugar and continue beating until the meringue is smooth and shiny.

In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks with the remaining sugar until they turn frothy, creamy, and pale. Add one-third of the meringue to the egg yolks and fold it in. Sift the flour over the egg mixture and fold it in. Add the orange blossom water and the remaining meringue and fold in.

Transfer the batter to a piping bag with a medium plain nozzle. Pipe straight 3-inch lines onto the baking sheets. Lightly dust the ladyfingers with confectioners' sugar.

Bake the ladyfingers for about 8 minutes, until they start turning golden. Leave to cool on a wire rack.

For the three layers of Bavarian cream, timing is essential. Before adding a new layer of Bavarian cream, the previous layer needs to be set. This is best accomplished by letting the Bavarian cream almost set before adding it to the cake. This also prevents spills through little gaps between the ladyfingers.

To prepare the fruit pulps for the fruit Bavarian creams, put the blueberries and raspberries into separate pans, add 1 tablespoon of water to each, and bring the berries to a boil. Simmer for about 5 minutes, then leave to cool. Pass the berries through a sieve and measure the amount of raspberry pulp and blueberry pulp. You need 4½ oz. (130 g) of each pulp.

To assemble the sponge cakes, cut a 9½-inch diameter circle out of your sponge cake sheet (½ inch less than a 10-inch springform pan). Place the sponge disk on the bottom of the pan.

Cut one end of the ladyfingers so that they sit around the sides of the pan, with the intact ends level with the top. Place the ladyfingers around the edge, leaving no gaps.

To prepare the blueberry Bavarian cream, sprinkle the gelatin over the water and set aside.

Heat the blueberry pulp with the sugar until it starts boiling. Take off the heat, stir in the gelatin and let it cool. Once the pulp has cooled and the gelatin is starting to set, whip the heavy cream. It should be stiff, but smooth. Don't overbeat, or it is hard to fold it into the fruit pulp.

Fold the heavy cream into the fruit pulp, first adding one-third and then the remaining cream. Pour the blueberry Bavarian cream onto the cake base, sprinkle with some fresh blueberries, if desired, and level using a small palette knife. Put the cake into the fridge or freezer.

To prepare the white chocolate Bavarian cream, sprinkle the gelatin over the water and set aside. In a small bowl, mix the egg yolk with the cornstarch. Set aside. Break the white chocolate into a heatproof bowl and set aside.

Heat the milk to a scalding point. Take it off the heat and pour one-third of the hot milk into the egg yolk while stirring. Pour the egg yolk and milk back to the remaining milk in the pan, stirring constantly. Gently heat until it starts to thicken.

Add the gelatin and stir until the gelatin is dissolved. Pour the hot milk mixture over the white chocolate and let it sit for a couple of minutes. Next, stir the chocolate until it is completely dissolved, and the mixture is homogeneous. Set aside to cool.

Once the chocolate mixture is cool and starts to thicken, beat the heavy cream. lt should be stiff, but smooth. Don't overbeat or it is hard to fold it into the chocolate mixture.

Fold the heavy cream into the chocolate mixture, first adding one third and then the remaining cream. Take the cake out of the fridge/freezer. Pour the white chocolate Bavarian cream onto the blueberry layer and level using a small palette knife. Put the cake back into the fridge or freezer.

To prepare the raspberry Bavarian cream, sprinkle the gelatin over the water and set aside.

Heat the raspberry pulp with the sugar until it starts boiling. Take off the heat, stir in the gelatin, and let it cool. Once the pulp has cooled and the gelatin is starting to set, beat the heavy cream. It should be stiff, but smooth. Don't overbeat or it is hard to fold it into the fruit pulp.

Fold the heavy cream into the fruit pulp, first adding one-third and then the remaining cream. Take the cake out of the fridge or freezer. Pour the raspberry Bavarian cream onto the white chocolate layer, sprinkle with fresh raspberries, if desired, level using a small palette knife. Put the cake back into the fridge or freezer.

Once the raspberry cream has set sufficiently, decorate the cake by arranging fresh fruit on top of the raspberry layer. If the cake is to be kept, prepare a glaze. Sprinkle the gelatin over the water and set aside. Heat the raspberry liqueur and sugar to about 185°F. Take off the heat and add the gelatin. Stir until the gelatin is dissolved.

Let the glaze cool until it starts to set, then pour it carefully over the fruit. If the cake is to be eaten on the same day, you can omit the glaze and add decorations using piped whipped cream. You can also sprinkle the fruit with confectioners' sugar. Keep the cake in the fridge for at least 1 hour before serving to make sure all the layers are set. Remove from the pan just before serving. This cake must be kept in the fridge. Consume within 2 to 3 days.

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