Charlotte Cake

 I bought this really adorable Daiso Japan cake box, and I was trying to make something that fit its theme. In other words, REALLY GIRLY, and PINK. I made this cake for a friend since she's never ever tried anything I've made before, and I wanted to sweep her off her feet. This is a "Charlotte Cake" A cake with ladyfingers on the bottom and sides of the cake. I filled this cake with chocolate mousse and a Bavarian Cream right on top of it, let it set over night and topped it with strawberries messily. Some people also choose to add ribbons, and I think it's really adorable with the ribbon! Charlotte Cakes are so much easier and less time consuming to make versus a regular cake with frosting. And if you're looking for something that's not so cakey, and a cold treat, you should totally make this~. The lady finger tastes like a sponge cake, it tastes so good against the mousse and cream. Sorry to bore you with the rant, I just do it so it feels up the empty spaces in this blog, here's the recipe.

Lady Fingers

5 egg yolks
2 oz sugar
5 egg whites
2 oz sugar
4 oz cake flour
Some powdered sugar for dusting ladyfingers before baking

1. Mix together yolks with 2 oz of sugar until pale
2. Make a meringue with the egg whites and 2 oz of sugar
3. Fold together the meringue, yolks, and cake flour, do not over fold.
4. Pipe using a 1A tip or a large circle tip, dust with powdered sugar and bake 350F for 7+ minutes or until golden

Chocolate Mousse
5 oz milk chocolate chips
3 oz of sugar
2 cups of heavy cream

1. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler
2. Mix together the heavy cream and sugar in a mixer until fluffy/whipped
3. Fold together warm chocolate and whipped cream until combined

Creme Anglaise (Vanilla Sauce)

2 cups of milk
1 tbsp vanilla/1 vanilla Bean
3 1/2 oz sugar
6 egg yolks

1. Boil together the milk, vanilla, sugar, stir and leave it alone.
2. Temper in the egg yolks with a wooden spoon/ slowly add in the yolks while continously stirring the milk. Make sure your pot is big enough or it'll be splashing back hot milk at you. Cook it until the the liquid coats the spoon, or when you run a line through the spoon the line doesn't disappear. Do not boil this. Have an ice bath ready to immediately place the pot on it to bring it to a warm temperature. Strain the mixture.

Creme Bavariose (Bavarian Cream)
2-2 1/2 gelatin sheets
2 cups of creme anglaise(vanilla sauce) That was made earlier
1 cup heavy cream
1. Whip up your heavy cream. Soften gelatin sheets in cold water, squeeze off the excess water and place sheets into warm creme anglaise. Fold in whipped cream.

Cake Assembly

1. In a springform pan or a cake circle with a cake board underneath, line the sides of your cake with lady fingers, preferrably the nicely piped ones. Line the rest of the lady fingers on the bottom of your cake. You don't actually have to use all the lady fingers, just enough to fit. Feel free to tear any pieces to fill in gaps. The bottom doesn't have to look good at all. Add a layer of mousse, and top it off with the Bavarian Cream, chill over night, or until when you shake the cake the center doesn't move/the cream has set. Top with strawberries.