Enjoy the summer with this delicious Charlotte Russe Cake with Summer Fruit recipe. This classic French pastry is delicious for a festive occasion or a picnic. The soft base, creamy strawberry bavarois (Bavarian cream), and delicious summer fruit such as strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries combined with the ladyfingers is an irresistibly tasty combination.
The taste is refreshing and fruity, it looks beautiful, and the taste is fantastic. This recipe is very easy; you just need a little patience. Let's get started.
Charlotte Russe with Summer Fruit recipe: The perfect summer treat!
I love putting the tastiest cakes on the table. And the Charlotte Russe is such a cake, which looks beautiful and tastes incredible. The soft base, with the strawberry bavarois (also known as Bavarian cream), sponge fingers, and summer fruit, makes this a fresh and fruity cake.
It's a very easy recipe; it just takes some patience because the layers have to be set so that the cake holds its shape. But then you also have a breathtakingly beautiful cake. This time, I made the Charlotte Russe with raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries. But you can also replace this summer fruit with a tropical variant with mango and pineapple, or peach. This will be on the table more often!
What do you need for Summer Fruit Charlotte Cake?
To prepare this Charlotte Russe Cake, you need the following ingredients. You can find the correct amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of the blog:
Bottom and Sides
- Ladyfingers: Ladyfingers are a type of biscuit with an elongated shape and an airy texture. They are subtly sweet and are made from flour, sugar, and eggs. Ladyfingers are versatile and can be used in desserts such as tiramisu and as a base for Charlotte Russe.
- Digestive Biscuits: Wholemeal biscuits with a crunchy, soft texture and a slightly sweet taste. A great basis for cheesecakes or Charlotte Russe cakes.
- Butter: Melted, it is mixed with the biscuit crumbs. Because this hardens, you get a creamy base that does not break easily.
Strawberry Bavarian Cream
- Gelatin: You can buy it as sheets or as gelatin powder. Start by softening the gelatin in cold water, And then you've got to dissolve it in a hot liquid. It doesn't matter for the result which sort of gelatin you use.
- Greek Yogurt: A fresh, thick, creamy dairy product with a mild taste and smooth texture. It has a slightly sour taste.
- Cream: Use heavy cream, which you can whip. This makes the strawberry bavarois airy.
- Vanilla Extract: For a hint of vanilla flavor. If you can get it, use natural vanilla extract, which has a slightly deeper flavor than artificial vanilla extract. With this recipe, you can make a homemade vanilla extract (and, if you bake a lot, it is highly recommended because you can use this for a reasonable amount of time).
- Sugar: For sweetening the cake layers.
- Milk: for diluting the filling.
- Frozen Strawberries: This recipe uses frozen strawberries for the bavarois and jelly layer. They are easy to obtain and keep well and are available every season. But of course, you can also replace them with fresh strawberries.
Glaze and Topping
- Frozen Strawberries: See above.
- Lemon: For delicious freshness, add some lemon juice to the strawberry jelly
- Fresh summer fruit: The topping of this Charlotte Russe consists of fresh summer fruit: strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries. Remove the tops from the strawberries before adding them to the topping.
How to prepare Raspberry and Strawberry Charlotte Cake
You can find a printable recipe with a detailed description at the bottom of this blog.
- Line the bottom of a 10-inch (24 cm) springform tin with baking paper. Grind the biscuits finely and mix them with the melted butter. Stir well and cover the bottom of the spring form with it. Smooth with the back of a spoon. Let set in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
- Finely grind the frozen strawberries for the bavarois. Mix the cream with the vanilla extract and sugar until stiff. Heat the milk in a saucepan until hot and dissolve the gelatin. Put the yogurt in a bowl and mix the finely ground strawberries and milk-gelatin mixture with the yogurt. Gently mix the whipped cream into the Greek yogurt with a spatula (this way, it retains its lightness).
- Cover the side of the spring form with lady fingers that you put upright against the edge. Pour the strawberry bavarois from the previous step into the mold and let it set in the fridge for 3 hours. Puree the strawberries for the jelly layer and bring to a boil with the sugar in a saucepan while stirring. Turn off the heat and mix in the soaked gelatin. Remove the cake from the refrigerator and pour the jelly on top.
- Put back in the fridge for at least 90 minutes to let this layer set. Remove the springform. You can tie a lovely ribbon around the lady fingers for extra strength, but you don't have to. Decorate the top of the jelly with fresh summer fruits. Serve immediately or keep in the refrigerator until use.
Tips, Substitutions, and Variations
- Greek yogurt: You can also use quark instead.
- Vanilla extract: Can be replaced with two teaspoons of vanilla sugar.
Make in advance? If you want to prepare the Charlotte Russe earlier, do not make the edge with ladyfingers. Instead, pour the bavarian cream and jelly onto the cookie base and allow it to set. Next, remove the spring form and then put the surrounding ladyfingers. Hold them together with a ribbon. This keeps the ladyfingers fresh. - Tropical twist: Replace the summer fruit with pineapple, mango, and passion fruit.
- Citrus fruits: Instead of raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries, you can also use slices of orange and grapefruit. Wonderfully fresh in the summer.
- In winter: Tasty apples and pears with cinnamon topping. Therefor, cook apple and pear cubes for 10 minutes in a bit of water. Sprinkle the Charlotte with cinnamon for a great result.
What is a Charlotte Russe?
A Charlotte is a classic French cake or dessert with a layer of cake alternated with fruit and whipped cream. The Charlotte Russe is a well-known variant. It would refer to the British Princess Charlotte, who lived in the early 19th century. This pastry is made with a bavarois and sponge fingers.
Did you make this recipe? Tag #byandreajanssen via Instagram. I enjoy seeing what your creation looks like. Video recipes can be found on my YouTube channel. And don't forget to save the recipes on Pinterest so you can easily find them next time!
📖 Recipe
Servings: persons
Ingredients
Bottom
- ½ pound Digestive biscuits
- 1 stick butter melted
Sides
- ½ pound ladyfingers
Strawberry bavarois
- 1 ⅔ tablespoon gelatin powder
- ¾ cup milk
- 2 cups frozen strawberries
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons sugar
- 2 cups Greek yogurt
Strawberry jelly
- 2 teaspoons gelatin powder
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 ¾ cups frozen strawberries
Garnish
- ½ pound summer fruit such as strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, etc.
Ingredients you need per step are listed below the step in Italic
Instructions
Bottom
- Cut a sheet of baking paper round, place it on the bottom of a 10-inch (24 cm) springform tin, and put the ring around it.
- Finely grind the Digestive biscuits in the food processor and mix them with the melted butter.½ pound Digestive biscuits, 1 stick butter
- Spread over the bottom and smooth with the back of a spoon.
- Place in the fridge for 15 minutes to firm up.
Sides
- Place the ladyfingers against the side of the spring form.½ pound ladyfingers
Strawberry bavarois
- Place the gelatin in two tablespoons of cold water to soften it.1 ⅔ tablespoon gelatin powder
- Bring the milk to a boil and turn off the heat. Add the gelatin and stir it into the milk.¾ cup milk
- Purée the strawberries until fine.2 cups frozen strawberries
- Beat the cream with the vanilla and sugar in a bowl until stiff.1 cup heavy cream, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract, 4 tablespoons sugar
- Put the yogurt in a second bowl and mix the strawberry purée and gelatin milk mixture.2 cups Greek yogurt
- Now add the whipped cream and spatula it through the yogurt.
- Pour into the spring form and set it in the refrigerator for at least three hours.
Strawberry jelly
- Soak the gelatin in two tablespoons cold water.2 teaspoons gelatin powder
- Purée the frozen strawberries and put them in a saucepan with the sugar and lemon juice.1 teaspoon lemon juice, ¼ cup sugar, 1 ¾ cups frozen strawberries
- Heat, while stirring, until boiling. Turn off the heat and strain the strawberries to remove the seeds.
- Squeeze out the gelatin and stir it through the sieved strawberries.
- Pour over the cooled strawberry bavarois. Put the spring form back in the fridge for at least 90 minutes to stiffen again.
To serve
- Remove the side of the spring form.
- If you like, you can tie a ribbon around the Charlotte Russe. This is how it keeps its shape.
- Divide the fruit over the top of the jelly.½ pound summer fruit
- Serve immediately.
Notes
1. Substitutions
- Greek yogurt: You can also use quark.
- Vanilla extract: Can be replaced with two teaspoons of vanilla sugar.
- Frozen Strawberries: You can also replace them with fresh strawberries.
- Tropical twist: Replace the summer fruit with pineapple, mango, and passion fruit.
- Citrus fruits: Instead of raspberries, strawberries, and blueberries, you can also use slices of orange and grapefruit. Wonderfully fresh in the summer.
- In winter: Tasty apples and pears with cinnamon topping. Therefor, cook apple and pear cubes for 10 minutes in a bit of water. Sprinkle the Charlotte with cinnamon for a great result.
- Refrigerator: The Charlotte russe with summer fruit can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Because this is a humid environment, the ladyfingers, and the bottom, become a bit softer. So fresh food is the best!
Nutrition
Calories: 571kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 132mg | Sodium: 321mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 30g | Vitamin A: 1088IU | Vitamin C: 41mg | Iron: 3mg
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