This Strawberry Charlotte Cake is a no-bake cake, so it’s a perfect summer cake for me. It has fluffy ladyfingers in and around the cake, filled with an amazing silky mousseline cream and luscious fresh strawberries.
It’s one of the easiest cakes to make if you keep a few things in mind. The key to a perfect strawberry charlotte cake is to make sure the ingredients have the right temperature, not to overmix the mousseline cream and to give the cake enough time to set.
If you stick to this, you’ll be rewarded with an incredibly delicious cake that looks absolutely gorgeous and makes a great impression.
Tools & Equipment
- 18cm/7-inch cake ring or springform frame
- 20cm/8-inch acetate strip
- Cutting board
- Large bowl
- Medium saucepan
- Quarter sheet pan
- Parchment paper
- Piping bag
- Plastic wrap
- Sharp knife
- Silicone spatula
- Stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment
- Whisk
Recipe Tips
Ladyfingers: I suggest cutting off the end of the ladyfingers on one side so that the ladyfingers are straight on the bottom of the cake. You can, of course, make the ladyfingers yourself, I used store bought ladyfingers for this recipe.
Mousseline Cream: For the preparation of mousseline cream, it is important that both the pastry cream and the butter have room temperature. Besides, the pastry cream should be added in several additions on low speed. Be careful not to overmix.
Cake Ring: Adjust the cake ring to 18cm/7-inch. In case you don’t have a flexible cake ring, you can use the frame of a 18cm/7-inch springform pan instead. Place the ring or springform frame on a quarter sheet pan lined with parchment paper to assemble your cake.
Ingredients for Strawberry Charlotte Cake
Directions – How to Make Strawberry Charlotte Cake
Make the Pastry Cream
In a large bowl, whisk together sugar and egg yolks until foamy, for about 1-2 minutes. Stir in cornstarch, flour and vanilla and whisk until smooth.
Bring the milk to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from the heat and slowly pour the warm milk over the egg yolk mixture while whisking vigorously. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium heat until it thickens, for a 2-3 minutes.
Add the butter in 3 stages and stir in with a silicone spatula until fully incorporated. Mix well after each addition. Pour the pastry cream into a shallow bowl and cover the surface with plastic to prevent a skin from forming. Let cool completely, for about 2 hours at room temperature.
Make the Strawberry Sauce
Puree strawberries in a blender or food processor. Cook strawberry puree, sugar and lemon juice until the mixture thickens slightly, for 5-8 minutes. Let the strawberry sauce cool to room temperature before using, for about 1 hour at room temperature.
Make the Mousseline Cream
In the bowl a stand mixer beat the butter on medium, for about 1-2 minutes. Whisk in the pastry cream in 4 stages on medium-low until the cream reaches a stable yet fluffy consistency, for 30 seconds each. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl after each addition.
Assemble the Cake
Adjust the cake ring to 18cm/7-inch or use a springform frame and place on a quarter sheet pan, lined with parchment. Place an acetate strip on the inside of the cake ring. Fill a piping bag with mousseline cream and cut off the tip. Cut one side of the ladyfingers straight with a knife and slice fresh strawberries into small pieces.
Arrange the ladyfingers neatly and tightly together, this will be the side. Next, arrange the ladyfingers on the bottom. If necessary, trim the ladyfingers so they are close together. Drizzle strawberry sauce over the ladyfingers on the bottom and sides.
Pipe half of the mousseline cream on top of the ladyfingers. Place strawberry pieces on top of the cream. Place another layer of ladyfingers on top.
Drizzle again with strawberry sauce. Spread the rest of the mousseline cream on top. Smooth the surface with an offset spatula. Place the cake in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight. Once the cake is set, remove the cake ring or springform frame and the acetate strip. Decorate with fresh strawberries.
Storing and Freezing Instructions
Storage: You can store this cake in the fridge for up to 3 days. Cover the cake with plastic wrap or store in an airtight box/container in the fridge.
Freezing Instructions: Mousseline cream does not freeze very well and could break. Besides, the fresh strawberries on top of the cake will become mushy if you thaw them, so I do not recommend freezing this cake.
My Summary for Strawberry Charlotte Cake
Difficulty: Simple. One thing that is important, is the temperature of the ingredients.
Taste & Texture: This cake tastes sweet and fruity. The ladyfingers are a little soft, the mousseline cream is rich and creamy and the strawberries add that extra bite to this cake.
Time: It takes about 25 minutes to make the pastry cream. After that, it must cool to room temperature, which takes 1-2 hours. For the strawberry sauce you should plan about 20 minutes for making and about 1 hour for cooling to room temperature. The mousseline cream is done in about 15 minutes. Preparing the strawberries, ladyfingers and assembling the cake takes another 15 minutes. After that, chill the cake in the fridge to set for at least 4 hours or overnight.
More Recipes
- Berry Galette
- Berry Meringue Cake
- Blueberry Crumble Muffins
- Strawberry Mousse Cake
- Strawberry Vanilla Layer Cake