Chocolate Charlotte Russe – Daring Bakers Challenge

I was a little late this month checking out what the Daring Bakers Challenge was for June, but I am sure glad I checked as this little number turned out to be super delicious.  Thankfully we were having visitors this weekend which meant I could make this dessert to share so the hubby and I wouldn’t have to eat it for the next week, not that either of us would have minded I suppose.

We were asked to create either a Charlotte Royale or a Charlotte Russe.  A Charlotte Royale is made in a bowl lined with swiss roll cake slices (similar to the Southern Bombe) where the Charlotte Russe is assembled in a loose bottom pan lined with ladyfingers.  I decided to go for the latter as when looking for inspiration I came across an all chocolate version which was just calling my name.

For the June Daring Bakers Challenge, Rebecca from BakeNQuilt.com challenged us to make Charlotte Royale and Charlotte Russe from scratch. Savoury or sweet Charlottes were definitely tasty showstoppers.

Let’s not muck about as there are a few components to this dessert, and although it looks daunting, you would be surprised how easy it comes together.

Chocolate Ladyfingers

In this Chocolate Charlotte Russe, of course you are going to need chocolate ladyfingers to line the tin.  If you would rather not make these, you could certainly go store-bought but I don’t think you can buy chocolate ladyfingers.  To make them you will need flour, cocoa powder, eggs (separated) and sugar.

Before you begin, you will need to prepare your trays and the outlines on your baking paper.  You will need to draw two circles and the size will vary depending on the size tin you are using (meaning you may only get one circle on one piece of baking paper so you will need two pieces).  The original recipe is based on a 20cm/8 inch tin so two 15cm/6 inch circles are drawn.  My tin was 22.5cm/9 inches so I actually traced around the base of my tin, but when piping the batter I came in one inch from the outline.  You could however draw a smaller circle 17.5cm/7 inches if you prefer for this sized tin.  You will also need to draw two strips 7.5cm/3 inch wide on another piece of baking paper for the ladyfingers that will line the side of your tin.

Lightly dust each piece of baking paper with icing sugar to prevent the biscuits from sticking.  I missed this step, and although the biscuits did stick to the baking paper it was not too bad and only a thin layer was left behind.  Nothing too noticeable.

Sift your flour and cocoa powder together and set this aside.

Whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form and then gradually add half a cup of the sugar and continue to whisk until you reach stiff peaks.

Add the egg yolks and remaining quarter cup of sugar to another bowl and whisk until they become pale.

Into the egg yolks, fold the egg white and flour/cocoa ever so gently to keep all of the air you have just created.

Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a 1cm/0.5inch piping tip.  Pipe your two discs using the circles on your baking paper as the guide.

Not the most perfect of circles, but it does the job.

On your other piece of baking paper with the strips, pipe lines 7.5cm/3 inches long along the length of the strip side-by-side/touching.  By piping this way, it means you will have a long strip which can easily be inserted into the tin rather than having to manipulate individual ladyfinger biscuits.

I had some batter leftover after piping the two discs and strips so piped a few extra ladyfinger biscuits in case any space appeared when lining the tin.

Bake each tray individually on the centre rack in your oven at 200°C for 8-10 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle.

Dark Chocolate Mousse

The mousses in this Chocolate Charlotte Russe are set with gelatin.  Being vegetarian, I should use agar agar and I did attempt to use it for the first time when making this dessert.  However it was an utter failure so I stuck with the gelatine which I know how to drive.  The picture below was taken when I was optimistic the agar agar would work so was part of the ingredients shot.

For the dark chocolate mousse you will need gelatine, cold water, dark chocolate, milk, an egg, cream and sugar.

Sprinkle the gelatine over the cold water and let it bloom for five minutes.

In the microwave, or in a double boiler, melt the chocolate with the milk.  I would recommend the microwave because it only took 30 seconds to melt the chocolate given it is a small quantity (your microwave may vary but it is certainly quicker than a double boiler).

Place the gelatine in the microwave for 10 seconds and then incorporate it into the chocolate.  Leave this aside to cool and once at room temperature whisk in your egg.  You need to let the mixture cool otherwise you could risk cooking the egg and having the whole thing taste like scrambled eggs.

In another bowl, whip the cream and sugar until you have soft-medium peaks.

Fold this through the chocolate ganache and then set aside.

Milk Chocolate Mousse

For the milk chocolate mousse layer, you need the same ingredients with the only difference being a little more gelatine and obviously milk chocolate instead of dark chocolate.  Follow the exact same steps as above.

You will see that my milk chocolate mousse did not turn out as thick as the dark chocolate mousse.  I am not entirely sure why – maybe I did not whip my cream enough, or I did not let my chocolate cool enough before incorporating the egg and the cream.  Despite this, it did set quite nicely so will not detract from the dessert at all.

Assembly

Line the base and sides of your springform pan with baking paper.  This will make it much easier to remove the Chocolate Charlotte Russe.

Place one of your biscuit discs at the bottom of the tin and then take your strips of ladyfinger biscuits and line the sides, with the flat side facing inwards.

Spread your dark chocolate mousse evenly over the base.

Top with the second biscuit disc.

Spread over the milk chocolate mousse.

Cover the Chocolate Charlotte Russe with plastic wrap and then place in the fridge for at least 8 hours or overnight.

Just before serving whip up the extra cream and spread it over the top of the milk chocolate mousse.

You could certainly leave it here, but for some extra chocolate goodness, why not add some chocolate flakes/curls.  For this, I use a sharp knife at a 45° angle and pull it back to me over a block of chocolate.

Pile the chocolate curls on top and you are ready to serve.  Remove the Chocolate Charlotte Russe carefully from the springform tin and transfer to your serving plate.  If you want to be a bit fancy, why not tie a ribbon around the outside?

As with any layered dessert, the best bit is when you cut a slice of it and see it all.

I will acknowledge that they are not the perfect layers as the biscuit discs did dome when baking, but who cares!  It’s all about the taste after all.

And like I said at the beginning, this tasted amazing.  It is definitely something I am going to be making again but next time I might swap the milk chocolate mousse for a raspberry element to bring some tartness to cut through all the sweet.

Print Recipe

Chocolate Charlotte Russe

Adapted from Ricardo Cuisine

Course

Dessert

Servings

serves

Ingredients

Chocolate Ladyfingers

• 3/4 cup plain/all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 5 egg(s) separated
• 3/4 cup sugar

Dark Chocolate Mousse

• 1/2 tsp gelatine
• 1 tbsp cold water
• 115 g dark chocolate coarsely chopped
• 3 tbsp milk
• 1 egg(s)
• 3/4 cup cream 35% minimum
• 3 tbsp sugar

Milk Chocolate Mousse

• 1 tsp gelatine
• 1 tbsp cold water
• 115 g milk chocolate coarsely chopped
• 3 tbsp milk
• 1 egg(s)
• 3/4 cup cream 35% minimum
• 3 tbsp sugar

Whipped Cream

• 1 cup cream 35% minimum

To Decorate

• 1 cup chocolate curls

Course Dessert Servings serves Ingredients Chocolate Ladyfingers 3/4 cup plain/all-purpose flour 1/4 cup cocoa powder 5 egg(s) separated 3/4 cup sugar Dark Chocolate Mousse 1/2 tsp gelatine 1 tbsp cold water 115 g dark chocolate coarsely chopped 3 tbsp milk 1 egg(s) 3/4 cup cream 35% minimum 3 tbsp sugar Milk Chocolate Mousse 1 tsp gelatine 1 tbsp cold water 115 g milk chocolate coarsely chopped 3 tbsp milk 1 egg(s) 3/4 cup cream 35% minimum 3 tbsp sugar Whipped Cream 1 cup cream 35% minimum To Decorate 1 cup chocolate curls

Instructions

For the chocolate ladyfingers

1. Preheat your oven to 200°C and move your rack to the centre position. Line your trays with baking paper. On one piece draw two circles 15cm/6 inch in diameter. On the second piece, draw two long 7.5cm/3 inch wide strips. Lightly dust with icing sugar to prevent the biscuits from sticking.
2. Sift the flour and cocoa powder together and set aside.
3. Whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form and then gradually add half a cup of the sugar and continue to whisk until you reach stiff peaks.
4. Add the egg yolks and remaining quarter cup of sugar to another bowl and whisk until they become pale.
5. Into the egg yolks, gently fold in the egg white and flour/cocoa.
6. Transfer the batter to a piping bag fitted with a 1cm/0.5inch piping tip. Pipe your two discs using the circles on your baking paper as the guide.
7. On your other piece of baking paper with the strips, pipe lines 7.5cm/3 inches long along the length of the strip side-by-side/touching.
8. Bake each tray individually for 8-10 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the middle.

For the dark chocolate mousse

1. Sprinkle the gelatine over the cold water and let it bloom for five minutes.
2. In the microwave, or in a double boiler, melt the chocolate with the milk and whisk until smooth.
3. Place the gelatine in the microwave for 10 seconds and then incorporate it into the chocolate. Leave this aside to cool and once at room temperature whisk in your egg.
4. In another bowl, whip the cream and sugar until you have soft-medium peaks.
5. Fold this through the chocolate ganache and then set aside.

For the milk chocolate mousse

1. Follow the steps as per the dark chocolate mousse above. Set aside.

To assemble

1. Line the base and sides of your springform pan with baking paper.
2. Place one of your biscuit discs at the bottom of the tin and then take your strips of ladyfinger biscuits and line the sides, with the flat side facing inwards.
3. Spread your dark chocolate mousse evenly over the base.
4. Top with the second biscuit disc.
5. Spread over the milk chocolate mousse.
6. Cover the Chocolate Charlotte Russe with plastic wrap and then place in the fridge for at least 8 hours or overnight.

To serve

1. Just before serving whip up the extra cream and spread it over the top of the milk chocolate mousse.
2. Top with chocolate curls.

Recipe Notes

In Australia (or elsewhere as applicable), if purchasing a 600ml carton of pure cream, simply use the balance leftover after making both chocolate mousses for the top to avoid wastage.

This recipe is based on a 20cm/8 inch springform pan, but works well for a 22.5cm/9 inch pan as per this blog post. Dimensions of circles in recipe card are for a 20cm/8 inch pan.