Caramel Charlotte by chef Philippe is a delicious French dessert filled with the caramel bavarian cream, caramelized pears and topped with caramel crumbs. It is for real caramel lovers. Try it! You will love it!
I am getting to the point that I am falling in love with cakes Charlotte. After I made the first Charlotte by Mercotte, I was searching another recipe of this kind of French dessert. And, surely, I have found the one – Caramel Charlotte by the French chef Philippe.
If you like to caramelize, you will love the process of making the Caramel Charlotte. If you are a beginner in magic caramelizing, you will master it since you will be doing this three times! Please, do not be scared of making the caramel. First of all, do not add the water and do not mix the sugar with a spoon or a spatula when it starts caramelizing: just shake and swirl a saucepan, holding it on a stove. Secondly, once you need to add the water, bee careful: at this moment, the hot mixture can make a splash! Stir the caramel with a whisk, but do not burn it. When you get the dark colored caramel, take it out of the heat. If you want to perfect caramelizing, make another caramel dessert – TARTE TATIN by Christophe Michalak.
There is one more tip I have learned in making Charlottes, and, by the way, I have never read about it in any recipe. However, it is very important! Once you make the bavarian cream, it is liquid enough. Do not pour the cream into the prepared Charlotte’s base! Please, let it stand at the room temperature or in the fridge until the cream starts thickening.
When the cream thickens a bit, it is the time to use it. Firstly, in this case, you will be able to arrange fruits (pears in our case) in the middle layer; if you use the liquid bavarian cream, the pears will sink and lay at the surface of the chocolate biscuit. However, the right nice cut of the caramel Charlotte has the pear layer between equal layers of the caramel cream.
Secondly, if you use the thickening bavarian cream, you will prevent it from leaking through sponge fingers. Well, I am sure you want to get the perfect Caramel Charlotte outside! Otherwise, the liquid cream will squeeze and disturb the external beauty of the Charlotte. By the way, this tip works for other Charlottes as well, including the Charlotte by Mercotte (oh, I made that Charlotte three times: it was the way of how I learned this important tip)
So, are you ready to WOW trying the Caramel Charlotte? Just follow the recipe, take into consideration the tips and make Charlotte!
Ingredients:
- 30 sponge fingers (Ladyfingers *)
For the chocolate biscuit:
- 3 egg yolks
- 75 g flour, sifted
- 30 g cocoa powder *
- 120 g egg whites
- 100 g caster sugar
For the caramel bavarian cream:
- 3 gelatin sheets *
- 300 g whipping cream
- 3 egg yolks
- 110 g caster sugar (90 + 20)
- 30-40 ml water
- 300 ml milk
For the caramelized pears:
- Pears in syrup (850 ml tin)
- 50 g caster sugar
- 1/2 vanilla bean
For the caramel crumbs:
- 150 g caster sugar
- 30 g unsalted butter
Instructions:
To make the chocolate biscuit, heat the oven to 356 degrees F/180 C.
Sift the flour and cocoa powder * in a bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with a mixer until firm picks. Add the caster sugar and whisk until stiff and glossy. Add the beaten egg yolks and gently mix with a spatula.
Finally, add the sifted dry mixture of flour and cocoa powder * and gently combine with the spatula.
Spread the preparation on a baking sheet covered with parchment, using an angled spatula.
Bake at 356 F/180 C for 10 minutes. Once ready, remove from the oven and let it cool.
To make the caramelized pears, cut drained pears into cubes. Place the caster sugar in a non-stick frying pan and heat on medium until the sugar starts caramelizing. Add pear cubes and half a vanilla bean, cut lengthwise in half.
Caramelize pears for about 5 minutes.
To make the caramel bavarian cream, soak the gelatin sheets * in cold water. Place 90 g of caster sugar in a saucepan and heat on medium until you get a gold dark caramel. Add 30-40 ml of water and mix well with a whisk. Take the caramel out of the heat and set aside.
Whisk the egg yolks and 20 g of sugar.
Add the boiling milk, continue whisking. Then add the caramel and combine everything well. Bring the mixture to a heat and cook it until the consistency becomes as thick that could coat the back of a spoon. Take the preparation out of the heat and add the drained gelatin. Stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Let it cool.
Whisk the whipping cream to get a whipped cream. Add 1/3 of the whipped cream to the cold caramel mixture and combine with a whisk. Add this preparation to the remaining whipped cream and gently mix.
To assemble the cake, arrange the sponge fingers all around a deep cake ring * of 22 cm in diameter. [I lined the cake ring * of 20 cm in diameter with the acetate film and cut the ladyfingers * 6 cm long] Cut a disk of chocolate biscuit of the size that will be fit at the bottom of the cake ring * [Ladyfingers * have to be outside of the chocolate disk).
Pour the caramel bavarian cream, halfway up. Arrange the 3/4 of the caramelized pears and cover with the rest of the caramel cream.
Even the surface with the spatula. Refrigerate Caramel Charlotte for a few hours.
To make the caramel crumbs, place the caster sugar in a saucepan. Heat on medium until the sugar starts caramelizing. Add the butter and stir well.
Pour the caramel on a sheet of parchment paper * and spread, using a spoon or a spatula. Let it set.
Crush the caramel with hands and then with a rolling pin * between two sheets of parchment. You will get tiny crumbs.
Take the Charlotte out of the fridge. Remove the cake ring * and acetate film if you used it. Generously cover the surface of the Charlotte with the caramel crumbs.
Decorate with the remaining caramelized pears and a vanilla bean in the center. Keep in the fridge until serving.
Tips:
- Add the caramel crumbs and decorate the Charlotte at the very last minute, just before serving.
The recipe is taken from https://www.meilleurduchef.com/ and translated from French. It is re-written by me, but the authorship of the recipe belongs to chef Philippe. All posted pictures are mine.
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Caramel Charlotte by chef Philippe is a delicious French dessert filled with the caramel bavarian cream, caramelized pears and topped with caramel crumbs. It is for real caramel lovers. Try it! You will love it!
Ingredients
- 30 sponge fingers (Ladyfingers *)
For the chocolate biscuit:
- 3 egg yolks
- 75 g flour, sifted
- 30 g cocoa powder *
- 120 g egg whites
- 100 g caster sugar
For the caramel bavarian cream:
- 3 gelatin sheets *
- 300 g whipping cream
- 3 egg yolks
- 110 g caster sugar (90 + 20)
- 30–40 ml water
- 300 ml milk
For the caramelized pears:
- Pears in syrup (850 ml tin)
- 50 g caster sugar
- 1/2 vanilla bean
For the caramel crumbs:
- 150 g caster sugar
- 30 g unsalted butter
Instructions
- To make the chocolate biscuit, heat the oven to 356 degrees F/180 C.
- Sift the flour and cocoa powder * in a bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with a mixer until firm peaks. Add the caster sugar and whisk until stiff and glossy. Add the beaten egg yolks and gently mix with a spatula. Finally, add the sifted dry mixture of flour and cocoa powder * and gently combine with the spatula. Spread the preparation on a baking sheet covered with parchment, using an angled spatula. Bake at 356 F/180 C for 10 minutes. Once ready, remove from the oven and let it cool.
- To make the caramelized pears, cut drained pears into cubes. Place the caster sugar in a non-stick frying pan and heat on medium until the sugar starts caramelizing. Add pear cubes and half a vanilla bean, cut in half lengthwise. Caramelize pears for about 5 minutes.
- To make the caramel bavarian cream, soak the gelatin sheets * in cold water. Place 90 g of caster sugar in a saucepan and heat on medium until you get a gold dark caramel. Add 30-40 ml of water and mix well with a whisk. Take the caramel out of the heat and set aside.
- Whisk the egg yolks and 20 g of sugar. Add the boiling milk, continue whisking. Then add the caramel and combine everything well. Bring the mixture to a heat and cook it ‘à la nappe’ (i.e. until the consistency becomes as thick that could coat the back of a spoon). Take the preparation out of the heat and add the drained gelatin. Stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Let it cool.
- Whisk the whipping cream to get a whipped cream. Add 1/3 of the whipped cream to the cold caramel mixture and combine with a whisk. Add this preparation to the remaining whipped cream and gently mix.
- To assemble the cake, arrange the sponge fingers all around a deep cake ring * of 22 cm in diameter. Cut a disk of chocolate biscuit of the size that will fit at the bottom of the cake ring *. Pour the caramel bavarian cream, halfway up. Arrange the 3/4 of the caramelized pears and cover with the rest of the caramel cream. Even the surface with the spatula. Refrigerate Charlotte for a few hours.
- To make the caramel crumbs, place the caster sugar in a saucepan. Heat on medium until the sugar starts caramelizing. Add the butter and stir well. Pour the caramel on a sheet of parchment paper * and spread, using a spoon or a spatula. Let it set. Crush the caramel with hands and then with a rolling pin * between two sheets of parchment. You will get tiny crumbs.
- Take the Charlotte out of the fridge. Remove the cake ring *. Generously cover the surface of the Charlotte with the caramel crumbs. Decorate with the remaining caramelized pears and a vanilla bean in the center. Keep in the fridge until serving.
Notes
- Add the caramel crumbs and decorate the Charlotte at the very last minute, just before serving.
Keywords: charlotte, caramel charlotte, caramel, bavarian cream, pears
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