Lychee Cake With Pink Biscuits

Quick Summary: Lychee cake (also called litchi cake) is a French charlotte-style dessert made with pink Champagne biscuits, a light Italian sponge, and a lychee Bavarian cream. Canned lychees make it easy to prepare year-round, and their pink color suits birthdays, Mother's Day, and Valentine's Day. This recipe walks you through the sponge, the mousse mold assembly, and the lychee cream step by step.

What is lychee cake?

Lychee cake, also spelled litchi cake, is a French dessert built like a charlotte. It combines a ring of pink Champagne biscuits, a layer of Italian sponge soaked in lychee syrup, and a light lychee Bavarian cream in the center.

A charlotte is a molded dessert lined with biscuits or sponge and filled with cream, so this cake sits in that family. The lychee gives it a floral, tropical flavor, while the pink biscuits give it its signature color and gentle crunch.

What are pink biscuits?

Pink biscuits, Champagne biscuits, or Biscuit rose de Reims in French are traditional French biscuits. They were created in 1960 in Reims, which is the biggest city in the Champagne region in France.

The French enjoy pink biscuits dunked in the Champagne. Today, pink biscuits accompany a simple teacup. Now you might get an idea to purchase a bottle of Champagne with pink biscuits as a gift for a Champagne lover. 

What is Bavarian cream?

Bavarian cream, or crème bavaroise in French, is a dessert made with milk thickened with eggs and gelatin, then combined with whipped cream. It could be served in molds, unmolded, or used to make charlottes.

Why you'll love this recipe

1. Lychee cake is an all-year-round dessert since the canned lychees, one of charlotte's main ingredients, is available at any time of the year.
2. Pink-colored dessert is perfect for girls' birthday parties, Mother's Day, and Valentine's Day.
3. This fruit dessert is full of tropical flavors due to lychee. 
4. The cake filled with Bavarian cream is light enough, even for those on a diet. 

Ingredients

For ingredients and detailed instructions, refer to the recipe card below.

• Pink Champagne biscuits: These traditional French biscuits (Biscuit rose de Reims) line the cake and give it its signature pink color.

• Pink-colored Italian sponge cake: Follow the sponge cake recipe and tint the batter with a few drops of red food coloring.

• Lychee in syrup: Canned lychee works best here and is easy to find year-round; save the syrup to soak the sponge.

• Gelatin sheets: Use gold-strength sheet gelatin, or substitute powdered gelatin following this conversion guide.

• Shredded coconut: Adds texture to the cream; desiccated coconut works just as well.

• Granulated sugar: Sweetens the lychee puree and the Bavarian cream.

• Whipping cream: Whip it to soft peaks to lighten the Bavarian cream.

Equipment

• Mousse cake ring or mold: a 7-inch (17-18 cm) ring shapes the charlotte.
• Acetate cake collar: lines the ring, allowing the cake to release cleanly.
• Serrated knife: trims the biscuits and splits the sponge into layers.
• Stand or hand mixer: whips the cream for the Bavarian filling.
• Blender or food processor: purees the lychees.
• Fine-mesh strainer: drains the lychees and smooths the puree.

How to make lychee cake

Step 1. To make the sponge, follow the Italian Sponge Cake Recipe. Add about 5 drops of red food color to the ready batter and bake as directed (photo 1).

Step 2. Check the biscuit's readiness with a toothpick: once you remove the clean toothpick from the sponge, the biscuit is ready (photo 2).

Step 3. Adjust a mousse cake mold to 7 inches/17-18 cm in diameter, line it with the acetate cake collar, and place it on parchment paper.

Step 4. Cut one of the ends of pink biscuits with a serrated knife and arrange them all around the ring (photo 3).

Step 5. Cut the sponge Genoise in two halves crosswise using a serrated knife or a cake lever. Place aside one half and cut a biscuit disc out of another half.

Step 6. The disk's diameter has to be enough to place it at the bottom of the mousse ring lined with biscuits (photo 4). 

Step 7. Drain lychees and keep the syrup. Soak the biscuit base of the cake with the lychee syrup.

Step 8. To make the Bavarian cream, soak gelatin sheets in cold water for 5 to 10 minutes.

Step 9. Crush the drained lychee (do not forget to keep one whole lychee for the decoration) in a food processor (photo 5). You will get 1 ¾ cup (400 ml) of the lychee puree.

Step 10. Heat the lychee puree with sugar in a saucepan till the sugar is completely dissolved.

Step 11. Remove the pan from heat, add drained gelatin sheets, and mix with a hand whisk (photo 6).

Step 12. Cover the mixture with plastic film in contact and refrigerate until it cools down.

Step 13. Whisk the whipping cream to get the whipped cream (photo 7).

Step 14. Once the lychee preparation is cold, add the whipped cream, mixing with the hand whisk. Add shredded coconut and mix to combine (photo 8).

Step 15. Pour the Bavarian cream into the mousse mold (photo 9) and refrigerate the charlotte for at least two hours, better overnight.

Step 16. Remove the mousse mold with the acetate film. Make pink crumbs from the remaining half of the pink sponge genoise, using a fork or your hands.

Step 17. Decorate the top of the cake with crumbs and arrange the whole lychee on top (photo 10). 

Expert tips

1. Flavor the sponge with a few drops of rose water while making the cake batter, if you prefer.
2. Make the sponge cake one day in advance, wrap it in plastic film, and refrigerate.
3. Drain lychee puree with a mesh strainer to obtain lychee juice and follow the same recipe to make the Bavarian cream. You will get the cream smoother than that with the lychee puree.
4. Decorate the top of the cake with fresh raspberries or mini marshmallows if you prefer.

Recipe variations

• Lychee and raspberry: fold a handful of fresh raspberries into the Bavarian cream for a pink fruit contrast.
• Lychee and rose: add a few drops of rose water to the cream to echo the floral note of lychee.
• Lychee and coconut: increase the shredded coconut and soak the sponge in coconut milk for a tropical twist.
• Individual charlottes: assemble the cake in small rings to make single-serving desserts.
• Lychee ice cream cake: freeze the lychee Bavarian cream layer for a semi-frozen version.

Storing & freezing

Store the lychee cake in the refregirator for up to 24 hours. You can freeze the assembled charlotte for up to one month. Thaw it in the refrigerator overnight before serving.

Recipe FAQ

What is lychee cake?
Lychee cake, also called litchi cake, is a French charlotte-style dessert made with pink Champagne biscuits, an Italian sponge, and a light lychee Bavarian cream.

Is litchi the same as lychee?
Yes. Litchi and lychee are two spellings of the same tropical fruit, so litchi cake and lychee cake refer to the same dessert.

Can I use fresh lychees instead of canned?
Yes, but canned lychees in syrup are more convenient and give a consistent result year-round. If you use fresh lychees, add a little sugar syrup to soak the sponge.

Can I make a lychee ice cream cake version?
Yes. Freeze the lychee Bavarian cream layer instead of refrigerating it to get a semi-frozen lychee ice cream cake.

What are pink biscuits made of?
Pink biscuits, or Biscuit rose de Reims, are light French sponge biscuits colored pink. They are traditionally enjoyed dunked in Champagne.

How long does lychee cake keep?
Store the assembled cake in the refrigerator and enjoy it within two to three days for the best texture.

Can I freeze lychee cake?
You can freeze the assembled charlotte for up to one month. Thaw it in the refrigerator overnight before serving.

Love charlotte cakes? Try these next!

• Charlotte Royale Cake
• Chocolate Charlotte Cake
• Strawberry Charlotte Cake
• Pear Charlotte Cake
• Fresh Fruit Charlotte Cake
• Browse all the Cake Recipes

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The nutritional information has been calculated using an online recipe nutrition calculator such as Verywellfit.com and is intended for informational purposes only. These figures should be used as a general guideline and not be construed as a guarantee.

The recipe was adapted from https://www.meilleurduchef.com/. It was originally published on February 07, 2019. The recipe has been revised to include improved content and photos. All posted pictures are mine.