Strawberry Charlotte Cake (Charlotte aux Fraises)

Quick Summary: Strawberry charlotte cake (charlotte aux fraises) is a classic French no-bake dessert with homemade ladyfingers wrapped around a light strawberry Bavarian mousse and fresh strawberries. It is assembled in a ring, chilled for 6 to 8 hours, and decorated just before serving.

What is strawberry Charlotte cake?

Strawberry Charlotte is a fruity variation of the classic French charlotte, featuring strawberry Bavarian mousse instead of traditional Bavarian cream. The dessert is typically made with ladyfingers (or sponge cake) surrounding a creamy filling.

Originally created in the early 19th century and named after Princess Charlotte, the first Charlotte was made with brioche and fruit compote. The modern French version, developed by chef Antonin Carême, replaced the brioche with ladyfingers and introduced Bavarian cream, with fruit added in later variations.

Why you'll love this recipe

• A showstopping French classic. The ring of ladyfingers and the dome of pink strawberry mousse make this cake look like a patisserie centerpiece, with no fancy decorating skills required.
• No baking the cake itself. The mousse sets in the fridge, so once the homemade ladyfingers are ready, the assembly is simple and completely no-bake.
• Light, fresh, and not too sweet. Airy Bavarian strawberry mousse and fresh berries make it the ideal dessert for spring and summer celebrations.
• Make it ahead. It needs to chill anyway, so you can assemble it the day before a birthday, garden party, or afternoon tea.
• Three skills in one recipe. You will master light sponge ladyfingers, a smooth Bavarian mousse, and a clean charlotte assembly.

Ingredients

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

• Eggs: The recipe calls for large eggs at room temperature. Use an egg separator to separate the egg whites from the yolks while the eggs are chilled. Then bring both egg whites and yolks to room temperature.

• Sugar: Use caster or baker's sugar for the sponge cake, and granulated sugar for the strawberry mousse. To make granulated sugar superfine, process it in a food processor a few times.

• Flour: The recipe calls for all-purpose flour.

• Gelatin sheets (feuilles de gélatine) are a thickener for strawberry filling. Choose four gelatin sheets (200 bloom) or 8 g (almost 3 teaspoons) of gelatin powder. Note: 1 teaspoon of powdered gelatin equals 2.8 g.

• Cream: Opt for heavy cream or heavy whipping cream with at least 30% fat content for making whipped cream.

• Fresh strawberries (fraises fraîches): This charlotte cake is filled with fresh strawberry mousse and decorated with halved strawberries. Instead of fresh fruits, you can use frozen berries for making strawberry filling, but not for decoration.

Recipe variations

• To make a no-bake charlotte cake, consider using store-bought ladyfingers to line up the sides and bottom of the pan or charlotte mold. Take inspiration from the Pear Charlotte Cake recipe.

• Make a thin layer of small strawberry pieces on the cookie biscuit, then pour the cream.

• Instead of using fresh strawberries, use another fruit (raspberries, peaches, mangoes, etc.) that is currently in season.

• Get creative with the decoration of your Charlotte. Read how to decorate a French Strawberry Tart for inspiration.

Note: You can consider making classic strawberry charlotte with strawberry Bavarian cream. However, it is essential to note that the red hue of the strawberry puree may diminish when cooking the strawberry-flavored crème anglaise for an extended period. Thus, the Bavarian cream may not retain its original red appearance.

What equipment do you need?

A strawberry charlotte comes together with a few basic tools, and none of them are hard to find:

• A springform pan or charlotte mold (about 8 inches / 20 cm). A springform makes it easy to release the cake without damaging the ladyfinger border.
• A piping bag with a plain round tip. This gives you neat, even ladyfingers if you pipe them from scratch.
• A stand mixer or electric hand mixer. You will whip both the egg mixture for the ladyfingers and the cream for the filling.
• An offset spatula and a fine sieve. Handy for smoothing the filling and dusting the ladyfingers with icing sugar.

How to make strawberry charlotte

Preparing a strawberry charlotte cake includes a few steps: making sponge biscuits, preparing strawberry mousse (mousse de fraises), and assembling the cake.

Step 1: To make ladyfinger biscuits, preheat the oven to 340°F (170°C). Prepare two parchment sheets. Draw one circle of 8 inches (20 cm) in diameter with a pencil.

Step 2: On the second sheet of parchment paper, draw two strips 2.4 inches (6 cm) wide. Turn both sheets upside down and place them on two baking trays.

Step 3: To make the cake batter, pour egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Gradually add the caster sugar, beating until stiff peaks form. Add egg yolks all at once and whisk until incorporated.

Step 4: Sift all-purpose flour over the bowl, then gently mix with a spatula, working from the bottom to the top (photo 1).

Step 5: Transfer the batter to a pastry bag fitted with a large smooth tip of 10-12 mm in diameter (Ateco plain pastry tip 806) and pipe a spiral sponge starting from the center of the drawn circle (photo 2).

Step 6: Then pipe two long strips (aka bandoliers) about 13 inches (32 cm) diagonally, sticking piped cookies together (photo 3). Sprinkle the cake disk and strips generously with icing sugar.

Pro tip: To find out how long the strip should be, multiply the diameter of your cake ring by the number pi, which is 3.14. For example, for a ring of 8 inches (20 cm) in diameter, you will therefore need a strip of 8 inches x 3.14 = 25.1 inches, or 20 cm x 3.14 = 62.8 cm. 

Step 7: Bake the cake and sponge cookies in the middle of the oven (one sheet at a time) until slightly golden brown for 15 minutes. Let them cool down well (photo 4).

Pro tip: To be ready to pour the Bavarian mousse once it is made and isn't set, it is imperative to prepare the assembled cake ring in advance.

Step 8: Place an 8-inch (20 cm) cake ring 2 inches (5 cm) high on the serving plate. There is no need to line it with an acetate collar.

Step 9: Cut the strips at the base and the top so the cookies are 2 inches (5 cm) high. For a neat appearance, make a fresh cut of the sponge strips' ends.

Step 10: Line up the cake ring with the strips (powdered side facing the ring), adjusting the edges to fit perfectly tight into the mounting circle.

Step 11: Cut a spoon biscuit layer (couche de biscuits) about 7 inches (18 cm) in diameter (check that this size fits the bottom of the assembled ring) and place it in the center of the circle, the powdered side facing up (photo 5).

Step 12: To make the Bavarian strawberry mousse, soak gelatin leaves in a large bowl with very cold water.

Step 13: Puree strawberries using a potato masher or a food processor. Then pass the puree through a fine-mesh sieve: you should get 12.4 oz (350 g) seedless puree (photo 6).

Step 14: Pour strawberry puree (purée de fraises) with sugar into a heavy-bottomed small saucepan and bring to a medium heat. With the first bubble, remove the pot from the heat, add well-drained gelatin (be careful not to crush it), and mix well.

Pro tip: Gelatin must be added to the fruit puree out of the heat!

Step 15: Pour the hot puree into a shallow dish and let it cool to room temperature (température ambiante), ideally to 73-86°F (23-30°C).

Pro tip: There is no need to cover the puree with plastic film (film plastique) to prevent skin formation, like in the case of Italian pastry cream or crème anglaise.

Step 16: Meanwhile, pour cold heavy cream into the chilled bowl of a stand mixer and whip until soft peaks form (photo 7). It must remain very flexible.

Pro tip: Read about the soft peaks stage and how to make the perfect sugar-free whipped cream.

Step 17: Gently add the cooled strawberry puree to the whipped cream in a few additions, mixing with a spatula or hand whisk.

Step 18: To assemble the charlotte, pour Bavarian strawberry mousse into the assembled cake ring lined with cookie biscuits (photo 8).

Pro tip: As a classical culinary custom, sponge cookie strips should be elevated slightly above the charlotte filling.

Step 19: Smooth the top of the cream with a small offset spatula, then refrigerate the charlotte for 6-8 hours. Decorate the top of the cake with halved strawberries.

Pro tip: You can refrigerate undecorated charlotte overnight, not covering it with plastic wrap. However, decorating the top of the cake on the day of serving is highly recommended to maintain its freshness and appeal.

Step 20: Optionally, brush strawberries with a clear glaze to preserve fruit and bring a shiny appearance. Alternatively, dust the strawberries and Charlotte's edges with icing sugar (sucre glace) before serving.

Expert Tips

1. Adjust a sponge biscuit disk to make sure it fits perfectly inside the cake ring with the baked sponge strips. It must sit very tightly to prevent the mousse from escaping.
2. Beat heavy cream until soft peaks; avoid overwhisking until firm peaks form.
3. Make-ahead option: Bake the sponge cookies and disks in the evening and let them cool to room temperature. Prepare the Bavarian mousse and assemble the cake the next day.

Storing & freezing

Store strawberry charlotte under a glass dome in the refrigerator for 24-48 hours. It is not recommended to freeze a Charlotte cake made with Bavarian mousse. The filling contains gelatin, which does not withstand freezing.

Recipe FAQ

What is strawberry Charlotte cake called in French?
It is called Charlotte aux fraises, which simply means "Charlotte with strawberries." You may also see it written as Charlotte à la fraise or Charlotte de fraises.

What is strawberry Charlotte cake made of?
It is made with ladyfinger biscuits (homemade or store-bought) lining a ring or mold, filled with a light strawberry Bavarian mousse, and decorated with fresh strawberries.

Can I make strawberry Charlotte cake with store-bought ladyfingers?
Yes. For an easy no-bake version, use store-bought ladyfingers to line the mold instead of piping homemade sponge fingers, then add the strawberry mousse and chill.

Can you make a strawberry Charlotte cake ahead of time?
Yes, and it is best made ahead. Assemble it and refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours or overnight to allow the mousse to set, then decorate with fresh strawberries on the day of serving.

Who invented the Charlotte cake?
The French version was created by chef Marie-Antoine Carême in the early 1800s, who replaced the original brioche with sponge fingers and added Bavarian cream.

Why is it called a Charlotte cake?
The Charlotte cake was named after Princess Charlotte, King George III's wife and Queen Victoria's grandmother.

Love French Charlotte cakes? Try these next!

If you like this fresh fruit charlotte cake recipe, you may love other French charlottes, ranging from the timeless chocolate variety to the alluring Lychee cake with pink biscuits.

• Charlotte Royale
• Lychee Cake with Pink Biscuits
• Chocolate Charlotte
• Pear Charlotte Cake

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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.