Raspberry Charlotte Cake
Celebrate your special day with a stunning raspberry Charlotte cake! This delightful dessert features light chiffon cake layered with tangy raspberry mousse and fresh berries, all wrapped in charming ladyfingers. Perfect for birthdays or any occasion that calls for something sweet and beautiful!
This classic French dessert makes the most delicious summer dessert. a super light and creamy celebration cake the whole family will love! makes for an elegant cake to finish a fancy meal at home with. Learn how to create this Charlotte with our easy-to-follow, step-by-step recipe.
My Charlotte Cake recipe is perfect for spring and summer, while also being a great treat to make as a gift to your friends and family for a special occasion.
History of Charlotte Cake
Charlotte cake is a classic dessert made by lining a mold with ladyfinger cookies, sponge cake, or sometimes bread, and filling it with layers of cream, custard, fruit purée, or mousse. It’s typically chilled before serving, allowing the flavors to set and the filling to firm up, creating a beautiful layered dessert that holds its shape when sliced.
Charlotte cake, also known as Charlotte russe or icebox cake, is a classic French dessert that dates back to the 19th century. This elegant cake has evolved over the years but it typically consists of a circular mold lined with ladyfingers or sponge cake, which is then filled with layers of mousse, fresh fruit, syrup, jam, bavarian cream, and/or whipped cream.
The origins of Charlotte cake are a bit unclear, but it’s generally believed to date back to the late 18th century in England. It was named “Charlotte” supposedly in honor of Queen Charlotte, wife of King George III, who was known for her interest in agriculture and, especially, apple orchards. Early versions of Charlotte’s cake were filled with apples and lined with bread, making it somewhat like a bread pudding.
In the early 19th century, French chef Marie-Antoine Carême revamped the dessert, creating what is now known as Charlotte Russe. Carême’s version swapped out the bread for ladyfinger biscuits and replaced the apple filling with a custard or cream-based filling, transforming it into a much more elegant dessert that became very popular in France and later throughout Europe.
Pretty cake for my birthday gift
We love cake! Any kind, really, but especially the fancy, good to look at and eat kinda cakes. For our birthdays I always make a fancy cake. This particular cake, a most delightful Raspberry Charlotte Cake, came out well.
yes, tomorrow will be my birthday and I’m thinking about making a pretty cake for my birthday gift as a reward even tho you know I love baking. But this Charlotte cake feels so special to me, romantic, sweet, and very pretty indeed.
I wanted to treat myself to something special, something a bit over-the-top and pretty—because birthdays deserve that, right? Instead of grabbing a cake from the store, I decided to make my own. I had this vision of a raspberry Charlotte cake, all soft and fluffy with layers of mousse, fresh berries, and those cute little ladyfingers standing tall around the sides. It sounded fancy, but I was up for the challenge!
Raspberry Charlotte is one of my favorite cakes, one that I request for not only on my birthday but every other occasion that follows. Decorative and delicious, Charlotte is fluffy from the outside and heavenly creamy on the inside with textures of raspberry sauce and fresh one.
I’ll be honest—it looked amazing! And when it was finally time to slice it up and share, even tho you needed to make it better one day prior, every bite was a reminder of the fun (and the work!) that went into making it. It wasn’t just a birthday cake; it was the best birthday gift I could’ve made for myself. Let’s celebrate my birthday, or your coming birthday by making these. Happy birthday happy me!
Ingredients of Charlotte Cake
Chiffon Cake
- Egg Yolks – These provide richness and help give the cake a tender texture.
- Sugar – Adds sweetness to balance the egg yolk mixture and enhance flavor.
- Milk – Provides moisture and helps create a soft crumb.
- Vegetable Oil – Adds fat for a moist and soft texture, making the cake light and tender.
- Cake Flour – This low-protein flour creates a fine, delicate crumb in chiffon cake.
- Baking Powder – Acts as a leavening agent to give the cake rise.
- Salt – Enhances flavor and balances the sweetness in the cake.
- Egg Whites – These create a light, airy texture and help the cake rise when whipped.
- Sugar – Adds sweetness to the egg white meringue and stabilizes the whipped egg whites.
Raspberry Sauce
- Fresh Raspberries – The main flavor component for the sauce, adding a fresh and tangy berry taste.
- Sugar – Sweetens the raspberries, balancing their natural tartness.
- Water – Helps dissolve the sugar and form a smooth sauce.
- Gelatine Sheets – Thickens and stabilizes the raspberry sauce so it holds its shape in the cake. You can also use gelatin powder, It’s usually found sold in individual packets, with each packet containing 1 tablespoon of gelatin powder. You’ll need 1 packet for this recipe.
Mousse
- Heavy Cream – Forms the mousse base, providing a rich, creamy texture when whipped.
- Powdered Sugar – Sweetens the mousse, giving it a smooth, light consistency. No granulated sugar or flavored sugar, just powdered sugar so you don’t feel any grains in the filling.
- Ladyfingers – Used to line the Charlotte mold, giving structure to the cake and adding a soft, cake-like texture once soaked with raspberry sauce and mousse. For a quicker recipe, go straight for store-bought ladyfinger.
- For Garnish, I use Fresh Raspberry
How to Make Charlotte Cake
Chiffon Cake
Start by preheating your oven to 338℉ (170℃). Line a 22 cm x 22 cm rectangular baking tin with baking paper.
In a mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks with 1 tablespoon of sugar until just combined. Then, add the milk and vegetable oil, whisking again until smooth. Sift in the cake flour, baking powder, and salt, and whisk until everything is well incorporated.
In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites and ⅓ cup of sugar with a hand mixer until soft peaks form.
Gently fold one-third of the meringue into the egg yolk mixture to lighten it. Once mostly combined, fold in the remaining meringue gently until fully incorporated.
Pour the batter into the prepared tin and smooth the surface. Bake for 13 minutes, then remove from the oven and let the cake cool completely.
Raspberry Sauce
In a saucepan, combine the raspberries, sugar, and water. Cook over medium-high heat until the mixture thickens to a jam-like consistency.
Remove from heat, then add the gelatin sheets and stir until they dissolve completely. Set the sauce aside to cool.
Filling
In a bowl, beat the heavy cream with the powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. Reserve about ¼ of the whipped cream by transferring it to a piping bag fitted with a closed star nozzle for later garnish.
Once the raspberry sauce has cooled, gently fold it into the remaining whipped cream until well combined.
Assembly
Trim about ½ inch from the bottom of each ladyfinger to help them stand upright.
Place one layer of chiffon cake on a serving platter or cake stand, then brush it lightly with simple syrup. Arrange the trimmed ladyfingers upright around the edge of the cake to create a border.
Spread half of the raspberry mousse over the first layer of cake, smoothing it evenly.
Place the second layer of cake on top, brush with the remaining simple syrup, and spread the remaining raspberry mousse over it.
Pipe the reserved whipped cream on top in decorative swirls, then garnish with fresh raspberries for a finishing touch.
Cover the Charlotte cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight to allow the flavors to set. Enjoy your beautiful raspberry Charlotte cake!
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Charlotte Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Chiffon Cake
- 3 Egg Yolk
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- 2 tbsp Milk
- 3 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- ½ cup Cake Flour
- ½ tsp Baking Powder
- ½ tsp Salt
- 3 Egg White
- ⅓ cup Sugar
Raspberry Sauce
- 250 g Fresh Raspberry
- ¼ cup Sugar
- 2 tbsp Water
- 3 Gelatine Sheet
Mousse
- 3 cup Heavy Cream
- ⅓ cup Powdered Sugar
- 24 piece Lady Finger
Garnish
- Fresh Raspberry
Instructions
Chiffon Cake
- Preheat oven to 338℉ or 170℃. Line a 22 cm x 22 cm rectangular tin with baking paper.
- Whisk egg yolk with sugar until just combined. Add milk and oil and whisk again. Sift in flour, baking powder, and salt and whisk again until well combined.
- In another bowl, beat white eggs and sugar with a hand mixer until soft peaks. Add ⅓ of the white meringue to the egg yolk mixture, then gently fold it in until it's mostly combined. Add all of the egg yolk mixture and fold it in until well combined.
- Pour the batter into a 22 cm x 22 cm rectangular tin. Bake for 13 minutes. After baking, let the cake cool.
Raspberry Sauce
- In a saucepan, cook raspberry, sugar, and water over medium-high heat until the texture is thick like a jam. Remove from the heat then add in gelatine and stir until dissolved. Let it cool.
Filling
- Beat heavy cream and sugar with a hand mixer until stiff peaks form. Transfer ¼ of the whipped cream to a piping bag fitted with a closed star piping nozzle for garnish.
- Once the raspberry jam is cooled, add it to the whipped cream and fold until well combined.
Assembly
- Cut the bottom part of the lady fingers, about ½" so they can stand up vertically.
- Place the first layer of the cake on a serving platter or cake stand then brush with simple syrup over it. Arrange the lady fingers around the sides of the pan. Add half of the raspberry mousse over the cake then spread evenly.
- Top it with the second layer of cake then brush with the remaining simple syrup and spread the rest of the raspberry mousse on top.
- Swirl the whipped cream on top then garnish it with fresh raspberry. Cover the Charlotte cake with a plastic wrap and refrigerate the cake for about 3 hours or overnight.
