So I know I wrote that I was going to make a hazelnut Charlotte Russe, but I started to think about the flavor vs. the time of year and decided that making a coconut Charlotte Russe would be more appropriate for summer (plus the added fact of it being a new challenge).
I made the Charlotte Russe using a recipe for a sponge cake and instead of using vanilla extract I used imitation coconut extract. For the cake's filling, I made a coconut creme anglaise by adding toasted coconut to my milk and cream mixture as it heated over the stove. The toasted coconut created such a deep and delicious coconut flavor! It was fantastic! That creme anglaise got mixed with bloomed and melted gelatin and then I quickly folded in soft-whipped heavy cream. Combining gelatin with cold ingredients is always risky so it is important to temper it into the creme anglaise (add some of creme anglaise to melted gelatin, then add that back to creme anglaise). If you get lumps in this mixture, just put it over a double boiler. If you have added the whipped cream already you cannot fix the bavarian and should just restart.
My finished product had two layers of sponge cake soaked in a dark rum simple syrup and two layers of coconut bavarian cream. And like a traditional Charlotte Russe it was surrounded by ladyfingers. Lastly, I topped it with a mixture of half toasted coconut and half un-toasted coconut (toasted sweetened coconut is scrumptious because the coconut sort of caramelizes on its surface... talk about a party in your mouth :P).
A Charlotte Russe can be any combination of flavors. I advise anyone who likes this type of cake to be adventurous and use your favorite flavor combination and see how it turns out.
No comments:
Post a Comment