Charlotte Russe

Charlotte

Chocolate and pear charlotte, with the typical ladyfinger biscuits clearly seen.
Alternative names	Ice-box cake
Course	Dessert
Place of origin	France
Serving temperature	Hot or cold
Main ingredients	Bread, sponge cake or biscuits; fruit puree or custard
Variations	Charlotte russe

A charlotte is a type of dessert or trifle that can be served hot or cold. It can also be known as an "ice-box cake". Bread, sponge cake or biscuits/cookies are used to line a mold, which is then filled with a fruit puree or custard. It can also be made using layers of breadcrumbs.

Classically, stale bread dipped in butter was used as the lining, but sponge cake or ladyfingers may be used today. The filling may be covered with a thin layer of similarly flavoured gelatin.

Due to the simple preparation of charlottes, many different varieties have developed. Most charlottes are served cool, so they are more common in warmer seasons. Fruit charlottes usually combine a fruit purée or preserve with a custard filling or whipped cream. Some flavors include strawberry, raspberry, apple, pear, and banana.

Other types do not include fruits, but use a custard or Bavarian cream. Chocolate charlotte uses a mousse filling within the layers. A citrus curd is a more contemporary choice.

Russian Charlotte, or Charlotte russe is a dessert invented by the French chef Marie-Antoine Carême (1784–1833), who named it in honor of his former employer George IV's only child, Princess Charlotte, and his current, Russian employer Czar Alexander I (russe being the French word for "Russian"). It is a cold dessert of Bavarian cream set in a mold lined with ladyfingers.