Strawberry Vanilla Charlotte Cake – Fresh, Creamy, and Modernized

1. A modern strawberry vanilla charlotte cake with soft ladyfinger sponge, vanilla-flecked cream, strawberry confit, and fresh fruit.

2. This stunning charlotte combines strawberry namelaka, citrus confit, vanilla diplomat cream, and mascarpone chantilly in a light, elegant spring dessert.

This strawberry vanilla charlotte is a sweet, modern take on a beloved French classic — a cake that feels like a hug in dessert form. Soft vanilla ladyfinger biscuits are soaked in a fragrant strawberry syrup and wrapped around creamy vanilla diplomat cream, silky strawberry-vanilla namelaka, tangy strawberry-lemon confit, and airy mascarpone chantilly. The fresh strawberries throughout add brightness and crunch, while a clever piping technique gives the final dome a marbled effect of fruit and cream. With its balance of textures and flavors — sweet, fruity, tangy, and rich — this charlotte is perfect for spring celebrations, birthdays, or simply treating yourself. Most of the components can be made ahead, making it an ideal dessert to prepare over two relaxed days.

Course Dessert

Cuisine French

Keyword cake, pastry, proffitionel cakes, recipes

Prep Time 1 30

Cook Time 20

Servings people

Ingredients

🍓 Strawberry-Vanilla Namelaka (Make the day before)

60  g whole milk
½ vanilla bean
3  g glucose syrup
11  g gelatin mass 1.6 g gelatin + 9.4 g water if powdered
110  g Valrhona Inspiration Fraise chocolate
120  g cold heavy cream

🍰 Vanilla Ladyfinger Sponge (Biscuit Cuillère)

90  g egg whites
60  g granulated sugar
50  g egg yolks
75  g flour T55
Vanilla powder as needed
Icing sugar as needed

🍓 Strawberry-Lemon Confit

250  g strawberries
20  g sugar
3.5  g NH pectin
10  g lemon juice

🍓 Strawberry Syrup

75  g strawberries
40  g water
20  g sugar
30  g strawberry confit from above

🍦 Vanilla Diplomat Cream (Make the day before)

250  g whole milk
40  g egg yolks
40  g sugar
20  g cornstarch
20  g butter
4  g gelatin + 24 g water hydrated
100  g heavy cream
55  g mascarpone

🍦 Vanilla Mascarpone Chantilly (Make the day before)

200  g heavy cream
8  g sugar
1 vanilla bean
12  g gelatin mass 1.7 g powdered gelatin + 10 g water
30  g mascarpone

🍓 Fresh Strawberries

250  g washed and hulled, chopped for filling and decoration

Instructions

Strawberry-Vanilla Namelaka

Melt the Inspiration Fraise chocolate gently.
Bring milk, glucose, and vanilla (seeds + pod) to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in gelatin mass.
Gradually emulsify the hot milk into the chocolate in 3 additions.
Stir in the cold cream.
Blend with immersion blender.
Cover with plastic wrap in contact and chill overnight.
Next day, use as-is or briefly loosen with a whisk before piping.

Vanilla Chantilly Mascarpone

Heat 75 g cream with vanilla and let infuse 10 min.
Add sugar and reheat.
Stir in gelatin mass off heat. Add remaining cold cream and mascarpone.
Blend until smooth. Chill overnight.

Strawberry-Lemon Confit

Combine sugar and pectin.
Cook chopped strawberries until soft.
Add sugar-pectin mix and cook until syrupy.
Stir in lemon juice. Blend and chill with plastic wrap in contact.

Strawberry Syrup

Cook strawberries, sugar, and water until juicy.
Add confit and stir.
Leave chunky or strain for a smoother syrup. Let cool.
Ladyfinger Sponge (Biscuit Cuillère)
Whip egg whites with sugar into glossy soft peaks.
Fold in yolks, then sifted flour gently.
Pipe 7 cm long ladyfingers in two strips and a 17 cm disc on parchment.
Dust with vanilla powder and icing sugar.
Bake at 180°C for ~10 minutes until lightly golden and soft. Cool.

Vanilla Diplomat Cream

Heat milk with vanilla bean (split) to a boil.
Whisk yolks, sugar, and cornstarch.
Temper with hot milk, return to pan and cook to thicken.
Stir in butter and gelatin off heat. Cover and chill.
Once cold, fold in whipped cream + mascarpone. Pipe into a bag.

Notes

🧊 Assembly & Decoration

🏗 Assembly (Day Before Serving)

Line an 18 cm ring (6 cm tall) with acetate.
Trim and place ladyfinger cartouchière around the edge, brushing with strawberry syrup.
Place biscuit disc in the bottom, smooth side up, and soak with syrup.
Pipe a ring of diplomat cream along the edge and a thin layer over the biscuit.
Spread the namelaka evenly on top.
Add a thick layer of strawberry-lemon confit and diced fresh strawberries.
Cover with another layer of diplomat cream. Smooth the top.
Wrap with plastic and refrigerate overnight.

🍥 Finishing (Serving Day)

Whip vanilla mascarpone chantilly until soft peaks form.
Remove ring and acetate.
Add a thin stripe of strawberry confit to the inside of a piping bag before filling with chantilly.
Using a 1 cm round tip, pipe marbled domes on top of the cake.
Decorate with fresh strawberries and optional edible flowers or gold leaf.