This strawberry charlotte is a no-bake French dessert made with ladyfingers, strawberry mousse, whipped cream, and strawberries! An easy, light, and creamy summer dessert!
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🍰A No Bake Dessert
No-Bake desserts are great for summer, like this one. This strawberry charlotte is also a no-bake dessert that is super impressive to serve. It has simple layers of ladyfinger cookies, strawberry mousse, and strawberry sauce.
This cake is easy to make, and you can make it ahead of time too. It needs to sit in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours, or overnight! Add the whipped cream topping and some strawberries for decoration the next day, and you have an easy dessert!
🥘Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Ladyfinger cookies - Use store bought, or make your own!
- Strawberries - Fresh strawberries work best for this recipe. Frozen would be too watery for the mousse.
- Gelatin powder - Make sure to use unflavoured gelatin powder.
🔪Instructions
Add gelatin powder and water to a small bowl and stir. Let it sit to firm up while you move on to the next step.
Add strawberries to a medium sized saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the strawberry juices start to boil. Simmer for a few extra minutes until berries are soft, then remove from heat.
Remove 1 cup of strawberries and their juices from the saucepan, and set aside. Add the remaining strawberries from the saucepan into a blender. Microwave the gelatin mixture for about 15 seconds, or until melted. Add this to the blender with the strawberries. Blend until the strawberries have pureed. Set aside to cool while you make the whipping cream.
In a large bowl, add heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Beat on high until it becomes stiff peaks. Remove 1 cup whipping cream to a small bowl to use later. Add blender strawberries to the large bowl, and fold them together with a spatula until combined.
Assembly
Line the sides of a 8 or 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Cut a straight edge to the end of the ladyfingers that go vertically up the sides of the springform pan. Place enough ladyfingers around the sides of the pan so that there are no spaces.
Arrange a layer of ladyfingers at the bottom of the pan. You may need to cut some so they fill in the gaps. Add half of the reserved cooked strawberries on top of the bottom layer of ladyfingers.
Add half of the strawberry whipped cream on top, then follow with another layer of ladyfingers, the rest of the cooked strawberries, and the rest of the strawberry whipped cream. Smooth the top with an offset spatula.
Use the reserved whipped cream to decorate the top of the cake. I used a star piping tip. Arrange strawberries on top as decoration. Chill the cake in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight for the mousse to firm up. Release the cake and tie a ribbon around it for decoration before serving.
✔️Expert Tips
- You can mix the strawberries in with the strawberry whipped cream instead of having them separate layers.
- Instead of using store bought ladyfingers, make your own. I used my recipe for strawberry ladyfingers in this recipe.
- Instead of strawberries, you can substitute with raspberries or blueberries.
- Make sure you chill the cake for the recommended time. The mousse needs time to firm up, and the ladyfingers need to soak up all the moisture and become soft cake layers.
💭FAQs
A Charlotte cake is a French recipe from the 1800's. Some believe it was created and named after King George III's wife, Queen Charlotte.
You can make this cake the day ahead and store it in the refrigerator overnight.
I don't recommend freezing this cake because the mousse and fresh fruit won't thaw right after freezing.
🔖Related Recipes
📋 Recipe
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Strawberry Charlotte
Equipment
- one 8 or 9-inch springform pan
Ingredients
- 3½ teaspoons gelatin powder
- 5 tablespoons water cold
- 5 cups strawberries hulled and diced, + more for decoration
- 1¾ cups heavy whipping cream
- 6 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 24 ladyfinger cookies
Instructions
- Line the sides of a 8 or 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Add gelatin powder and water to a small bowl and stir. Let it sit to firm up while you move on to the next step.
- Add strawberries to a medium sized saucepan. Cook over medium heat until the strawberry juices start to boil. Simmer for a few extra minutes until berries are soft, then remove from heat.
- Remove 1 cup of strawberries and their juices from the saucepan, and set aside. Add the remaining strawberries from the saucepan into a blender.
- Microwave the gelatin mixture for about 15 seconds, or until melted. Add this to the blender with the strawberries. Blend until the strawberries have pureed. Set aside to cool while you make the whipping cream.
- In a large bowl, add heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla. Beat on high until it becomes stiff peaks. Remove 1 cup whipping cream to a small bowl to use later.
- Add blender strawberries to the large bowl, and fold them together with a spatula until combined.
Assemble
- Cut a straight edge to the end of the ladyfingers that go vertically up the sides of the springform pan. Place enough ladyfingers around the sides of the pan so that there are no spaces.
- Arrange a layer of ladyfingers at the bottom of the pan. You may need to cut some so they fill in the gaps.
- Add half of the reserved cooked strawberries on top of the bottom layer of ladyfingers.
- Add half of the strawberry whipped cream on top, then follow with another layer of ladyfingers, the rest of the cooked strawberries, and the rest of the strawberry whipped cream. Smooth the top with an offset spatula.
- Use the reserved whipped cream to decorate the top of the cake. I used a star piping tip. Arrange strawberries on top as decoration.
- Chill the cake in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight for the mousse to firm up. Release the cake and tie a ribbon around it for decoration before serving.
- Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
- You can mix the strawberries in with the strawberry whipped cream instead of having them separate layers.
- Instead of using store bought ladyfingers, make your own. I used my recipe for strawberry ladyfingers in this recipe.
- Instead of strawberries, you can substitute with raspberries or blueberries.
- Make sure you chill the cake for the recommended time. The mousse needs time to firm up, and the ladyfingers need to soak up all the moisture and become soft cake layers.
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