Cherry Matcha and Mint Charlotte

Cherry Matcha and Mint Charlotte

(4 small Charlottes)

As usual in this time of the year, temperatures are really high here in Barcelona so I didn’t want to make anything too heavy or that would make me feel guilty after, this time I wanted something light and taking advantage of the fact that cherry season has arrived, I decided to make a cherry charlotte.

I've always believed Charlotte cakes are one of the most charming and impressive cakes. But not only that, they are also very versatile so there are countless ways to make them but as I was telling you, this time I decided on a cherry charlotte, made with green tea ladyfingers and a light yogurt cherry mousse with a touch of mint.

Ingredients

Green tea genoise

- 80g all-purpose flour

- 3 eggs, separated

- 20g cornstarch

- 100g confectioner’s sugar

- 1 tablespoon matcha powder

- 1 tsp baking powder

Cherry mousse

- ½ cup white cheese (I used 0% fat cheese)

- ¼ cup low fat greek yogurt

- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

- 8 pitted cherries

- 2 egg whites

- 3 tbsp water

- 3 gelatin sheets

- A few drops of mint extract

Directions

Green tea genoise

1 – Preheat the oven at 175°C.

2 – On a bowl combine flour, cornstarch, matcha powder and baking powder.

3 – On a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until foamy, then gradually add powered sugar and continue beating until the egg whites form glossy stiff peaks.

4 – Fold in egg yolks and gently mix with the meringue mixture with a spatula.

5 – Sift the flour mixture over the meringue and fold lightly until just mixed.

6 – Snip off the end of a pastry bag, and fill with the batter. Pipe a square of about 20cm wide and 20cm long (we will be using this to make the bottom part of the charlotte) and pipe the rest of the batter into long strips of about 8 cm and leaving about 2cm space in between the strips.

Cherry Mousse

1 – Blend together cherries, white cheese, yogurt and a few drops of mint extract.

2 – Combine 3 tablespoons of boiling water with the gelatin sheets cut into pieces and stir until they are almost dissolved.

3 – In a separate bowl add egg whites and sugar and place it over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir gently until the sugar has dissolved and the egg whites are nearly scalding to the touch, at that moment; remove the bowl from the pan.

4 – Add the dissolved gelatin to the egg mixture and quickly whisk to combine. Don’t worry if the gelatin has solidified; place it for a few seconds in the microwave and this way it will become liquid again.

5 – With a hand mixer, whip the egg mixture until the outside of the bowl is completely cool to the touch. 

6 – Once it is cool, gently fold in the yogurt mixture.

Assemble of the charlotte

1 – Cut the squared genoise in 4 circles the top of a glass. Mine had about 6cm diameter. Cut the strips in two by the narrower part. Cut again each part in pieces of about 0,5cm wide.

2 – Place the 4 genoise circles inside 4 circle cutters or small springform pans of about 8 cm. The key here is to leave enough space to accommodate the let’s call them “ladyfingers”. Line the inner ring of the cutters with the  “ladyfingers”, standing them upright.

3 – Pour the mousse mixture inside each prepared pan and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes.