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Strawberry Puree: Place
the unsweetened frozen strawberries in a large bowl
and thaw. This may take a few hours. Once thawed, put the strawberries and
their juice
in the bowl of a food processor or blender and process the berries until they are pureed. Pour
the puree
into a 2 cup (480 ml) measuring cup. You
need 1 cup of puree. If
you have extra puree, cover, and place in the refrigerator for another use
(great over ice cream). Add the sugar to the puree and stir until the sugar dissolves. Taste and add more sugar if needed. Can also add a little lemon juice to
taste.
The puree can be
stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to one week
Sponge Cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of
oven. Butter and line the bottom of an 8 inch (20 cm) cake pan with
parchment paper.
In your electric mixer, or with a hand mixer, beat the eggs and sugar
on high speed for about five minutes, or until they are thick, fluffy and light
colored (when you slowly raise the beaters the batter will fall back into the
bowl in a slow ribbon). Add the vanilla extract and beat until incorporated. In a small bowl whisk together the flour and salt. Sift
1/2 of the flour over the batter and gently fold through with a rubber spatula
or whisk. Sift the remaining flour over the batter and fold in. Whisk about 1/2 cup of the batter into the melted butter (to lighten it) and
then gently fold the butter mixture back into the rest of the batter. Pour
immediately into the prepared pan and bake for
about 25 minutes or
until springy to the touch. (A toothpick inserted in the middle will come
out clean.) Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Run a
spatula or sharp knife around the inside of the pan and then invert the cake onto a wire rack. Remove parchment paper. Set aside. (The cake can be made a day or two
in advance.)
Strawberry
Cream. Chill your mixing bowl and whisk in the freezer for about 15
minutes. Meanwhile, in a small measuring cup stir together the gelatin and
1/4 cup of the strawberry puree. Let this mixture sit for 5 minutes and
then microwave for a few seconds to dissolve the gelatin. Once the gelatin
has dissolved, stir the gelatin mixture into the remaining 1/2 cup (120 ml) of
strawberry puree. Set aside while you whip the cream.
Remove the mixing
bowl and whisk from the freezer, and beat the cream
until soft peaks form. Add the strawberry puree mixture and continue to beat the
cream until stiff peaks form. Taste and fold in a little sugar, if needed.
To assemble the Charlotte: Place the
cooled cake layer on the bottom of an 8 inch (20 cm) springform pan. Spread 1/4
cup (60 ml) of strawberry puree over the top of the sponge cake. Halve the strawberries and
fit them, snugly,
on top of the cake with the cut sides facing the outside edge of the pan. Fill the
center of the cake with the the strawberry whipped cream. Smooth the top,
cover loosely with plastic wrap, and chill for about 2-3 hours so the cream
has time to set. (The charlotte can be made up to this point and
refrigerated for a day before serving.)
To unmold and serve:
Several hours before serving, gently remove the sides of the springform pan. Heat the apricot preserves in a small saucepan over low heat until barely
warmed. Then, using a pastry brush, glaze the cut surfaces of the
strawberries and the outside edge of the cake. Cover and refrigerate until
serving time. If desired, decorate the top of the cake with a whole
strawberry.
Serves 8-10
Sources:
Ayto, John.
An A-Z of Food & Drink. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002.
Beranbaum, Rose
Levy. The Cake Bible. New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc.,
1988.
Hay, Donna.
Modern Classics Book 2. New York: HarperCollins Publishers Inc.,
2003.
Medrich, Alice.
Cocolat. New York: Warner Books, 1990.
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