It is an outside casing of cake filled with a thick cream, which ought to be real cream thick enough to whip to froth; if such cannot be had, a thin cream can be made firm by adding gelatine to it; and if no cream at all then make the same thing of milk and whip it up light as explained at No. 865.

There are many ways of putting up a charlotte.

1. Procure 3 or 4 dozen lady fingers (No. 4) and a tin shape, which is nothing more than a hoop of tin with straight-up sides, like a three pint milk cup would be without a bottom. It may be either round or oval according to the dish to be used to set the charlotte on the table. Cut the edges of the lady-fingers straight, wet them with white of egg and line the shape with them set upright and the shape being on the dish. Whip the cream to firm froth, sweetening and flavoring at the same time; fill up the shape with it and let it remain in a cold place till wanted, then carefully lift off the tin shape and the cream will keep the form together ii it was double cream at the start - that is cream that has stood on the milk two days before skimming.

If not sure of the cream being firm enough, then add gelatine according to directions for Bavarian cream.

There is no covering of cake in this, but the surface of the cream may be ornamented with some of the same cream in a cornet or ornamenting tube the same as if it were icing.

2. When a shorter way must be adopted bake a good sponge cake in a round mould. No. 281 is as good as any with a liberal allowance of powder. Then cut out the inside to use as cake and take the shell or crust to fill with whipped cream. If the cake is evenly baked of light color this way does very well; and where the charlotte is to be sliced and served individually, as in most hotels, the long and narrow moulds such as loaves of bread are baked in may be found most suitable, as the charlotte can then be cut across.

3. Another way to be adopted when the charlotte-russe is to be set on the table whole, as for a party supper, is to take a deep, plain mould or a tin pan, cover the bottom with the thinnest sliced sponge cake or lady-fingers and line the sides with the same, fill with cream stiffened with gelatine, keep cold and when set, turn it out of the mould bringing the bottom on top and ornament that either with whipped cream piled up and spotted with strawberries or else with only a coat of icing and a border. Cream stiffened with gelatine is called Bavarian cream - see receipts below.