We all love pies and cakes. Sweet and not so sweet, with choux pastry, puff pastry and shortbread, yeast and yeast-free, quick to prepare and those whose recipes take days, with fruit, meat, chocolate, fish. But always so different and so loved.
Charlotte: concept and origin
Initially, charlotte is a dessert pie made with baked apples. The main ingredient in charlotte is always apples. In the classic version, charlotte includes dough similar to bread, custard, some liquor and fruit (mostly apples). Why did charlotte become one of the most famous and beloved pies? The answer is obvious - due to the ease of preparation and the relative cheapness of the product. And, of course, thanks to its delicate and pleasant taste. Over the years of the recipe’s existence, it has spread not only throughout Europe, but has also become loved in all corners of the planet.
France is considered to be the birthplace of charlotte, however, the traditional recipe with apples was invented in Great Britain. Cooks still cannot agree on the origin of the name. According to one version, charlotte got its name in honor of the lover of a pastry chef who was hopelessly in love with a girl named Charlotte. Another version says that the pie was dedicated by the court cook to the wife of the monarch George III, Charlotte. Who was a famous lover of apple orchards and apples. She especially loved sour varieties, as well as ranet apples.
An interesting fact is that all over the world charlotte is usually called Charlotte Russe (English) and Charlotte a la russe (French), that is, Russian charlotte.
Varieties of charlotte
It is customary to say about charlotte: “how many housewives - so many charlotte recipes.” Indeed, it is simply impossible to count all the recipes! The truth is that charlotte can be made from an old roll, or it can be in the form of a cake. It depends entirely on the hostess and the occasion. There are as many additives to charlotte as there are charlottes themselves.
The most delicious and interesting varieties of charlotte: with honey and spices (such as cinnamon), charlotte with butter, chocolate-banana, diet and vegetarian (without butter and eggs), charlotte with sugar crust, pineapple and charlotte with raisins, charlotte with pears, with walnuts and plums. The list of varieties of charlotte can be endless.
The taste of charlotte depends not only on the ingredients, but also on the method of its preparation, for example, charlotte can be baked in the oven, fried, cooked in the microwave, pressure cooker and slow cooker.
Cooking features
An ideal charlotte should be fluffy and not wet. And the main thing here is not to overdo it with the amount of fruit. It is always worth remembering that during the baking process, any fruit will release juice abundantly and the dough may simply not bake well due to the excess moisture released by the fruit.
And if the charlotte does not turn out fluffy, then you can add baking powder, slaked soda (soda is slaked with vinegar), or kefir. They fill the dough with bubbles and it will turn out fluffier. You can also try putting fruit at the bottom of the pie rather than on top.
Berry charlotte
The recipe for charlotte with berries is not much different from the standard recipe with apples, but still has its secrets. We present a recipe for charlotte, which will suit any seasonal berries: blueberries, cherries, lingonberries, cranberries. You can mix them together, add apples and spices to them. The only limitation is your imagination. Let's look at the recipe for charlotte with berries using the example of the version with cranberries and blueberries. Simply delicious!
Ingredients (for six servings):
- Premium wheat flour - 250 grams.
- Chicken eggs - 4 pieces.
- Granulated sugar - 210 grams.
- Blueberries and cranberries - 80 grams of each berry.
- Vanilla sugar - 20 grams.
- Baking powder - half a tablespoon (can be replaced with the same amount of slaked soda).
The process of preparing charlotte with berries in the oven:
First, put sugar (both vanilla and regular) in a large bowl and break the eggs. Mix the ingredients with a mixer (you can also use a whisk, but a mixer is faster). Beat until the mixture becomes lighter in color and increases in volume by about a third.
Separately, you need to sift the flour through a sieve, mix it with baking powder and slowly add to the mixture of eggs and sugar. At the same time, mix gently (preferably with a wooden or silicone spatula).
In a mold with a diameter of 20-25 centimeters you need to lay parchment paper. Pour half of the dough into the mold. Sprinkle it all with berries.
In order to prepare charlotte with frozen berries, you should first defrost them. Pour in the second half of the dough. If desired, some of the berries can be replaced with sour apples. It will turn out even tastier. The top needs to be leveled so that the fruit does not stick out like in the picture.
Bake in the oven preheated to 180 degrees Celsius for 40-50 minutes. Until a nice golden crust forms. To make the cake brown, you can brush it with egg white while baking. The charlotte with berries just needs to be cooled.
Sprinkle the finished pie with powder, place a small scoop of ice cream on top, and add jam to taste. The pie is ready, bon appetit!
Charlotte in a slow cooker
This is a wonderful holiday dessert. Charlotte with fresh cherries is very refreshing even on a hot summer day. It can be served with iced tea or soda.
Product List:
- wheat flour - 250 g;
- sugar - 220 g;
- chicken eggs - 4 pieces;
- butter - about 60 g;
- baking powder - teaspoon;
- berries and apples - to taste.
This is a recipe for charlotte with fresh berries. A pie prepared in this way in a slow cooker turns out fluffy and juicy.
Cooking steps:
- Wash apples and berries. Peel the apples and cut into small slices. You don't have to add apples.
- You need to turn on the multicooker and melt the butter in it, grease the edges of the multicooker.
- Using a mixer, beat the sugar and eggs until the sugar dissolves. Next, start slowly adding flour and baking powder. It is better to first mix the sifted flour with baking powder.
- The dough should be homogeneous, similar in consistency to sour cream.
- Place the first layer of dough into the slow cooker. Approximately 1/3 of the mass.
- Gently place fresh cherries and apples on top. First remove the seeds from the berries.
- Pour the remaining dough on top.
- Set the multicooker to “Bake” mode for approximately 45 minutes.
All that remains is to place the pie on a serving plate and decorate.
Charlotte dough
There are many different ways preparing this dish. The dough for charlotte with berries can also be different. Above are the bread dough recipes. But what other kind of dough is there for a tasty delicacy?
Exists large number Varieties of making berry pie. The dough for charlotte with berries is made using kefir, milk, sour cream, and mayonnaise. There is also charlotte on shortcrust pastry and puff pastry.
Berry charlotte with shortbread dough
In general, the recipe differs only in the method of preparing the dough. Mix shortbread dough from one egg, 250 grams of butter or margarine, and 1 teaspoon of baking powder. After that, put half of the kneaded dough in the refrigerator to rest. And distribute the second half in a greased form. Place the berries on top, remove the other half from the refrigerator and cover them. Cook in the oven at 180 degrees. Bake for 40 minutes.
Berry charlotte with kefir
This charlotte will be “wet” and melting. To prepare the pie, you will need one glass of kefir, two glasses of flour, a teaspoon of baking powder and a glass of sugar. Beat eggs and sugar until foamy, add baking powder. Mix eggs, beaten until foamy, with kefir. Add flour. Divide the resulting dough into 2 parts. Pour the first part into the prepared form, lay out the berries and cover with the second part.
What to serve with?
An excellent addition to the pie can be: whipped cream, jam, ice cream. And tea!
Thus, the crumb is baked evenly, rises and has a dry structure throughout its entire height without damp spots from wet berries. Using the example of charlotte with strawberries and cherries, I will show in detail the entire technological process and the result.
Cooking time: 45 minutes / Number of servings: 10.
Preparation
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Beat the eggs and granulated sugar first. Vanilla sugar, salt - at your discretion. Work with a hand or electric whisk/mixer until fluffy and light foam appears.
Add a large portion of flavorings. Today - ground citrus zest and fragrant, candy-cool cardamom. Mix in a circle.
Now in liquid composition add soda. It is better to sift so that the lumps do not spoil the berry pie with unpleasant bitterness. Stir vigorously.
Add wheat flour in parts, continuing kneading.
Bring to a viscous consistency, remove all flour clots.
We leave a sheet of parchment at the bottom of the mold, cover it with any fat (lean oil, butter) and sprinkle with flour. Evenly arrange the sliced strawberries and cherries (without seeds). Fill the berries with dough - bake the berry charlotte in the oven until “dry” for about 30 minutes at a temperature of 180 degrees (preheat the oven).
Carefully remove from the container.
While still hot, brush with honey.
Decorate as desired and serve the charlotte with strawberries and cherries to the table. Enjoy your tea.
1. Stage
Beat the eggs with sugar with a whisk or mixer, as you prefer.
2. Stage
Add a glass of sour cream, slaked soda with vinegar to the eggs, beat a little and add flour. Stir until smooth.
3. Stage
Peel the apples, remove the core and cut into slices not too thin and not too thick.
4. Stage
Cover the baking pan with parchment or grease it with butter; if you have a silicone pan, you don’t have to grease it at all. Place half of the dough in the pan and arrange the chopped apples evenly.
5. Stage
Place black and red currants on top of the apples; if you have frozen berries, then you do not need to defrost them first, add them straight from the freezer. Fill everything with the remaining dough.
6. Stage
Bake the charlotte at 180 degrees in a preheated oven for about 30-40 minutes.
7. Stage
Cool the finished pie a little, remove from the pan, sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.
Bon appetit!!!
Charlotte with apples and berries turns out very tasty, tender, airy and with sourness that comes from black and red currants. This pie can be prepared not only for family celebrations, but also for tea with guests. You can also add vanilla sugar or cinnamon for flavor. If you take apples of rather sweet varieties, then you may need less sugar, it is better after you mix all the ingredients for the dough, taste it to your taste, but remember that the berries can give quite a lot of sour taste, so take very ripe ones and as sweet as possible.
Once upon a time, the word “charlotte” for me meant a bread pie with a very, very apple filling. Now, like many others, I call charlotte any biscuit with a filling: apple, nut, peach, apricot... berry.
Any of these “charlottes” cook faster than any other homemade baked goods. It is difficult to spoil it and there is no shame in putting it even on the holiday table.
Biscuit recipe with berries:
How to bake:
Photo 1.
Divide the cooled eggs into whites and yolks. In order for the whites to whip without problems, they must be placed in a dry bowl and ensure that no pieces of yolk get in. Chilled egg whites whip better.
Photo 2.
But the yolks with sugar will whip into a thick foam faster if the container is placed in a water bath.
Photo 3.
Mix half the whites, the yolks beaten with sugar and the sifted flour. Mix very carefully with a spoon, add half of the remaining whipped whites and mix even more carefully until a more or less homogeneous mass. Place in a warm baking dish, grease the bottom with vegetable oil if necessary.
Photo 4.
Making charlotte with frozen berries is a little more difficult than baking the same sponge cake with fresh berries. If the berry is fresh, without any preliminary preparation, you can simply lay it on a layer of prepared biscuit dough. You can deal with frozen berries (in this case blackcurrants) in two ways. First, remove from the freezer, defrost, drain the juice, and place on the dough.
Photo 5.
Or spread in a thin layer while still frozen. In this case, it is better to put less and not to delay baking. In both cases, the biscuit will turn out more “juicy”. Not all currants will retain their original shape. But this will not affect the taste of charlotte in any way.
You can add either finely chopped nuts, a pinch of nutmeg, or (as in the photo) a little cinnamon to the berries.
Photo 6.
Beat the remaining whites with a couple of tablespoons of vanilla powdered sugar.
Photo 7.
Many people have stocks of berries in the freezer that can be used to make jelly, compotes, desserts or your favorite baked goods. Today I propose to prepare a delicious, aromatic charlotte with frozen berries. I baked this pie with frozen blackberries, blackcurrants and raspberries. You can use any berries that are available. Such pastries are a real celebration of tastes. Let's cook!
Ingredients
To prepare charlotte with frozen berries you will need:
sugar - 1 glass;
eggs - 5 pcs.;
flour - 1 glass;
baking powder - 1 tsp;
any frozen berries (I took frozen raspberries, blackberries and blackcurrants) - 1 cup;
powdered sugar for sprinkling.
Glass with a capacity of 250 ml.
Cooking steps
Combine sugar and eggs in a bowl, beat them with a mixer for 4 minutes.
As a result of whipping, the sugar-egg mass will increase in volume several times, and the sugar crystals will completely dissolve.
Then add the sifted flour along with baking powder into the sugar-egg mixture.
Beat the dough with a mixer until smooth for 1-2 minutes (or mix with a spoon).
The dough will turn out tender, similar to medium thick sour cream, it will flow from the spoon quite smoothly (as in the photo).
Add frozen berries to the dough (no need to defrost the berries).
Mix the dough with a spoon.
Line a baking dish (I bake charlotte in a thick-walled cast-iron frying pan with a diameter of 26 cm) with parchment paper (or grease with butter). Pour the dough into a baking dish and place in a preheated oven.
Once the cake has cooled completely, sprinkle with powdered sugar if desired. Charlotte cooked with frozen berries turns out tender, moderately sweet and very tasty; serve it with coffee or tea.
