Coconut, Mango and Lime Charlotte Royal
If past Pastalove articles aren’t any indication, then I really do love baking. To me, there’s nothing that says I love you or I care about you more than a home-baked dessert or other baked good, and I am not afraid of a little challenge now and then.
Today’s dessert in question will be a stunning-looking, supposedly difficult Charlotte Royal. For anyone who didn’t know, a Charlotte Royal is a dome of a set mousse or cream surrounded by rolls of cake. They are notoriously difficult to make, but sometimes you just need to take a chance and hope that things turn out delicious.
This Charlotte Royal, made by host of The Great British Baking Show Junior Ravneet Gill will feature a coconut bavarois, a lime sponge cake rolled up with a mango curd and garnished with a lime Swiss meringue. It sounds like a lot, but have no fear. The key to desserts like this is to work with one component at a time and make sure you understand what sort of textures and flavors you should be looking for.
Let’s get into it!
Serves 10
Difficulty: Medium
Time: 4 hours plus chilling
For the Coconut Bavarois:
2 tablespoons of unflavored powdered gelatin
1 can (14 oz) of full-fat coconut milk
4 medium eggs, separated. (Yolks will be used here, whites will be used for a meringue later on)
1/3 cup of sugar
3/4 cup of heavy cream
For the Lime Sponge Cake:
4 medium eggs
1 cup of sugar
Grated zest and juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil
3-4 drops of gel-based green food coloring
1 cup of self-rising flour
For the Mango Curd:
1 1/3 cups of mango puree (or canned mango blended in a food processor)
1/4 cup of sugar
1 tablespoon of cornstarch
1 medium egg
1 medium egg yolk
6 tablespoons of cold, cubed unsalted butter
For the Lime Swiss Meringue
4 medium egg whites, reserved from making the bavarois
1 2/3 cups of sugar
1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar
Grated zest and juice of 1/2 lime
3-4 drops of gel-based green food coloring
Step 1: Make the Coconut Bavarois Base
(In case you didn’t know, a bavarois is basically a custard set with gelatin that has whipped cream mixed into it. I’m doing this first because it needs a while to cool.)
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Sprinkle the gelatin powder over some cold water and let that sit and bloom for at least 5 minutes. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan, combine the coconut milk, egg yolks, and sugar then cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat then stir in the bloomed gelatin, there’s no need to put the custard back on the heat at this point.
Once the gelatin is dissolved, pass through a strainer to remove any little bits of egg that may have curdled, cover directly with plastic wrap, then let it cool completely on the counter. You don’t want to put it in the fridge because if the gelatin sets, it’ll be difficult to mix in the cream later on.
Step 2: Make the Lime Sponge Cake
Grease and line a large baking sheet with either parchment or silicone mats.
In the bowl of an electric mixer with a whisk attachment, beat the eggs and sugar for about 5 minutes, or until they’re pale, have tripled in volume, and is very thick. Add the lime zest, lime juice, oil, and food coloring (enough to get a lime green color), then beat to combine.
Sift in the flour, then gently fold until the batter is smooth. Pour and spread the cake batter out onto the prepared pan, then bake for 12-15 minutes.
As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, invert onto another sheet of parchment paper then carefully roll up the cake into a log and let that cool completely.
Step 3: Make the Mango Curd
Combine the mango puree, sugar, cornstarch, egg, and egg yolk in a small saucepan then cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it starts to thicken.
Remove from the heat, add the butter, and continue whisking until the butter is melted and the curd is smooth. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, or until the curd is very thick and glossy. Pass through a strainer, then chill it to cool.
Step 4: Finish the Coconut Bavarois
Whip the heavy cream with an electric beater until it forms stiff peaks. Then gently fold it into the cooled coconut custard until it’s combined evenly, and that’s your bavarois.
Step 5: Roll and Assemble
(This part is the most technical, so pay attention.)
Line the inside of a large bowl with a few sheets of plastic wrap. Oh, and make sure there’s a bit of room in your freezer.
Carefully unroll the cooled cake, then spread on all of the mango curd. Once again, carefully roll the cake up into a tight log using the sheet of parchment below to help you. Chill the log for 10 minutes to secure the roll.
Trim the ends, then cut the cake log into 1 centimeter thick rounds. Place one of the cake slices onto the bottom of the lined bowl, then use more discs to cover the entire bottom and sides of the bowl, making sure to press down a bit to ensure there are no gaps.
Pour the coconut bavarois into the cake-lined bowl, then transfer to the freezer for 15 minutes.
Remove from the freezer then place the remaining cake discs on top of the now-firm bavarois, using any trimmings if necessary and cutting the cake a bit if you have to to ensure there are no gaps and the top is fully covered. Freeze for at least 30 minutes.
Step 6: Make the Lime Swiss Meringue
Combine all ingredients for the Swiss meringue in a microwave safe bowl, then heat in the microwave at 15 second intervals, whisking between each interval, until the mixture has reached 150 degrees
Once hot, transfer to a stand mixer with a whisk attachment and whisk on medium-high speed until firm, glossy peaks have formed, and the mixture has cooled.
Opt. transfer the meringue to a piping bag lined with a large star tip.
(Um….ok, confession time…my meringue did not work out. I don’t know if it was humidity or not heating up the egg whites long enough, I just couldn’t get it to firm peaks. But you know what? That’s ok, because sometimes things just don’t work out the way we hope.)
Step 7: Invert and Decorate
Turn the chilled Charlotte Royal out onto a serving platter or revolving cake stand and remove the plastic wrap.
Pipe rosettes or swirls of the Swiss meringue then carefully blowtorch the meringue to get it light and golden brown.
So, the verdict on this Charlotte Royal is…it’s fantastic!
The coconut bavarois is set but also has a nice melt-in-your-mouth creaminess with a nice hint of coconut flavor, the sponge cake is nicely baked and has a lime flavor that pairs wonderfully with the tart, rich mango curd. And I’m sure that if my lime meringue worked out, it would’ve provided extra lime flavor and a bit of moisture.
