Prune Charlotte
Ingredients
Directions
Prepare the prunes
Soak the prunes in cold water for 5 minutes.
Stew the prunes for 1 hour, then let them cool.
Remove the pits and chop the prunes finely.
Make the filling
Whip the cream until stiff, then fold in the chopped prunes.
Assemble and chill
Line a dish with sponge cake and fill the center with the prune cream.
Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Prunes
- Provide the main fruit flavor and sweetness, and moisture once stewed and chopped.
- Heavy cream
- Whipped to stiffness, it gives the filling a light, airy, rich texture.
- Sponge cake
- Forms the structure of the charlotte and soaks up moisture from the filling.
The step that matters
Whip the cream until stiff. Cream must be whipped just to stiff peaks so it holds its air when folded with the prunes. Overwhipping can turn it grainy and cause it to separate, while underwhipping leaves the filling soft and runny.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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