Charlotte Royal

Adopted from the RecipeZaar account. I haven't made it yet. This is a real royal dessert for a special occasion. There is quite a bit of work in the construction of this elegant dessert. It involves first making a jelly roll cake, then slicing it to form the shell for the Charlotte. Finally, the Charlotte is filled with a silky whipped cream filling, chilled and served much like a bombe.

• Ready In: 1 hr 5 mins
• Serves: 9

Ingredients

• Jelly Roll

• 4  eggs
• 2  egg yolks
• 1⁄2 cup sugar
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1  teaspoon vanilla
• 3⁄4 cup flour
• 1⁄4 cup cornstarch
• 3  cups  jam
•  confectioners' sugar

• Cream Filling

• 2  tablespoons gelatin
• 1⁄2 cup sugar
• 1  tablespoon lemon juice
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1⁄2 cups  whipping cream

Directions

1. To make the jelly roll, first preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Using an electric mixer, whip the eggs until light and frothy and lemony in color (about 5 minutes). Add the sugar and continue to mix until the sugar grains are completely disolved.
3. Sift together the dry ingredients (flour, cornstarch and salt) and add to the sugar and eggs. Finally, mix in the vanilla.
4. Line a jelly roll pan with parchment and lightly oil or prepare with cooking spray. Pour batter in pan and bake in oven about 25 minutes, until cake is browned and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
5. Remove from pan and place on a clean dishcloth dusted with confectioners sugar. Allow the jelly roll to cool 5 minutes. Trim hard edges off the cake to make the cake easier to roll. Remove parchment paper. Lightly spread 2 cups jam on the top of the cake and begin creating the jelly roll. Begin your roll from the narrow side of the cake and use the dishtowel to gently turn the cake on itself. (Remember to push back the towel as you roll the cake.) Continue rolling until done. Leave towel around the exterior to force the roll to retain the shape while cooling.
6. Once the cake is cool, cut into 1/4 inch slices and use slices to line a rounded (dome-shaped) casserole dish.
7. Warm the last cup of jam and brush on the inside of the jelly roll shell. You may not need the entire cup to do this.
8. To prepare the cream filling, dissolve the unflavored gelatin into a bowl with 2 tablespoons of warm water. Allow the gelatin to sit for 5 minutes.
9. Whip the heavy cream until it reaches the soft peak stage. Sprinkle in the salt and lemon juice. Whip in the gelatin, then the sugar 1 or 2 tablespoons at a time until the cream reaches the stiff peak stage.
10. Fold the cream mixture into the jell roll shell, smoothing to a uniform height. Cover with plastic and chill at least 3 hour, preferably overnight.
11. To serve, invert casserole dish onto serving plate. Slice and serve.