Recipe for Royal Strawberry Charlotte

The day before, prepare the biscuit: preheat the oven to 200°C. Sift the flour and potato starch. Whip the egg whites, gradually adding the sugar while whisking at medium speed. They should form stiff peaks. Add the egg yolks and continue to beat at medium speed for 15 seconds. Gently fold in the flour and potato starch using a spatula. Pour the batter onto a baking sheet lined with greased parchment paper and bake at 200°C for 10 minutes. Prepare a second baking sheet on your work surface to unmold the sponge cake as soon as it comes out of the oven. Carefully remove the parchment paper, replace it with a new sheet, and let it cool. Spread it with jam and then roll it as tightly as possible. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours to make slicing easier.

In the meantime, prepare the cream: soak the gelatin sheets for 10 minutes in a large bowl of water. In a saucepan, heat the milk with the vanilla pod until it simmers and let it infuse for 30 minutes off the heat. Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until they lighten in color. Heat the milk again, then strain it and pour it over the egg yolk and sugar mixture, mixing well. Pour the preparation back into the saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the cream thickens slightly and coats the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and pour the cream into a mixing bowl. Add the well-drained gelatin and mix to incorporate it thoroughly. Let it cool for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.

Whip the very cold cream until stiff peaks form, then gently fold it into the custard, lifting the mixture carefully. Let it set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, then add the chopped strawberries and mix slightly again.

Take the biscuit out of the fridge and cut it into slices 1/2 cm thick. Line a 20 cm diameter bowl with plastic wrap, then place the slices of rolled biscuit tightly to cover the sides. Pour in the Bavarian cream and cover with the remaining slices.

To finish, place a heavy dish on top (or a small plate with a weight) to compress the dessert and refrigerate overnight. When ready to serve, turn the bowl upside down onto a plate, then remove the plastic wrap and decorate as desired (for those with a sweet tooth, you can brush on a lightly diluted strawberry jam), with red fruits (strawberries, raspberries).