Charlotte Malakoff (Almond Cream Charlotte)

The Charlotte Malakoff is a dessert steeped in history, celebrating the French capture of a Ukrainian town in 1855. While war is never worth celebrating, a rich dessert like this certainly is! With its fortress of ladyfingers encasing a kirsch-infused almond cream, topped with Chantilly cream and fresh berries, this French classic is both indulgent and celebratory.

Creating this dessert is an adventure that doesn’t demand perfection, as I quickly discovered. Despite my own deviations from the recipe, the result was delightful—a reminder that even kitchen mishaps can lead to sweet victories.

My first defeat was with the ladyfingers. Instead of saving the confectioner’s sugar to sprinkle on the piped fingers, I whisked both sugars with the egg whites and then folded in the yolks and flour. But I claim this as a victory since the ladyfingers survived and actually tasted yummy.

Without trouble, I whisked all the syrup ingredients together.

But the almond cream took a beating. Everything was going well at first. I softened the butter in the stand mixer and added the confectioner’s sugar, ground almonds and kirsch. But at this point, I forgot that I needed another ¾ cup of cream that was to be whisked to whipped cream status. Instead I proceeded to make the Chantilly cream and folded that in. So my almond cream had some extra vanilla and sweetness.

I admitted utter defeat when attempting to assemble this Malakoff. I dipped the cut ends of my less-than-perfect ladyfingers into the syrup and formed my weak fortress. I piped in my rogue almond cream (using a Ziploc bag and a fancy tip) and put it in the fridge where I hoped some magic would turn my unsightly Charlotte into a princess.

I surrender.

Recipe: Charlotte Malakoff (Almond Cream Charlotte)

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

Ladyfingers

3 eggs, separated

6 tablespoons granulated sugar

¾ cup cake flour, sifted

6 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar

Sugar Syrup

2 tablespoons cold water

2 tablespoons kirsch

2 tablespoons confectioner’s sugar

Almond Cream

¼ pound unsalted butter

½ cup confectioner’s sugar

4 oz finely ground almonds (about 1 cup)

3 tablespoons kirsch

¾ cup heavy cream

Chantilly Cream

¾ cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon confectioner’s sugar

Instructions:

1. Make the Ladyfingers:

• Preheat your oven to 350°F.
• Whisk egg whites until stiff peaks form, gradually adding granulated sugar.
• Fold in the egg yolks and sifted cake flour gently.
• Pipe the batter into ladyfinger shapes on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
• Dust with confectioner’s sugar and bake for 10–12 minutes or until golden.

2. Prepare the Sugar Syrup:

• Whisk together water, kirsch, and confectioner’s sugar until dissolved.

3. Make the Almond Cream:

• Cream butter with confectioner’s sugar in a mixer.
• Add ground almonds and kirsch, mixing until smooth.
• Whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks and gently fold it into the almond mixture.

4. Prepare the Chantilly Cream;

• Whisk heavy cream, vanilla, and confectioner’s sugar until soft peaks form.

5. Assemble the Charlotte:

• Dip the cut ends of the ladyfingers in the sugar syrup.
• Line a mold with the ladyfingers to form a “fortress.”
• Pipe in the almond cream, smoothing the surface.
• Chill for at least 2 hours.
• Top with Chantilly cream and fresh berries before serving.

You can find the recipe for Charlotte Malakoff (Almond Cream Charlotte) in the book Le Cordon Bleu at Home (affiliate link).

Tasting Notes
A bit boozy, so next time I would half the kirsch or leave it out. This dessert is definitely best with fresh berries to cut the richness, but the ladyfingers are charming.

More Charlottes
• Whisk: Charlotte aux Pommes, Crème Anglaise au Rhum (Apple Charlotte with Rum-Flavored Crème Anglaise)
• Whisk: Charlotte aux pommes, crème anglaise au Calvados (Apple Charlotte served with Calvados custard sauce)
• Tartelette: Strawberry Tartelette
• Bake or Break: Chocolate Charlotte
• Cannelle et Vanille: Summer Berry Charlotte

Links
Prepared Pantry: Ten Ways to Make Flavored Whipped Cream

Next Time
Crème pâtissière (Pastry cream) in Crêpes Soufflées au Cointreau (Souffléed Crêpes Flamed with Cointreau) page 182

::Whisk::

I'm baking my way through a cooking school curriculum using the Le Cordon Bleu at Home (affiliate link) cookbook. The "classes" are based on the Le Cordon Bleu curriculum found online and used as a guideline. Not all the items in the curriculum are in the cookbook, but most are. Where the items are not in the book, I try to find a suitable substitution.

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