Charlotte cake with English trifle

To prepare the charlotte cake with English trifle, start with the custard: pour the milk into a saucepan and flavor it with a pinch of salt 1, cinnamon 2, and lemon zest 3.

Also add the vanilla bean split in half lengthwise 4 and bring to just below boiling. Meanwhile, place the egg yolks in a bowl with the sugar 5 and mix well with a whisk. Once you have a creamy mixture, add the sifted corn starch and rice starch 6.

Mix with the whisk to incorporate the powders evenly 7. At this point, the milk will have come to a boil, so pour it into the bowl, filtering the liquid through a sieve 8, and mix everything with the whisk 9.

Put the mixture back into the saucepan 10 and let it thicken over low heat, stirring continuously 11. When the custard is ready, transfer two-thirds of it to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap touching the surface 12, and let it cool in the refrigerator for 3 hours.

Pour the remaining custard into another bowl, add the coarsely chopped chocolate 13, and mix with the whisk to melt it evenly 14. Cover with plastic wrap touching the surface 15 and let it cool in the refrigerator for the same amount of time.

In the meantime, prepare the soak: pour the water into a saucepan 16, add the sugar 17, and bring to a boil, stirring with a whisk 18.

When the sugar has dissolved, turn off the heat and let it cool slightly, then add the alchermes 19. Stir and let it cool at room temperature 20. Move on to the sponge fingers: pour the egg whites and sugar into a bowl and beat them until stiff peaks form (you can use a stand mixer or electric beaters) 21.

In another bowl, combine the egg yolks with the honey 22 and whisk them by hand. Add the egg yolk mixture to the stiff egg whites 23 and gently fold them in, mixing from the bottom up with a spatula 34.

Finally, sift the flour and cornstarch into the bowl 25 and mix again to combine, being careful not to deflate the mixture 26. Transfer the batter into a piping bag with a plain 1 cm (0.4 inch) nozzle. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and form about 20 sticks 8 cm (3 inches) long and 1.5-2 cm (0.6-0.8 inch) wide 27.

Dust the sponge fingers with plenty of powdered sugar 28 and bake in a preheated static oven at 392°F for about 9-10 minutes 29. Remove from the oven and set aside 30.

Use the remaining batter to form 3 disks with a diameter of 21 cm (8.3 inches), about 1 cm (0.4 inch) thick 31. Dust the disks with powdered sugar 32, then bake one tray at a time, still at 392°F, for 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside 33.

You're ready to assemble the cake: take a ring (or mold) with a diameter of 21 cm (8.3 inches) and use it to cut the sponge disks to size 34. Grease and line the inside of the ring with parchment paper, place it on a serving plate, and lay the first disk at the base 35, then brush it with the soak 36.

Retrieve the custards from the refrigerator and soften them by mixing with the whisk, then transfer them into 2 piping bags without nozzles. Distribute half of the classic custard on the first disk 37, then cover with the second disk 38 and brush with the soak. Fill the second layer with all the chocolate custard 39.

Finally, cover with the third disk 40, brush again with the soak, and add the remaining classic custard, leveling the surface well 41. Refrigerate the cake and let it set for at least 2-3 hours. Once this time has passed, create dark chocolate curls using a vegetable peeler 42.

Decorate the surface of the cake with the chocolate curls 43, then dust with unsweetened cocoa powder 44. Gently remove the ring and parchment paper from the sides 45.

Place the sponge fingers vertically along the entire edge of the cake, pressing lightly to adhere them 46, then wrap everything with a ribbon 47. Your charlotte cake with English trifle is ready to be served 48!