Raspberry Charlotte

For the filling:
Add water to a large bowl and sprinkle with gelatin. Set aside.

Whisk together egg yolks and cornstarch. Set aside.

Add raspberries, sugar, butter and salt to a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk frequently and cook until the raspberries start to break down, about 4–6 minutes. Slowly add 1/2 cup of the hot raspberry mixture to the egg yolk/cornstarch mixture. Whisk continuously so you don’t scramble the egg yolks. Return the tempered mixture back into the saucepan and cook until the mixture bubbles and thickens, whisking constantly, about 1 minute.

Pour the raspberry mixture through a fine mesh strainer set over the bowl with gelatin, pressing the solids with a spatula until all that remains are the seeds. Discard seeds and stir until gelatin is dissolved. Let thicken at room temperature for 30 minutes.

For the jam:
Sprinkle gelatin over lemon juice in a small bowl and let sit for 5 minutes.

Heat the seedless raspberry jam in another small bowl in the microwave, 30 seconds at a time, until the jam is nice a fluid. Add the softened gelatin to the warm jam and whisk until combined. Set aside.

For the cake: Preheat oven to 350ºF. Lightly grease an 8-inch square and 8-inch round cake pan. Cut parchment paper to fit the bottom of each pan and lightly grease the parchment paper as well.

Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl.

In another bowl, whisk together oil, egg, water and vanilla extract. Whisk into flour mixture until smooth.

Using a stand mixer, whisk egg whites and cream of tartar on medium-high speed until soft peaks form, about 3–4 minutes.

Add 1/3 of egg whites to batter. Whisk gently until mixture is lightened. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold remaining egg whites into batter.

Pour 1 cup of the batter into the round cake pan and spread out evenly. Pour remaining batter into the square pan and spread out evenly. You want the cakes to be flat and not domed in the middle. Bake for 8–11 minutes, until the cake bounces back in the middle. You do not want the cakes to brown. The round cake will be done before the square cake since it has less batter. Just keep a close eye on them.

Allow cakes to cool in pans, on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Invert cakes directly onto the wire rack and remove parchment paper. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.

Once cooled, place round cake on a serving dish. Add 2 tablespoons of jam mixture on top. Spread it out over the surface of the cake with a small offset spatula. Place the ring from a 9-inch springform pan around the cake, leaving equal space on all sides. Leave clasp of ring loose.

Trim off 1/8 inch from all sides of the square cake. Spread out 2 more tablespoons of the jam mixture over the square cake. Cut into 4 equal-sized long strips.

Place each strip vertically around the round cake. Carefully nestle the ends together neatly. Once you have all the pieces together, fasten the clasp of the springform pan to close it.

Whisk heavy cream in a stand mixer until soft peaks form. Transfer 1/3 of the whipped cream into the raspberry curd we made earlier and gently whisk until mixture is lightened. Add in the rest of the whipped cream. Fold gently with a rubber spatula until it is mixed thoroughly and no white streaks are left.

Pour filling into the center of the cake ring. Spread out evenly. Drizzle the remaining jam mixture over the top. Swirl around with a knife in the center, being careful to not go into the cake edges. Place fresh raspberries around the edge. Refrigerate for at least 5 hours and up to 24 hours.

When unmolding, run a paring knife around the edge of the ring before releasing the clasp to be extra sure nothing sticks. Let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes before slicing and serving. Warm up a knife under hot water and wipe dry between cuts. This will make for neater slices.

Recipe from America’s Test Kitchen.