Charlotte with Curd Cheese and Forest Berries
·Unwrap the ladyfingers
Unwrap the ladyfinger biscuits and arrange them on a plate. You'll need both hands free later on, so there won't be time to fiddle with packaging once you start. I use Tastino ladyfingers from Lidl, as they're great value and taste really good.
Whip the curd cheese with sugar
Put all the curd cheese (5 tubs) into a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Sweeten with sugar to taste and whip until smooth and creamy. The amount of sugar is really up to you. Add the fruit as well and whip again — it will partly break down and give the cream a lovely colour.
Cream with gelatine
Bring the whipping cream to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from the heat and stir in the whole sachet of gelatine. Whisk thoroughly with a whisk to make sure there are no lumps.
Whisk into the curd cheese mixture
While whisking slowly and continuously, pour the cream-gelatine mixture into the curd cheese mixture. Then increase the speed and whisk everything together thoroughly.
Line the tin with ladyfingers
Cut a circle of baking paper to fit the base of a springform cake tin. Line the base with round sponge fingers, leaving the edges free — that's where the long ladyfinger biscuits will be propped up against the sides.
Secure with cream
The long ladyfinger biscuits will likely stick up above the rim of the tin, but that's completely fine. To stop them toppling over, place them around the edge in groups of four or five at a time, dabbing a couple of spoonfuls of cream behind each group to hold them in place.
Add the rest of the curd cheese cream
There's no need to rush — work carefully so the ladyfingers don't fall over. Once the biscuits are standing all the way around the tin, carefully pour in the remaining cream and smooth the surface.
Arrange the fruit
Arrange the fruit over the cream and press it in gently. Chill in the fridge for several hours, ideally until the next day. If using frozen fruit, make sure it's fully thawed and well drained in a sieve first.
Serving
Before serving, dust the top with icing sugar. Slice very carefully with a large, sharp knife, dipping it into hot water and wiping it dry before each cut.
