No-bake Charlotte Cake – Keke Hāriata Kore-tunu
Do you want a stand out purini (dessert) that blows everyone away with its beauty but you don’t actually turn the oven on? Tau kē (awesome), I have got you covered. I made this recipe a couple of years back, inspired from a similar cake I made when I was a contestant on The Great Kiwi Bake Off. During our challenge we had to make everything from scratch, including the lady fingers. They are actually super delicious homemade but I know not everyone wants to go that far. Nō reira (so), here is my Keke Hāriata (Charlotte Cake) that has lady fingers around the edge. We soak the ends of the fingers in Doris Plum Juice (or you could use canned boysenberry juice) and they act as the base. A tiakarete parauri (dark chocolate) is the bottom layer and a tiakarete miraka (milk chocolate) mousse create the top of the keke (cake). We top the mousse with paramu kua penupenua (mashed Doris plums) or poihanapere (boysenberries) and layer hua (berries) on top! Karawhuia e hoa mā – go for it friends, you won’t regret it!
No-bake Charlotte Cake – Keke Hāriata Kore-tunu
A doubled layered chocolate mousse cake wrapped in lady fingers, complimented with flavours of fresh berries. A great Christmas dessert or a cake for any celebration!
Servings 1 large cake (12-14 servings)
Ingredients
The Lady Fingers – Ngā Matimati Kōpunga
- 200 g matimati kōpunga (sponge fingers, lady fingers)
- 1 can (425 g) paramu pango (black Doris plums, from) You can also swap this for a can of boysenberries.
The Dark Chocolate Layer – Te Paparanga Tiakarete Parauri
- 3 tbsp wai (water)
- 1 tsp paura tetepe (gelatine powder, I use Mrs Rogers)
- 150 g tiakarete parauri (dark chocolate, 60% is best)
- ⅓ C miraka (milk)
The Cream – Te Kirīmi
- 250 g kirīmi tepe (creme fraiche)
- 435 ml (1 ¾ C) kirīmi (cream)
- ¾ C puehu huka (icing sugar)
- 1 tbsp wanira (vanilla)
The Milk Chocolate Layer – Te Paparanga Tiakarete Miraka
- 1 tsp paura tetepe (gelatine powder)
- 3 tbsp wai (water)
- 150 g tiakarete miraka (milk chocolate, 33%)
- ⅓ C miraka (milk)
The Decorations – Ngā Whakarākei
- 8 paramu (plums from the can) or the poihanapere (boysenberries) from the can.
- Kiri ārani (orange zest, of ½ an orange)
- 250 g rōpere (strawberries, optional)
- 100 g parakipere (blackberries, optional)
- 100 g tūturu (blueberries, optional)
- Handful of micro basil (optional)
Instructions
The Lady Fingers – Ngā Matimati Kōpunga
- Cut 2 cm off each matimati kōpunga (sponge fingers). Leave the small pieces to the side. Line a 20 cm, loose base cake tin, 7 cm high with the lady fingers. Place the cut side on the base, and the sugar side against the tin.
- You will have a few matimati kōpunga (sponge fingers) left over. Cut them in to small pieces too.
- Pour around ½ cup of juice from the paramu (plums) or poihanapere (boysenberries) into a small bowl. Reserve the fruit for later. Soak the lady finger pieces in the juice for 5 seconds and place them in the base of the cake tin. Add the juice until all the pieces are a little soft. Smooth them out with the back of your spoon. Leave to the side.
The Dark Chocolate Layer – Te Paparanga Tiakarete Parauri
- Add the wai (water) in to a small bowl. Sprinkle over the paura tetepe (gelatine powder) and stir. Leave to bloom.
- Add 3 cm of wai (water) in to pot and heat over low heat. Add the tiakarete parauri (dark chocolate) and miraka (milk) in to a heat proof bowl that is wider than your pot. Add the bowl on to the pot and melt the tiakarete (chocolate), stirring occasionally. Once melted, remove from the heat. Cool to room temperature for 5 minutes.
- Melt the bloomed gelatine in the microwave for 20 seconds. Cool for 5 minutes, then stir it in to the melted tiakarete (chocolate). Allow to cool as you make the kirīmi (cream).
The Cream – Te Kirīmi
- Add the kirīmi tepe (creme fraiche), kirīmi (cream), puehu huka (icing sugar) and wanira (vanilla) in to a bowl. Whip until thick.
- Divide this kirīmi in to three parts. ½ cup is reserved for the topping, leave it in the fridge until needed. Split the remaining kirīmi (cream) in to two. Half (around 2 cups) is set aside for the milk chocolate layer. Refrigerate.To the remaining 2 cups of kirīmi (cream), fold through the tiakarete parauri (dark chocolate) mixture. Add it in 3 parts, folding after each addition.
- Pour it in to the prepared cake tin. Chill for 45 minutes.
The Milk Chocolate Layer – Te Paparanga Tiakarete Miraka
- Once chilled, prepare the paparanga tiakarete miraka (milk chocolate layer).
- Add the wai (water) in to a small bowl. Sprinkle over the paura tetepe (gelatine powder) and stir. Leave to bloom.
- Add the tiakarete milk (milk chocolate) and miraka (milk) in to a heat proof bowl. Melt it as you did with the dark chocolate, stirring occasionally. Once melted, remove from the heat and cool to room temperature.
- Melt the bloomed gelatine in the microwave for 20 seconds. Cool for 5 minutes, then stir it in to the melted tiakarete (chocolate).
- Once this mixture is room temperature, fold it through the reserved 2 C kirīmi (cream). Add the chocolate in 3 parts, folding after each addition. Please note: This layer in the video was a disaster! It should not look runny like that so
- Chill for at least 4 hours or you can have this in the fridge for up to 5 days before serving. Before you are ready to serve, prepare the toppings!
The Decorations – Ngā Whakarākei
- Remove the stones from the paramu (plums). Mash the paramu (plums) or poihanapere (boysenberries) in a small bowl. Add the kiri ārani (orange zest) Stir. Take the chilled cake out of the fridge. Wrap it in a ribbon of your choosing. Add it a serving plate (I keep it on the cake tin base to serve).
- Spread the left over ½ cup kirīmi on to the top of the set cake. Add the paramu (plums) or poihanapere (boysenberries). Arrange the rōpere (strawberries) around the edge. Add the tūrutu (blueberries) in the middle. Adorn with pāhiri (basil) if you are using it.
- Present it to your manuhiri (guests) and listen to the wow's!
If the filling is quite thick, does that stop it leaking out between the lady fingers? And could I make it the night before and will the lady fingers still be crispy? My birthday is boxing day and I am making a strawberry sponge version inspired by this cake. Sponge on the bottom, strawberry mousse layer; sponge layer; white choc mousse layer; sponge layer; strawberries in jelly layer on top; piped cream and strawberries to decorate! I think the lady fingers around the outside will be just the perfect finish!
Kia ora, if you are doing a strawberry mousse it is hard to know if you will seep through as I haven’t made the recipe that way. But, yes thicker is better! The sponge fingers should stay crisp depending on the moisture from the other ingredients, again, it is hard to tell if you are changing the recipe. All the best with your creation!
Kia ora! This looks delicious! I am wondering if I can sub the gelatine for agar for my vegetarian friends?
Thank you!
Kia ora Ella, yes, you totally can. The only thing is do the research on agar agar first as it requires a different treatment before adding it in to the mousse. Let me know how it goes!
This was so easy and delicious, and not having to turn the oven on is an absolute win for a summery Christmas! I was worried about getting it out of the tin, but the chocolate layers set against the lady fingers and keeps everything nicely in place. I did forget the plums on top, but was yum with the cream and berries anyway. Perfect Christmas dessert
Yay, I’m so glad it all worked for you Jody! It is such a showstopper of a recipe and has great flavours aye. Thanks for the great feedback!
An absolute hit with friends for Xmas, even with one that doesn’t like dessert! The perfect blend of chocolate and fruit, it was easy to make and looked super impressive. Another great recipe 🥰
Yes Rachelle, I love how impressive it looks too! So good to hear you enjoyed it!
Was so delicious. Such a simple recipe to follow and I made this 3 days in advance, there was no leakage amd looked amazing. The perfect accompaniment for our Christmas Day.
Yes!!!! I love that you made it three days ahead, I’m sure it tasted delicious! So glad that you enjoyed it!
Was so delicious. Such a simple recipe to follow and I made this 3 days in advance, there was no leakage amd looked amazing. The perfect accompaniment for our Christmas Day.
Great recipe-fun to make and so clear and easy to follow the instructions
Was a hit with the family
I did have a little seepage from the mousse into the bottom edges of the savoirdi so I just layered cherries around the outside to cover it
Many thanks Naomi
Kia ora Bronwyn, I love that you knew how to fix the seepage! Maybe you used a touch too much juice with the lady fingers! So glad you enjoyed it though! So awesome to hear!
Ka rawe! This was absolutely awesome. So delicious, looked stunning and beautiful layers when sliced. The instructions were simple to follow and I prepared it over 24 hours before our Christmas meal. It was a total hit and unfortunately very little leftover because I would’ve loved some for breakfast the next day too… it tasted divine. Thank you so very much for sharing Naomi ♥️
Tēnā koe Kerry, I love that you nailed this recipe and enjoyed it with your whānau! Maybe next time, sneak a little piece for the next day he he. I love having dessert during any time of the day for Boxing Day!
I also made your Chilled Lemon and White Chocolate cheesecake which was also out the gate amazing! It was a bit of a Whānau Kai cookbook Christmas too, thanks Naomi… you’re a legend 🤩
Woo hoo! I made it for Christmas Day too! What an honour that my recipes made your Christmas table!