No-Bake Chocolate Orange Charlotte Cake

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 366kcal

Author: Marvellina

No-bake chocolate orange charlotte cake made with layers of chocolate mousse, orange mousse, and stabilized whipped cream, set in ladyfinger cookies. A make-ahead, elegant dessert perfect for celebrations or just because!

Print Recipe

US Customary - Metric

Ingredients

Chocolate mousse:

205 g semi-sweet chocolate
75 g heavy cream at least 35% fat, for melting chocolate
305 g heavy cream at least 35% fat, for whipping
1 ¾ tsp unflavored gelatin powder
15 g water

Orange mousse:

2 tsp unflavored gelatin powder
22 g water
140 g orange juice concentrate thawed if frozen and let it come to room temperature
45 g powdered sugar
280 g heavy cream at least 35% fat

Stabilized whipped cream:

½ tsp gelatin powder
2 tsp water
185 g heavy cream at least 35% fat
28 g powdered sugar

For assembling the cake:

32 pieces lady fingers (savoiardi) plus more
Milk for dipping

Chocolate curls for decoration: (optional)

56 g semi-sweet chocolate
2 tsp unsalted butter or shortening

Other decoration: (optional)

dark chocolate bar to shave over the cake
orange zest

Instructions

Line the pan with lady finger cookies:

You can use 9-inch springform cake pan or 9-inch round cake pan with removable base. Line the bottom round with parchment paper
If you have an acetate sheet/cake collar for baking, you can line the side of the pan with it. It helps to make the cake looks neat and easier to release. Just leave it without lining if you don't have a cake collar
I line up the side of the pan with ladyfinger cookies, side by side.
Then line up the bottom of the pan with the cookies too. The bottom part is a bit tricky because the pan is round and you will have to cut the cookies into size to fit and there might be a little gap here and there. I won't worry too much about it as long as the gap is not too big. Set this aside and prepare the chocolate and orange mousse

When ready to assemble the cake:

Pour about 1/2 cup of milk into a shallow platter. Use a pastry brush to brush some milk on the cookies on the base.
Then brush the cookies lining up the side of the pan with milk, but only brush on the side that is facing inside. We want the cookies to be soft but they need to hold the shape well so they won't fall apart when you remove the cake from the pan. I use store-bought ladyfingers, which are usually way drier, crispier and thicker because they are meant for tiramisu, so I used up almost all of the milk here.

Prepare the chocolate mousse:

Place the chocolate and heavy cream in a heatproof bowl that you can set over a pot of simmering water to melt the chocolate. Make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water.
Place gelatin in a heatproof small bowl and add water to bloom the gelatin for 5 minutes. Then you can microwave on high for about 25-30 seconds or so or until it melts
You can also place the bowl of bloomed gelatin in a pot of boiling hot water to melt the gelatin. Make sure the gelatin really melts. It should turn clear when it melts and not cloudy
Stir the melted gelatin into the melted chocolate to combine
In another mixing bowl, add cold heavy cream and start whipping at a low-medium speed until just thickened, it won't hold any shape. Add 2-3 Tbsp of the whipped cream into the melted chocolate mixture to combine them.
Then pour the melted chocolate mixture into the whipped cream and whip again until medium-firm. Take care not to overwhip or the mousse will turn grainy and chunky.

Assemble the cake:

Pour this chocolate mousse into the pan. Smooth with a spatula. Put this into the freezer to let it semi-set quickly before we pour the second layer, the orange mousse
Give the mixing bowl and whip a quick rinse and dry them to prepare for the orange mousse

Prepare the orange mousse:

Like what you did for the chocolate mousse, place gelatin in the same heatproof small bowl you use earlier and add water to bloom the gelatin for 5 minutes. Then you can microwave on high for about 25-30 seconds or so or until it melts
Add this melted gelatin to the orange concentrate and combine
Add cold heavy cream and powdered sugar to the mixing bowl and start whipping at a low-medium speed until just thickened, it won't hold any shape. Add 2-3 Tbsp of the whipped cream into the melted chocolate mixture to combine them.
Add 2-3 Tbsp of the whipped cream into the orange mixture to combine them.
Then pour the orange mixture into the whipped cream. Whip again until medium-firm. Take care not to overwhip or the mousse will turn grainy and chunky. Give the mixing bowl and whisk a quick rinse again to use to prepare stabilized whipped cream

Continue to assemble the cake:

Get the cake out of the freezer and careully pour the orange mousse on top and then smooth with a spatula
Put this into the fridge while you prepare the final layer

Prepare stabilized cream:

Place gelatin in the same heatproof small bowl you use earlier and add water to bloom the gelatin for 5 minutes. Then you can microwave on high for about 25-30 seconds or so or until it melts
Add cold heavy cream and powdered sugar to the mixing bowl and start whipping at a low-medium speed until just thickened, it won't hold any shape. Add the melted gelatin into the whipped cream and continue to whip until medium-firm. Take care not to overwhip or the mousse will turn grainy and chunky.

Finish assembling the cake:

Spread the stabilized whipped cream on top of the orange mousse and use spatula to smooth the top

Chill in the fridge:

Put the cake in the fridge and let it chill for at least 8 hours to overnight

Prepare the chocolate curls (optional):

Place the chocolate and butter in a heat-proof bowl and set on top of a double boiler over medium low heat. When there are still a few chocolate remains, remove from the heat and keep stirring until all the chocolate has melted
Spread this as thinly as you can and the same thickness if possible on an inverted baking pan using an offset spatula
Put this in a freezer for 3-4 minutes or until firm. I find it easiest to use a plastic bench scraper to slowly scrape the chocolate. It will curl as you scrape. If it breaks instead of curling, the chocolate probably is a bit too firm and you can let it sit at room temperature for a minute or so and try again
If it sticks to your scraper and too soft to curl, the chocolate is not firm enough and stick it back into the freezer for a minute and try again. It is a trial and error with the timing because it also depends on the chocolate you use and how thick or thin you spread it. So the first few rounds will be a bit of experiment
Transfer the chocolate curls into a container using the scraper (try not to touch them with your fingers as they melt easily) and keep them in the fridge until you are ready to use them

When ready to serve:

Unlatch the clamp on the side of the springform pan or if you use round cake pan with removeable base, Push the cake up and remove the side of the pan and gently peel off the acetate sheet
Place the chocolate curls decoratively on top of the cake and sprinkle with some orange zest if you choose to use. I also shave a bit of chocolate over the top using a grater
To serve, slice every 2 or 3 pieces of ladyfingers (depending on how big of a slice you want)

How to store:

Leftover can kept in the fridge for 4-5 days. It also freezes well. I put each slice on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Put them in the freezer for about an hour, then individually wrap it with a cling wrap and transfer to a freezer-friendly container Keep in the freezer for up to one month for the best result. When ready to serve, remove the cling wrap and simply thaw in the fridge overnight or at the countertop until softened

Nutrition