Confetti Crumb Cake Cookies

Just when you thought confetti cookies couldn’t get any more fun and cute, Confetti Crumb Cake Cookies have arrived! I took confetti cookies, also known as birthday cake cookies, over the top by adding confetti crumb topping and a drizzle of pale pink icing. For top level fun, I finished them with edible glitter.

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Confetti Crumb Cake Cookies
Vanilla cookies with white chocolate chips, rainbow sprinkles, crumb topping and icing drizzle
Servings
cookies
Ingredients
Confetti Crumb Topping
Confetti Cookies
Icing
Servings
cookies
Ingredients
Confetti Crumb Topping
Confetti Cookies
Icing
Instructions
Confetti Crumb Topping
  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt. Work the butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips until it looks like sand with no large chunks of butter. Stir in the sprinkles. Press the mixture together to form chunks. Set aside in the refrigerator while you make the cookie dough.
Confetti Cookies
  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line 2 large cookies sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
  3. In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar and brown sugar, with an electric mixer at medium speed, until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and egg yolk in two additions, making sure each one is incorporated before adding the next. Beat in the extracts.
  4. On low speed, beat in the flour mixture into the batter, just until combined. Stir in the white chocolate chips and the sprinkles.
  5. Form the cookie dough into 2-tablespoon size balls. Place them about 3 inches apart onto the cookie sheets. Flatten the dough balls slightly. Top each one generously with the crumb topping.
  6. Bake until the cookies are set and the edges start to turn light golden, about 11-13 minutes. (Be careful not to over bake to avoid drying out your cookies.) Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 1 minute, then transfer them to a cooling rack.
Icing
  1. In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, butter, vanilla and 1 tablespoon of milk. Add additional milk as needed to achieve your desired consistency. Using the tip of a toothpick, gradually add a tiny bit of food coloring and whisk until incorporated.
  2. Drizzle over the cooled cookies. Top with edible glitter if desired.
Recipe Notes

If your cookies spread too much, chill the dough for 20-30  minutes, then proceed with the recipe.

Lemon Bundt Cakes with Blueberry Cream Cheese Icing

Lemon Bundt Cakes with Blueberry Cream Cheese Icing

Say hello to springtime in cake form. These soft, fluffy, little lemon bundt cakes are bursting with lemon flavor and topped with a beautiful, delicious blueberry cream cheese icing. The icing gets it’s natural beauty from fresh blueberries. The colors and flavors of these cakes remind me of sunshine and spring blooms. I decorated my cakes with tiny blue violas from my garden. They would also look pretty topped with fresh chamomile flowers.

I used a bundtlette pan with six 1-cup servings. To find the pan I used, click here. This recipe also works as cupcakes using a standard muffin pan. The baking time will be a bit shorter. If you’re not a fan of blueberry icing, you can glaze the cakes with lemon icing instead. To find my lemon icing recipe, click here.

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Lemon Bundt Cakes with Blueberry Cream Cheese Icing
Soft, fluffy lemon bundtlette cakes topped with blueberry cream cheese icing
Course Dessert
Keyword cake, lemon bundts
Servings
Bundtlette cakes
Ingredients
Lemon Bundt Cakes
Blueberry Cream Cheese Frosting
Course Dessert
Keyword cake, lemon bundts
Servings
Bundtlette cakes
Ingredients
Lemon Bundt Cakes
Blueberry Cream Cheese Frosting
Instructions
Lemon Simple Syrup
  1. In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, lemon juice, and water over medium-low heat. Cook and stir gently just until the sugar is dissolved. Set aside to cool.
Lemon Bundt Cakes
  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Grease and flour a bundtlette pan with six 1-cup servings. Make sure to thoroughly grease and flour all of the crevices. (To find the pan I used, see note below.*)
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
  3. In a large bowl whisk together the sugar and lemon zest until well combined. Add the oil, eggs, and vanilla extract and whisk until smooth and well combined.
  4. In a small bowl, whisk together the milk and sour cream. Stir the flour mixture into the batter in 2 additions, followed by half of the milk mixture after each addition. Stir just until combined.
  5. Fill the cake pan wells half full with the batter. (If using a standard muffin pan, fill the wells 2/3 full.) Bake until the tops are springy and a toothpick inserted in the centers of the cakes comes out clean or with a few crumbs attached, about 14-16 minutes. Check for doneness a couple of minutes early to avoid over baking. (Baking time is shorter for a standard muffin pan.) Cool the cakes in the pan for 8 minutes, then turn the cakes out onto a cooling rack. Brush the warm cakes generously with lemon simple syrup.
Blueberry Cream Cheese Icing
  1. In a small saucepan, combine the blueberries, sugar and lemon juice. Stir occasionally over medium heat, until the blueberries start to soften and the mixture starts to bubble. Smash the blueberries with a potato masher or the back of a spoon. Let the mixture simmer gently until thickened to a jam consistency, about 2-3 minutes. Strain the cooked blueberries through a mesh sieve for a smooth consistency. You can skip this step if you prefer a chunky consistency. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
  2. In a medium bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Don't over beat. Cream cheese tends to curdle if beaten too much.
  3. Add the powdered sugar, vanilla and 2 tablespoons of milk and beat until smooth and well combined. Stir in the cooled blueberries until combined. Stir in more milk as needed to achieve your desired consistency. Spoon or drizzle the icing onto the cooled lemon cakes.
Recipe Notes

To find the bundt cake pan I used, click here.

Brownie Cheesecake Cookies

Brownie Cheesecake Cookies

If you love chocolate chip cheesecake, you’ll adore these Brownie Cheesecake Cookies. I took my favorite elements from brownies and chocolate chip cheesecake and combined them into a cookie. The brownie batter cookies are soft and chewy on the inside and crispy on the edges. The cheesecake filling is creamy and smooth and dotted with mini chocolate chips.

The cookie dough should be refrigerated for a few minutes to help make the dough easier to work with. A short amount of chilling time worked best for me. I had minimal spreading during baking, but If your cookies spread to much, you can form the dough balls, add the indentations and refrigerate them for 20-30 minutes, then proceed with the recipe.

Since it’s so close to St. Patrick’s Day, I also made a version with Irish cream filling. See the notes below.*

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Brownie Cheesecake Cookies
Brownie cookies with soft, chewy centers and crisp edges, filled with creamy cheesecake filling and mini chocolate chips.
Servings
cookies
Ingredients
Filling
Cookies
Servings
cookies
Ingredients
Filling
Cookies
Instructions
Filling
  1. In a small bowl, mix the cream cheese, sugar, heavy cream and vanilla extract together until smooth. Set aside 1 tablespoon of mini chocolate chips. Stir the remaining mini chocolate chips into the cream cheese mixture. Set aside in the refrigerator while you make the cookie dough.
Cookies
  1. Melt the chopped chocolate and butter together in a large bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water, making sure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl. Stir gently until smooth. Set aside to cool slightly. (Alternately, you can melt the chocolate in the microwave with short bursts.)
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla until smooth. Stir in the melted chocolate. Stir in the flour mixture just until combined. Fold in the mini chocolate chips.
  4. Refrigerate the cookie dough for 10-15 minutes to make it easier to work with. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  5. Roll 2-tablespoon (40g) size portions of cookie dough into balls. Place them onto the cookie sheet, about 3 inches apart. Press a 1-inch wide indentation into each cookie dough ball using a pastry tamper, the flat top of a bottle cap or with your thumbs. Spoon a generous 1 teaspoon of filling into each indentation. Sprinkle with the reserved mini chocolate chips.
  6. Bake until the edges are set and beginning to crack, about 9-11 minutes. Cool the cookies on the cookie sheet for 1-2 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack.
Recipe Notes

To make the Irish cream version of the filling, replace the heavy cream and vanilla extract with 2 teaspoons of Bailey's Irish cream liqueur.

Blueberry Cornmeal Tea Cakes with Honey Butter Icing

Blueberry Cornmeal Tea Cakes with Honey Butter Icing

If you’re looking forward to spring as much as I am, you’ll love these tender, fluffy Blueberry Cornmeal Tea Cakes. They taste like soft, sweet cornbread with the added freshness of juicy blueberries. The Honey Butter Icing adds the perfect, sweet finish. Who doesn’t love cornbread slathered with honey and butter? It’s a match made in heaven and it works so well on these delightful tea cakes.

I placed them upside down because they look more pretty and elegant that way. I added some fresh, pesticide free violas to the tops. They would also be cute decorated with fresh blueberries or chamomile flowers.

This versatile recipe can also be made into muffins by filling the muffin pan cups 2/3 full instead of 1/2 full. The baking time may be a little longer. Place the muffins right side up on the cooling rack.

To see the inside of the tea cakes, watch the TikTok video. Click here.

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Blueberry Cornmeal Tea Cakes with Honey Butter Icing
Sweet, soft cornbread cakes with blueberries, topped with honey butter icing
Servings
Ingredients
Blueberry Cornmeal Tea Cakes
Honey Butter Icing
Servings
Ingredients
Blueberry Cornmeal Tea Cakes
Honey Butter Icing
Instructions
Blueberry Cornmeal Tea Cakes
  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Grease and flour a 12-serving muffin pan*.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cornmeal, baking powder and salt.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, sour cream, oil, butter, vanilla and lemon zest until smooth.
  4. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until combined. Don't over mix. A few lumps are okay. Fold in the blueberries.
  5. Fill the muffin cups half full. Bake until the tops of the cakes are light golden, the tops are springy and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 14-16 minutes.
  6. Cool the cakes in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove them from the pan and place them upside down on a cooling rack. Top the cooled cakes with Honey Butter Icing.
Honey Butter Icing
  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, butter, honey, salt and 1 tablespoon of milk. Add additional milk as needed to achieve your desired consistency. Whisk until smooth.
Recipe Notes

To find the muffin pan I used, click here.

Strawberry Crumb Cake


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Strawberry Crumb Cake

Tender vanilla crumb cake topped with fresh strawberries, plenty of crumb topping and fresh strawberry icing

Keyword cake, strawberry

Servings


Ingredients
Crumb Topping

Cake

Fresh Strawberry Icing

Keyword cake, strawberry

Servings


Ingredients
Crumb Topping

Cake

Fresh Strawberry Icing


Instructions
Crumb Topping
  1. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, sugar , brown sugar and salt together.

  2. Work in the butter with your fingertips until the mixture looks like wet sand. Press it together to form chunks. Set aside in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Cake
  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line the bottom of an 8-inch cake pan with a removable bottom or an 8-inch springform pan, with parchment paper. Grease and flour the insides or line with a strip of parchment paper.

  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

  3. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed, until light and fluffy.

  4. Beat the egg, egg yolk and vanilla into the butter mixture in 3 separate additions, making sure each addition is incorporated before adding the next.

  5. In a small bowl, whisk the milk and sour cream together. On low speed, mix the flour mixture into the batter in two additions alternating with half of the milk mixture. Beat just until combined.

  6. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Smooth the batter with a spatula. Place the strawberries evenly on top of the batter. Sprinkle the crumb topping over the top.

  7. Bake until the topping is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 48-55 minutes. Do not over bake. Let the cake cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove it from the pan and transfer it to a cooling rack.

Fresh Strawberry Icing
  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and puréed strawberries. Add the half & half a little at a time until your desired consistency is achieved. Whisk until smooth. Drizzle over the cooled cake.


Recipe Notes

To find the cake pan I used, click here.

Strawberry Iced Madeleines

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Strawberry Iced Madeleines
Perfect heart-shaped madeleines with fresh strawberry icing
Course Dessert
Servings
madeleines
Ingredients
Course Dessert
Servings
madeleines
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl, mix together 1/2 cup (113g) of the melted butter with the lemon zest and vanilla extract. Set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside
  3. In a large bowl, beat the eggs and granulated sugar, with an electric mixer at medium-high speed, to ribbon stage, about 8 minutes. The batter should look thick, voluminous and light in color.
  4. Sift the flour mixture into the egg mixture in 2 additions, gently folding it in just until combined.
  5. Gently fold the butter mixture into the batter in 3 additions. Cover and refrigerate the batter for 30-45 minutes.
  6. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Brush the molds of a heart-shaped madeleine pan* with melted butter, making sure to get butter into all of the crevices.
  7. Scoop about a generous tablespoon of batter into each of the molds. Bake until the tops are puffed and springy and the edges start to turn light golden brown, about 8-10 minutes. Transfer the madeleines to a cooling rack.
  8. To make the icing, whisk the powdered sugar together with 1 tablespoon of melted butter and 2 tablespoons of puréed strawberries in a medium bowl. Add more of the puréed strawberries until your desired consistency is achieved.
  9. Brush the scalloped side of the cooled madeleines with the strawberry icing, using a small pastry brush. (Alternately, you can thin the icing with a bit of milk and dunk one side fo the madeleines into the icing.
Recipe Notes

To find the heart-shaped madeleine pan I used, click here.

Chocolate Love Potion Cookies

Chocolate Love Potion Cookies

You’ll fall in love with these bewitching double chocolate cookies with pistachios and rose petals. As if the chocolate chips weren’t enough, I topped them with pieces of dark chocolate which melt into heavenly little pools of deliciousness. You may have heard that chocolate is considered to be an aphrodisiac because it contains tryptophan and phenelethylamine. Tryptophen increases the mood booster serotonin in the brain. Phenelethylamine is released by the brain when you fall in love. Pistachios are also considered to be natural aphrodisiacs and these cookies contain plenty of pistachios! The rose petals add a touch of romance to finish off the perfect love potion cookies.

If you’re not a fan of pistachios, feel free to substitute your favorite toasted nuts. If you want to skip the nuts all together, make sure to replace them with another add-in, because the nuts provide structure to the cookies. I recommend dried cherries or white chocolate chips as a nice alternative.

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Chocolate Love Potion Cookies
Double chocolate cookies with chocolate chips and pistachios topped with pools of melted chocolate, chopped pistachios and dried rose petals
Servings
cookies
Ingredients
Servings
cookies
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
  3. In a separate large bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar, with an electric mixer at medium speed, until light and fluffy.
  4. Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla in 3 separate additions and beat until incorporated. Beat in the flour mixture just until combined.
  5. Fold in the chocolate chips and pistachios.
  6. Form the dough into 18 2-tablespoon size portions, about 2 ounces (57g) each. Form the portions into 2-inch heart shapes. (They don't have to be perfect, because the cookies are going to spread as they bake.) Place the heart shapes on a tray. Cover and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes.
  7. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Place 6 heart shapes on each cookie sheet, about 3 inches apart. Top each one with a piece of chocolate bar. I placed my chocolate pieces on the upper left of each cookie. Bake the cookies until the tops look set, about 10-11 minutes. Be careful not to over bake the cookies or they'll be more difficult to shape into hearts.
  8. Remove the cookies from the oven and immediately use a large, metal heart-shaped cookie cutter to shape the hot cookies. Place the cookie cutter onto the cookie sheet over each cookie and slide it up and down a couple of times, then slide it side to side a couple of times. Work quickly before the cookies set. Let the cookies cool on the pan for 2-3 minutes, then transfer them to a cooling rack. Top the cookies with chopped pistachios and rose petals before the melted chocolate sets.
Recipe Notes

To find culinary rose petals, click here.

To find the cookie cutter I used, click here.

Caramel Apple Blossoms

Caramel Apple Blossoms by Brownie Mischief

Whether you call them apple blossoms, apple dumplings or apple fussbudgets, (which are named after your great grandfather’s second wife’s cousin), these are cute little apple pastries. I made them because I was craving apple pie, but I didn’t have enough apples to bake one. I didn’t invent them, and I don’t know who did, but I’ve had frozen ones and I’ve seen them on restaurant menus. I thought it would be fun to make them, and it was! I could’ve just put some pie dough in muffin cups and made quick little pies, but flower shaped things automatically get extra points for cuteness. And if you know me, you know I love my cute bakes!

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Caramel Apple Blossoms
Course Dessert
Keyword pastry
Servings
blossoms
Ingredients
Topping
Course Dessert
Keyword pastry
Servings
blossoms
Ingredients
Topping
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl, toss apples with lemon juice until combined.
  2. Add brown sugar, sugar, melted butter, flour, cinnamon and salt to apples. Stir until combined.
  3. In a medium bowl, mix together all topping ingredients. Set aside.
  4. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
  5. On a lightly floured surface, roll pie dough to 1/8-inch thickness.
  6. Cut out 12 5-inch blossom shapes, re-rolling dough as necessary.*
  7. Lightly mark a 2-inch circle in the center of each blossom. Make cuts between the petals to separate them, just up to the edge of the center circle.
  8. Top each blossom with about 2 generous tablespoons of apples.
  9. Brush dough petals with egg wash. Form blossoms by lifting and overlapping each petal 1/2-inch in a spiral pattern similar to a rose. Tuck the last petal under. Press petals together to seal so filling won't leak out.
  10. Top each with a spoonful of topping. Place in refrigerator to chill for 30 minutes. Don't skip this step. This will help blossoms keep their shape.
  11. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Brush blossom dough all over with egg wash. Wipe any drips off of parchment paper. Bake until crust is golden brown and filling is starting to bubble, about 23-28 minutes.
  12. Drizzle blossoms with caramel sauce.
Recipe Notes

*When re-rolling pie dough, cover and let rest for several minutes to help avoid shrinkage.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Mini Muffins

My mom had a cupboard in the kitchen containing a few old cookbooks that she rarely used. As a child, I used to enjoy perusing them and looking at the baked treats. Some of the cookbooks were so old, they had black and white photos or even just drawings of the food. The ones with drawings interested me because they depicted smiling children enjoying the treats.

When I started learning to bake, I found a recipe for French Breakfast Puffs in one of those old books. The title sounded so fancy, but they were really just simple muffins dunked in butter and rolled in cinnamon sugar. I have no idea what the name of the cookbook was or what happened to it, but the delicious muffin recipe stuck around for a while. I’ve tweaked the recipe so many times over the years, and most recently, I added pumpkin to it. These Pumpkin Cinnamon Mini Muffins are one of the best versions I’ve created. The inside texture of the muffins is soft and moist and it contrasts nicely with the slight crunch you get from the cinnamon sugar on the outside. They look so cute too, like little pumpkins, and they definitely make children smile!

To watch the TikTok video of these mini muffins being made, click here.

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Pumpkin Cinnamon Mini Muffins
Servings
mini muffins
Ingredients
Muffins
Topping
Servings
mini muffins
Ingredients
Muffins
Topping
Instructions
Muffins
  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease and flour a 24-serving *mini muffin pan.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg.
  3. In a large bowl, beat sugar, oil, egg and pumpkin purée until smooth.
  4. Stir in flour mixture just until combined. A few lumps are okay. Batter will be thick.
  5. Transfer batter to prepared pan, about a scant 2 tablespoons of batter in each muffin cup.
  6. Bake until toothpick inserted into muffins comes out clean, about 11-13 minutes. Do not over bake! Be diligent, since over baking can happen very quickly with mini muffins.
  7. Let muffins cool in pan for 5 minutes. Turn muffins out onto a cooling rack.
Topping
  1. Combine sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl.
  2. Dunk warm muffins in melted butter, then roll in cinnamon sugar.
Recipe Notes

To find the mini muffin pan I used, click here.

Chocolate Turtle Drop Cookies

A chocolate turtle is a confection made with caramel and pecans. The shape resembles a turtle, which is how it got the name. This is my version of a turtle cookie, loaded with plenty of delicious add-ins.

Print Recipe
Chocolate Turtle Drop Cookies
Chocolate cookies loaded with chopped chocolate, caramel chips, and toffee bits, topped with pecans.
Course Dessert
Keyword chocolate, cookies
Servings
cookies
Ingredients
Course Dessert
Keyword chocolate, cookies
Servings
cookies
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt.
  3. In a separate large bowl, cream the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar together with an electric mixer at medium speed, until light and fluffy.
  4. Beat in the eggs and vanilla in three separate additions, making sure each addition is incorporated before adding the next. Beat in the flour mixture just until combined.
  5. Set aside 20 chunks of the chopped chocolate. Fold the remaining chopped chocolate, the caramel chips and the toffee bits into the dough.
  6. Place twenty 2-inch size portions of dough about 2-inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets. (I used a #24 portion scoop*)
  7. Top each cookie with a chunk of the reserved chocolate and a pecan half. Bake until the surface of the cookies is set, about 10-11 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet for 1 minute then transfer to a cooling rack.
Recipe Notes

To find the portion scoop I used, click here.

Peaches and Cream Loaf Cake

Every peach season, I get excited by the abundance of peaches at my local farmers market and I end up buying way too many. So if you’re like me and you have ripe peaches sitting on your counter, turn them into peach purée. I love adding peach purée to my iced tea or adding it to desserts like this moist, tender cake. This is one of my most popular cake recipes on social media, and for good reason. It does not disappoint! To watch the TikTok video, click here.

Print Recipe
Peaches and Cream Loaf Cake
Moist, tender peach cake with peach cream cheese icing
Keyword cake, peach
Servings
loaf
Ingredients
Cake
Icing
Keyword cake, peach
Servings
loaf
Ingredients
Cake
Icing
Instructions
Cake
  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line the bottom of an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan with parchment paper. Grease and flour the sides.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
  3. Set aside 2 tablespoons peach purée for icing.
  4. In a large bowl, beat sugar, oil, eggs, remaining peach purée and extracts until smooth.
  5. Add flour mixture and beat just until combined.
  6. Transfer batter to prepared baking pan. Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 38-45 minutes.
  7. Let cake cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely. Spread icing on cooled cake.
Icing
  1. In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth.
  2. Add powdered sugar, salt, vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon of peach purée. Beat until smooth. Add additional peach purée, if needed, until desired consistency is reached. Fold in diced peaches.

Little Strawberry Charlotte

Little Strawberry Charlotte

Meet Little Strawberry Charlotte. She brings romance with her wherever she goes. Whether it’s a tea party, a birthday celebration or a romantic dinner, you’ll gaze at her beauty and sigh. This lovely Charlotte has luscious strawberry mascarpone cream filling layered with lady fingers and topped with fresh strawberries. I used store bought lady fingers to make life easier but you can certainly bake your own if you wish. I typically make this in spring or summer when the weather is warm and strawberries are plentiful. But since my local stores start carrying an abundance of strawberries around Valentine’s Day, I thought it would be a perfect time to make this pretty little Charlotte.

Print Recipe
Little Strawberry Charlotte
A pretty no-bake dessert layered with strawberry mascarpone cream filling and lady fingers and topped with fresh strawberries.
Course Dessert
Keyword cake, strawberry
Servings
Ingredients
Simple Syrup
Strawberry Charlottte
Course Dessert
Keyword cake, strawberry
Servings
Ingredients
Simple Syrup
Strawberry Charlottte
Instructions
Simple Syrup
  1. Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.
  2. Heat and stir until sugar is dissolved. Do not boil.
  3. Remove from heat and transfer to a small shallow bowl or dish wide enough to dip ladyfingers. Stir in extract.
Strawberry Charlotte
  1. In a blender or food processor, puree strawberries. Pass through a mesh sieve to strain out seeds.
  2. In a medium saucepan, combine strawberry puree and sugar. Cook over medium heat until sugar is dissolved, about 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat.
  3. Set aside two tablespoons of strawberry puree mixture. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
  4. Place water in a small bowl and sprinkle with gelatin powder. Whisk together and let sit until dissolved, about 5 minutes.
  5. Add gelatin mixture to warm strawberry puree and whisk until thoroughly combined. Set aside to cool.
  6. In a large bowl, beat mascarpone cheese with an electric mixer on medium speed, until smooth. Add strawberry puree and and extracts. Beat until well combined.
  7. In a separate large bowl, whip heavy cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until medium peaks form. Be careful not to over whip the cream or it will look curdled.
  8. Fold whipped cream into mascarpone mixture.
  9. Optional: Line the bottom of your springform pan with a cake board if you don't want to serve it on the pan base.
  10. Slice the round end off of 16 ladyfingers. Dunk them briefly in the simple syrup then line them up along the inner sides of a 7-inch by 3 inch deep *springform pan. (Typically you would line them smooth side in facing the filling, but I placed mine smooth side out because I wanted a smooth look on the outside and it makes removal from the pan easier.)
  11. Line the bottom snuggly with ladyfingers, cutting to fit where necessary.
  12. Top with half of the filling mixture, about 2 cups. Then top with a layer of ladyfingers, cutting to fit as with the bottom layer.
  13. Top with remaining filling. Smooth the top with a small offset spatula.
  14. Cove with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator at least 4 hours.
  15. Carefully remove the springform pan ring from the base. Separate the base from the cake board, if using. Garnish with fresh strawberries. Brush strawberries with reserved strawberry puree mixture. Tie a clean ribbon around the finished Charlotte.
Recipe Notes

*To find a 7-inch springform pan, click here.