A Charlotte is a type of dessert. Bread or biscuits are used to line a mould, which is then filled with a fruit puree or custard. Apples or pears are the most common fruit used. Classically, stale bread dipped in butter was used as the lining, but sponge cake or sponge fingers may be used today. The filling may be covered with a thin layer of similarly flavoured gelatin.
Etymology
There is a lot of doubt surrounding the origins of the name charlotte. One etymology suggests it is a corruption of the Old English word charlyt meaning "a dish of custard." Meat dishes that were known as charlets were popular in the 15th century. Other historians say that this sweet dish took its name from Queen Charlotte (1744-1818), wife of George III. [1]
