The sponge-cake may be made with four eggs, one cupful of sugar, one and one-half cupfuls of flour, and two even tea-spoonfuls of yeast powder, or as described for sponge jelly-cake (see page 300).
To make an even sheet, professional cooks pass the cake batter through the _méringue_ bag on a large sheet of foolscap paper in rows which touch each other, and which run together smoothly when baking; or, without the _méringue_ bag, it may be spread over the sheet as evenly as possible. When baked, an oval piece is cut to fit the bottom of the _charlotte_ pan, then even-sized parallelograms are cut to fit around the sides. Fill with cream made as follows: Whip one pint of cream flavored with vanilla to a stiff froth, and add to it the well-beaten whites of two eggs, and one half-pound of pulverized sugar; mix it all lightly and carefully together. Fill the _charlotte_ pan, or pans, and put them into the ice-chest to set.
This is the best and simplest manner of making a _charlotte-russe_. Many take the trouble to add gelatine, which is unnecessary. Professor Blot made the filling of his _charlotte-russe_ of sweetened and flavored whipped cream only. It will harden without difficulty if placed upon the ice, and it is very delicate; yet the whites of eggs are an improvement. If there is only enough cake at hand to fit the sides of the pan, put a paper in the bottom of the mold cut to fit it, and the _charlotte_ can be served without a top.
These _charlottes_ are very prettily decorated on top with icing squeezed through a small-sized funnel; or, you may pour a transparent icing over the whole, and make the decoration over this with the common icing. Sometimes they are made in little molds, one _charlotte_ for each plate, and, again, a large _charlotte_ is decorated with a circle of strawberries around it.
Cream is much more easily frothed when placed on ice and thoroughly chilled before whipping; when whipping it, place the froth on a sieve, and all that drops through can be returned to the bowl to be rewhipped. Sometimes professional cooks work the froth with an egg-whisk to make it finer grained.
Slice peeled oranges. Make alternate layers of orange slices, sugar, and grated cocoa-nut, until a glass dish is filled, having grated cocoa-nut on top; now pour a little sherry wine over the top, to run through the mixtures. It is as often served without the wine.
