Taking a little break from holiday baking, I made this dessert for my sister’s birthday. For some reason, I had it in my head that I wanted to make a charlotte. I’d never made one before, and it just seemed like the thing to make for her day taught postgraduate programme.

I flipped through cookbooks and searched online and narrowed it down to two recipes. This recipe that is pictured above in all its delicious glory. And another one I won’t name. The one that nearly turned me off making any kind of desserts ever again.

That “other” recipe is actually the one I started out making. I read through it several times and thought it sounded great. About two-thirds of the way through trying to prepare it, I set down my hand mixer and told Quinn I wasn’t going any further. It’s not that it was necessarily complicated. I think it’s just not a good recipe bachelor degree with honours.

So, I threw out what I had made so far, except the ladyfingers which were already lining my springform pan and soaking up Kahlua. Quinn was kind enough to make a run to the grocery store to get a few things, and at 11pm I switched recipes.

In stark contrast from that “other” recipe, this one was simple and quick. It all made sense, which was a definite plus. Most importantly, it was so very good that I could hardly believe it. We all had very happy plates and had some leftovers to enjoy later. In fact, I still have a slice or two in the freezer that I must go tend to right now childrens backpacks.