Charlotte Malakoff

Ingredients:
165 gr. of butter
140 gr. of sugar
5 tablespoons of coffee liqueur
280 ml of strong dark coffee
110 gr. of crushed almonds
140 ml of thick cream
140 ml of light cream
3 tablespoons of water
32 boudoir cookies

Garnish:
140 ml of thick cream
Toasted coffee beans

Preparation:
Cover the base of a baking pan with 17 or 18 centimeters of buttered baking sheets.

Beat the butter and the sugar until you obtain a light whitish cream. Mix, on one side, 3 tablespoons of liqueur with another 3 tablespoons of coffee. Gradually go adding this, alternating with the almonds, the butter cream, beating it all together at the same time. Beat the thick cream and the light cream together until you obtain a stiff cream that does not lose its shape, and then mix it in with the other mixture.

Add the rest of the liquor and water to the rest of the coffee. Quickly wet each cookie in the coffee and go placing them on the walls of the baking dish; place the sugar side of the cookie outwards.

Extend half of the almond mixture over the base of the prepared baking dish and then line it with cookies again. Extend the other half of the almond mix on top of them. Cover the Charlotte with a buttered baking sheet and cover it with a small plate and put weight over it so that it pressures downwards. Put it to cool in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or during the whole night until the mixture is completely firm.

Place the charlotte over a serving dish. Beat the thick cream until it is stiff and use it to decorate the top of the charlotte. Crown it with decorative coffee beans.

Serves 8 – 10 people.