Bavarian cream, also known as crème bavaroise or simply bavarois, is a French dessert made from an egg-based cooked custard and gelatin or isinglass, into which whipped cream is folded. The mixture sets up in a cold mold and is unmolded for serving. Bavarian cream is lightened with whipped cream when on the edge of setting up and before it is molded. A true Bavarian cream is usually filled into a fluted mold, chilled until firm, then turned out onto a serving plate. By coating a chilled mold first with a fruit gelatin, a glazed effect can be produced. Imperfections in the unmolding are disguised with strategically placed fluted piping of whipped cream.
Bavarian cream can be flavored with chocolate, coffee, fruit, or the like and is usually molded in a fancy shape and garnished with fruit or a sweet sauce. It is a versatile dessert that can be used as a filling for donuts or cream puffs, as a cake or cupcake frosting, or to make the traditional dessert known as a charlotte, where ladyfingers are used to line a mold, and the mold is then filled with Bavarian cream. It can also be served as a dessert on its own, either set inside a mold or in a serving cup, and finished with some fruit such as blueberry compote or passion fruit curd.
