What is a Charlotte Russe cake? Dessert's surprising history

A somewhat unknown dessert was in the news after Whoopi Goldberg claimed that a Staten Island bakery initially refused to make her order due to her political beliefs. 

"She talked about these all the time. They're called Charlotte Russe," she said. "It's a sponge cake with whipped cream and a cherry on top." 

Goldberg then went on to claim the bakery had initially refused to make her the treats due to her political beliefs, which the bakery has vehemently denied.

But what is a Charlotte Russe, and how are they made? And why are they so special to New York? 

"It's related to trifle, but while trifle is a very English dish, this is very French, and was invented by Chef Antonin Carême in the early nineteenth century," said "The Downton Abbey Cookbook."

The cake itself appeared in the show, the book noted.

The Charlotte Russe also made an appearance on Season 6, Episode 7 of "The Great British Baking Show," in which contestants were tasked with creating a Charlotte Russe for the "showstopper" round of the competition.

While the hosts noted that the dessert "sounds a bit like a film star from the 1980s," it was actually a Victorian-era dessert. 

In New York City, however, the Charlotte Russe has a slightly modified form. Rather than a sliced cake, a "Charlotte Russe" is instead "a Push Pop-style confection encased in a cardboard shell with a movable bottom," says the website City Lore.

City Lore is an organization dedicated to fostering "New York City - and America's - living cultural heritage through education and public programs in service of cultural equity and social justice," said its website. 

Once a popular treat during the early 20th century, the Charlotte Russe gradually became harder and harder to find, said the same source.

Unlike the more traditional Charlotte Russe cake, the New York City version eschews the ring of ladyfingers and replaces it with a disc of sponge cake at the bottom, said City Lore. 

That cake is then topped with jam and "spirals of whipped cream and a nut-dusted Maraschino cherry," said City Lore.

"As you eat it, you push the bottom up with your thumb, permitting access to the pastry's deeper layers."