Plum Sharlotka
Ingredients
4–6 servings
- For the batter
- Eggs 8
- Sugar 1½–2 cups (270–360 g)
- Wheat flour 2 cups (260 g)
- Baking powder as directed on the packet
- Vanillin or vanilla sugar a little
- Lemon zest 1–2 tsp (2–4 g)
- For the filling
- Large ripe plums 1 kg
- For the pan and serving
- Vegetable oil for greasing
- Powdered sugar for dusting
Step-by-step recipe
Preparing the plums
It’s very important that the plum sharlotka doesn’t turn runny: the fruit should be ripe and firm, reasonably juicy, but not leaking juice when pressed lightly.
Wash and dry the plums. If there’s a bluish bloom on the skin, wash it off, it’s easy. Cut the plums with a small knife and remove the pits. Put the plum halves in a bowl.
Sponge batter
To make the sponge batter you’ll need a mixer; it makes combining the ingredients easy.
Carefully crack the eggs into the mixer bowl. Make sure no bits of shell get in. Add the sugar: we usually use 2 cups of white sugar (360 g), but you can use a bit less if you like. Especially if the plums are very sweet.
Add a little vanillin or vanilla sugar: it makes the plum sharlotka more fragrant.
Beat the eggs and sugar with the mixer for a long time, until they form a fluffy, fairly thick foam. The mixture will grow several times in volume. This is important so the sponge doesn’t sink after baking and stays firm.
Old cookbooks recommend beating the yolks and whites separately to get this effect, then gradually combining them.
Sift 2 cups of wheat flour (260 g) into a bowl. Add store-bought baking powder and mix it with the flour.
Don’t use baking powder that has been sitting in an open packet for a while. It loses its strength and can have an unpleasant taste and smell. Don’t use baking soda and acid either: it’s extremely hard to get the proportions right.
With the mixer running, combine the egg foam with the flour. Grate 1–2 tsp lemon zest (2–4 g) into the batter and mix.
The runny batter should be flowing and glossy. When you tip the bowl, it should slowly pour out.
Assembling the sharlotka
Get a baking pan ready, the right size and whatever shape you like. You can grease the pan so the sponge doesn’t stick. Or, more conveniently, line the pan with baking paper and brush it with vegetable oil.
Pour in about a quarter of the batter and spread it evenly.
Lay half the plums on the batter. Arrange the fruit halves cut side up, placing them fairly close together. The plums should be in a single layer.
Carefully pour batter over the plums. Smooth the batter with a spatula so all the fruit is covered. Lay the second half of the plums over the batter, just like before. Pour the rest of the batter over the plum halves and smooth it with a spatula.
In the end, the filling and batter should come up to about a third below the rim of the pan. The sponge rises as it bakes and could spill over. If you did everything right, the plum sharlotka will come out fluffy and tall.
Baking
Preheat the oven to 180°C and put the pan in. Our plum sharlotka bakes for about an hour. Although, depending on your oven, the time may vary. Check it with a wooden toothpick: if batter sticks to the wood, give it more time.
Another important point: juicy plums heat up more slowly, and the batter around them may take longer to bake. Keep that in mind too.
Serving
Take the sharlotka out of the oven and let it cool. Remove the cake from the pan and transfer it to a large flat plate or board.
Dust the top with powdered sugar. As a rule, we don’t decorate this kind of cake, but powdered sugar is always welcome: it improves both the look and the taste. Serve plum sharlotka slightly warm or cooled, as you like. Don’t eat it hot: the plums are very hot and juicy, and you can burn yourself on the juice. This tasty cake is perfect with tea or warm milk.
Calories and macros
800 kcal
Serving ≈ 440 g
- Protein21 g11% of kcal
- Fat11 g12% of kcal
- Carbs153 g77% of kcal
100 g183 kcalProtein 4.8 gFat 2.5 gCarbs 35 g
Calculated from the recipe ingredients, excluding salt and spices. Data: USDA and Matvaretabellen.
To Get It Right
Which plums to use
The plums for sharlotka should be large and juicy, with pits that come away easily. It’s extremely important that they aren’t overripe, or the cake will simply turn runny. The well-known Italian prune plum variety works well.
Pan size
Eight eggs make a lot of sharlotka batter, so you need a big pan: in a cramped pan a tall cake takes a long time to bake through. For a small loaf pan, readers make half the recipe: 4 eggs, 1 cup of flour (130 g) and 500 g plums.
Vanilla and zest
The flavorings in sharlotka aren’t just for show: vanilla and lemon zest mask the taste and smell of the egg yolks. Just a little vanillin, and 1–2 tsp zest (2–4 g).
Have your own trick for this recipe?
Questions and answers
Why did the plums sink to the bottom of the sharlotka?
Usually because the batter was too runny or the plums were overripe and watery. Beat the eggs and sugar into a thick foam, and lay the plums in two layers: the first on a quarter of the batter, the second on the batter poured over the first.
Can you make sharlotka with frozen plums?
Yes. Readers have baked it with frozen plums: the sponge comes out just right, and the plums add a pleasant tartness. Pat thawed plums dry of their juice before adding them.
Can you make sharlotka with plums and apples?
Yes. The filling of a sharlotka changes with taste, and that’s normal and widely accepted. The main thing is that the batter stays a light, almost airy “case” for the fruit.
What’s the difference between sharlotka and a plum sponge cake?
By and large, none: sharlotka is a sponge cake with a filling. The fruit can be baked right into the sponge, as here, or put inside an already baked sponge.
Is this a royal sharlotka?
No. A royal sharlotka is usually a shortcrust pie with a cottage cheese or sour cream topping. This is a plain sponge sharlotka: a light batter of eggs, sugar and flour.