Sharlotka – Classic Ukrainian Apple Cake Recipe
So, sharlotka with apples is our favorite apple cake. I bet many of you have a childhood memory like this: mom or grandma baking pies. I remember a house in the village, a huge stove taking up half the kitchen. The eve of some holiday. A hot fire, the cheerful crackle of firewood. The house cat staring at the flames as if spellbound.
Grandma is baking pies. The dough is climbing out of an enormous tub. A mountain of apples for the filling, ground poppy seeds, farmer's cheese, cherries. The one I love most is the apple pie.
Since apples are available always and everywhere, they are the perfect pie filling. In the old days, pies were baked after the harvest, in autumn. People baked them in different ways, but the principle, of course, was always the same: dough and apples.
You have probably noticed that in American movies, cafés often serve apple pie. You could say apple pie is a national dish there, even a national symbol. They say that in Virginia it officially is.
A classic American apple pie is tricky to make, although it is often made from store-bought components. Just as delicious is a sweet cake of apples baked in batter, the so-called “sharlotka”. Apple sharlotka is quick and easy to make, just like apricot sharlotka. Some say the name comes from Queen Charlotte, wife of King George III. Or maybe from the word charlyt, which means a dish made of whipped eggs, sugar and milk.
It does not really matter where the word sharlotka comes from. What matters is that the principle is always the same: eggs, sugar, flour and apples make a delicious apple sharlotka.
This apple cake recipe has already become part of our family tradition.
Ingredients
6 servings
- Apples, sweet-tart 1 kg
- Eggs 8
- Sugar 2 cups
- Vanillin 2 g
- Flour 2 cups
- Vegetable oil 1 tsp
Step-by-step recipe
- The cake is baked in a baking pan. You will also need a kitchen mixer.
- First, make the batter. Crack the eggs into a deep bowl and make sure no bits of shell get in. Add the sugar and vanillin.
- Beat the mixture with a mixer for about 7 minutes (set a timer or keep an eye on the clock). Beat long enough to get a thick, dense, almost white foam. The sugar should dissolve completely.
- Add the sifted flour. Mix everything with the mixer until smooth.
- Peel and core the apples. Cut them into thin slices.
- Grease the baking pan with vegetable oil and sprinkle in a little flour. Then tilt the pan from side to side to spread the flour over the bottom and sides. Shake out the excess flour. Some readers asked whether a silicone pan works and whether you still get a classic sharlotka. I don't know: I have never used a silicone pan.
- Spread half of the fruit over the bottom of the pan in a single layer, covering the whole surface. Right away, pour the runny batter over the apples.
- Lay the second half of the apples on top of the batter. To make the cake look pretty, you can arrange the apple slices in a pattern. You can even spell out a word. The cake will only be better for it, it will even taste better.
- Put the pan in an oven preheated to 180 °C. Bake until golden brown. It usually takes about an hour, 1.5 hours at most.
- Take the pan out of the oven. Now you know how to make a delicious apple cake. Let it cool a little. Then cut it into pieces with an ordinary knife.
- Now that you are done baking, here is a little secret: grandma's sharlotka is insanely good with warm milk or cherry compote.
- You will definitely say this is that very fragrant cake if you dust it with powdered sugar.
| Serves: | 6 servings |
| Calories: | 191 |
| Prep: | 30 mins |
| Cook: | 1 h 30 mins |
| Total: | 2 h |
| Category: | Baking |
| Cuisine: | European |
| Rating: |
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4.9
(9)
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