Apple Sharlotka

Something yummy to do with the abundance of apples this time of year. And I use whatever apples I have on hand, homegrown, gifted or otherwise. Mostly, I just like saying ¨sharlotka¨. Good name for a cat.

I started with this recipe from Smitten Kitchen.  Her MIL is Russian, so I guess this must be pretty authentic.  In the comments it becomes clear that it´s a popular dessert from Poland to the Ukraine.

Mine doesn´t come out so blonde and pretty.  It may be because I use brown sugar.  It may be because our oven has no temperature marks, so I´m guessing about the 350 degree thing.  Mine are always toasted to a dark brown.  But there´s no question that the results are tasty.  Good for breakfast, dessert, tea time, there´s no end to the possibilities.  Also delicious with a cinnamon powdered sugar glaze drizzled over the top.  It can also be made with pears instead of apples.

Keys to success - you do have to push the batter down into the apple pieces, it won´t sink by itself.  Don´t forget to run a knife around the sides of the springform before turning it over or you risk the bottom of the cake sticking to the paper.

From the link above:

Butter or nonstick spray, for greasing pan
6 large, tart apples, such as Granny Smiths
3 large eggs
1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour
Ground cinnamon, to finish
Powdered sugar, also to finish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Butter the paper and the sides of the pan. Peel, halve and core your apples, then chop them into medium-sized chunks. (I cut each half into four “strips” then sliced them fairly thinly — about 1/4-inch — in the other direction.) Pile the cut apples directly in the prepared pan. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, using an electric mixer or whisk, beat eggs with sugar until thick and ribbons form on the surface of the beaten eggs. Beat in vanilla, then stir in flour with a spoon until just combined. The batter will be very thick.

Pour over apples in pan, using a spoon or spatula to spread the batter so that it covers all exposed apples. (Updated to clarify: Spread the batter and press it down into the apple pile. The top of the batter should end up level with the top of the apples.) Bake in preheated oven for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a tester comes out free of batter. Cool in pan for 10 minutes on rack, then flip out onto another rack, peel off the parchment paper, and flip it back onto a serving platter. Dust lightly with ground cinnamon.