Russian Apple Cake Sharlotka (Шарлотка)

Sharlotka, traditional Russian apple cake, is everybody’s favourite, and it is very easy to make!

Utensils

• Baking tin (ingredients are for 20 cm round or square tin);
• Baking paper;
• Hand blender (optional);
• Apple corer and slicer (optional, but very handy);
• Peeling knife.

Ingredients

• 3 medium eggs;
• 200g white granular sugar;
• 250g plain flour;
• 1/2 tsp soda + just enough vinegar (ideally cider vinegar or white wine vinegar) to dissolve it;
• 400-600g apples, preferably with acidic taste, e.g. Granny Smith (or 300-500g of peeled, sliced and cored apples).

• Optional: grated nutmeg or cardamom or coriander, nuts to top.

Directions

1. Mix the eggs, sugar and flour. It is better to do it by hand, but you can use a blender if you prefer;
2. Fully dissolve soda in vinegar and incorporate it into the batter;
3. Core, peel and thinly slice the apples. Tip: using an apple corer and slicer makes it much faster;
4. Incorporate sliced apples into the batter;
5. Line the tin with baking paper and pour the batter into the tin;
6. Bake at 180˚C 45 min – 60 min, until a toothpick comes out dry; cover with foil if the top of the cake gets overcooked.