LAMORINDA WEEKLY | Light and Airy Apple Sharlotka Perfect for Fall


Apple Sharlotka Photo Susie Iventosch

Never in my entire life had I heard of "Apple Sharlotka," until my cooking buddy, Jeff, sent me his recipe for such a dessert. Apparently, it is a very common Russian sweet, and according to RussianFood.com, it is the most popular Russian sweet cake. We sometimes call it Apple Charlotte in the United States, and the Russian version is traditionally made to celebrate the apple harvest.

It is very light, moist and super easy to make, and even though most recipes I have now reviewed call for tart apples, doused in lemon juice, I much prefer it with a sweeter apple and no lemon juice added, because it is fairly tart all on its own.

The beauty of this dessert is in its simplicity and light airy texture. And, since apple season is here, it is a great time to give this one a try. Because it is so light, it would make a fabulous dessert for Thanksgiving when no one wants anything too rich after eating a turkey dinner with all of the trimmings.

The original recipe my friend sent called for baking this Sharlotka in an 8-inch spring form pan, but now I have also made it in a 9-inch square pan as well as a 9-inch pie dish, and it came out just as well each time!

INGREDIENTS

3-4 Honey Crisp apples

1/4 cup brown sugar (for apples)

3 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup brown sugar, divided for egg mixture and sprinkling on top of cake before baking

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cardamom

Pinch of salt

7/8 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup powdered sugar, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

Peel, core and slice apples. Place in a bowl and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons brown sugar. Allow to sit for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, place eggs in a large mixing bowl along with vanilla and 3/4 cup brown sugar. Beat on the high speed of electric beater, until thick, pale yellow and ribbons form.

Fold in spices, salt and flour and mix well.

Place apples in the bottom of a sprayed or greased 9-inch pie dish, or an 8-inch spring form pan. Spoon batter over the top, smoothing out as much as possible with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar evenly over the top of the batter.

Bake at 350 F for approximately 40 minutes, or until top is golden-brown and begins to crack and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Remove from oven, cool, and dust with powdered sugar.

Serve warm or cold with a dollop of whipped cream spiced with a little bit of vanilla and powdered sugar. To make it more decadent, lightly drizzle your favorite caramel sauce or maple syrup over the top.