Groceree logoGroceree

🌍 Eastern European recipesDessert

Sharlotka

By Groceree

Also known as Russian Apple Cake

Russia's everyday apple cake: eggs and sugar whisked until thick and pale, flour folded in by hand, and the airy batter poured over a tin of tart apple chunks. There is no baking powder, as the eggs alone raise the sponge, which bakes light and moist around the soft, sharp apples under a thin, crackly sugar crust.

Last updated

A round golden apple sponge cake with a crackly top dusted with icing sugar, on a cake plate, one slice cut away to show chunks of apple.
Servings
8 servings
Prep
25 min
Cook
45 min
Total
1 h 55 min

Ingredients

  • butter15 g
  • dried breadcrumbs2 tbsp
  • Granny Smith apples800 g
  • ground cinnamon (optional)1 tsp
  • eggs4
  • caster sugar200 g
  • plain flour160 g
  • icing sugar (optional)1 tbsp

Instructions

  1. 01

    Take the out of the fridge well ahead so they come to room temperature. Heat the oven to 180°C, or 160°C fan. a 23 cm springform tin generously, base and sides, then tip in the and turn the tin until they coat the . Shake out any excess.

  2. 02

    Peel and core the and cut them into 2 cm chunks. Spread them evenly over the base of the tin and sprinkle with the , if using.

  3. 03

    Whisk the and the in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed for 8 to 10 minutes, until very thick, pale and roughly tripled in volume. A ribbon trailed from the beaters should sit on the surface for a few seconds before it sinks.

  4. 04

    Sift the over the whisked in three additions, folding each one in gently with a large metal spoon or spatula until no dry shows. Fold rather than stir: every extra stroke knocks out air, and the air is all that raises the cake.

  5. 05

    Pour the batter over the , easing it down between the pieces with the spatula, and smooth the top.

  6. 06

    Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, keeping the oven door shut for the first 30 minutes or the sponge may sink. It is done when risen, deep golden and crisp on top, and a skewer pushed into the sponge between the comes out clean.

  7. 07

    Leave the cake in the tin for 15 minutes, then run a knife around the edge and release the springform. Leave it to cool for at least 30 minutes more before cutting. It settles a little as it cools, and warm sponge squashes under the knife.

  8. 08

    Dust with just before serving, if you like.

Notes

  • There is no baking powder: the whisked eggs alone raise the cake, so use them at room temperature, give them the full 8 to 10 minutes and fold the flour in gently.
  • Use tart, firm apples. Antonovka is the Russian classic and Granny Smith the easiest stand-in; their sharpness is what balances the very sweet sponge.
  • The breadcrumbs soak up the apple juices at the bottom and stop the cake sticking to the tin. Fine semolina does the same job.

Nutrition per serving

Calories
270 kcal
Protein
6 g
Carbs
52 g
Fat
5 g

Estimated from the ingredients.

From a video to your shopping list

Saw a recipe on Instagram, TikTok or YouTube? Share it to Groceree and the ingredients land on the list everyone at home shares.

  1. Find a recipe video

    01

    Find a recipe video

    Any recipe on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube or a website.

  2. Find a recipe video

    Groceree iconGroceree
    02

    Share it to Groceree

    Tap Share and pick Groceree. The app reads the recipe for you.

  3. The recipe is in the app
    03

    The recipe is in the app

    Ingredients, quantities and steps, ready to cook from.

  4. Pick what you need
    04

    Pick what you need

    Untick what is already in the cupboard and add the rest.

  5. It’s on the shared list
    05

    It’s on the shared list

    Sorted by aisle, on every phone at home, in real time.

More Eastern European recipes