Sharlotka
Apple sponge cake
Russian apple sponge cake: a light egg-foam batter baked over a pile of sliced apples
Sharlotka is the cake every Russian family bakes in September, when dachas around Moscow and Saint Petersburg drown in Antonovka apples. It is nothing like Polish szarlotka with its shortcrust: here the tin is packed with sliced tart apples and a feather-light batter of whisked eggs, sugar and flour is poured over, so it bakes into an airy, crackly-topped sponge holding a soft apple layer. Only four ingredients, and it is on the table in under an hour with tea from the samovar. Chef's tip: whisk the eggs and sugar for a full 8 minutes until pale and tripled; that air is the only raising agent and a short whisk gives a flat, rubbery cake.
- Total time
- 60 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the cake
- 4 tart applesabout 700 g, Antonovka, Bramley or Granny Smith
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 4 eggsat room temperature
- 6 ½ oz caster sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 6 ½ oz plain flour
- 1 pinch salt
- ½ oz butterfor the tin
To serve
- 1 tbsp icing sugar
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan). Butter a 24 cm springform tin with ½ oz butter and line the base with baking paper.
Step 2: Peel and core 4 tart apples, cut into thin wedges and toss with 1 tbsp lemon juice and 1 tsp ground cinnamon. Spread them in the tin.
Step 3: Whisk 4 eggs with 6 ½ oz caster sugar, 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1 pinch salt with an electric mixer on high for 8 minutes, until very pale, thick and the beaters leave a ribbon that holds for a few seconds.
8 minStep 4: Sift 6 ½ oz plain flour over in three goes, folding gently with a large spatula after each until no dry streaks remain. Don't stir or the foam collapses.
Step 5: Pour the batter over the apples, letting it seep between them, and smooth the top. Bake for 35–40 minutes until risen, golden with a thin crackly crust, and a skewer comes out clean. Don't open the oven in the first 25 minutes.
40 minStep 6: Cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn out apple-side up or down, as you like, and dust with 1 tbsp icing sugar. Serve warm or cold with tea.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 260 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 50 g
- Fat
- 4 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sharlotka take?
- About 60 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 40 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of tart apples?
- Pears, same amount.
- What can I use instead of lemon juice?
- Lime juice, same amount.
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