Taste Russia | Apple Sharlotka

I have to admit, even though I am part Russian, the recipe segment for this series scared me a bit. Even though I know beets and cabbage are healthy, I am just not a big fan of them. And those were the food images I conjured up when I began thinking about Russian food.

Thankfully, however, there is a food group known as dessert. And this wonderful recipe that I’m going to introduce you to today fits nicely into the dessert category. So get ready to taste Russia with a bite of, fresh from the oven, apple sharlotka.

Apple Sharlotka by Alan Sheffield via Flickr

Now, before I get into the specifics of the recipe, I want to share one of my favorite kitchen gadgets with you. It is the Calphalon Easy Grip Apple Slicer. It seems so silly to like this gadget so much, especially when knives cut apples very easily…

But this slicer makes me so happy almost every morning when I slice apples for school lunches, every Sunday that I make apple pancakes for brunch, every fall when I bake apple pies… You get the idea.

So now that you have a strategy in place to quickly slice your apples, let’s talk about the ingredients you’ll need to make apple sharlotka, and then I’ll give you the instructions to make this tasty cake.

Ingredients

• 5 medium Granny Smith apples
• 6 eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• powdered sugar, cinnamon & sugar, or drizzle of caramel

Instructions

• preheat oven to 350°
• choose a 9 in round springform pan or 9 x 13 baking pan (the cake will bake faster in the 9 x 13 pan, but the round version looks fancier)
• spray pan with cooking spray, generously grease with butter
• wash and peel the apples
• use an apple slicer to cut the apple into sections
• slice the apple sections into small, even pieces, then set aside
• beat eggs and sugar with an electric mixer on high for 3 minutes until the mixture is light yellow and thickens
• next beat in vanilla and flour on low speed
• fold the apples into the batter and pour into pan
• bake the cake for 55 minutes – 1 hour in the round springform pan, or 25 minutes in the 9 x 13 pan.
• loosely cover with foil the last few minutes to prevent over browning
• cool completely then dust with powdered sugar, cinnamon & sugar, or drizzle with caramel

I decided to bake my apple sharlotka in a 9 x 13 inch pyrex baking dish because when I was digging in my corner cabinet I discovered I don’t have a springform pan. I thought I bought one at Sur la Table one afternoon when they were running a big bakeware sale, but apparently I didn’t. I do have some nice 8 inch round cake pans and mini pie molds though.

Anyways, this is what my sharlotka looked like fresh out of the oven.

I sprinkled powdered sugar over this cake, but I think that cinnamon and sugar or a drizzle of caramel would taste wonderful too. Or if you happen to have vanilla ice cream in the freezer, you could add a scoop or two to your plate along side the cake, and make it a party!

Now that I’ve shared a Russian recipe with you, I’d love it if you’d share one with me.

Do you have a favorite Russian Recipe?

Drop me a line in the comment section and let me know. And don’t forget out to check out the rest of my posts about Russia. And as always, thanks for exploring the world with me one suitcase at time.

Week 1: Explore Russia | Country Facts, Flag, & Map
Week 2: Meet Masha | An Interview For Kids
Week 3: Get Crafty | Paint Your Own Russian Nesting Dolls
Bonus Material: Book Review | Best Books About Russia For Kids

This post is linked up over at… Smart Schoolhouse , Sincerely Paula , With A Blast ,Cornerstone Confessions , Social Media Saturdays , Laugh & Learn Link Up , Castleview Academy, All Things With Purpose , Creative Kids Culture Blog Hop, Bowl Full Of Lemons, Jennifer Dawn, Strangers & Pilgrims On Earth , Mom Resource, Three Kids And A Fish