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Szarlotka
Polish apple cake between two layers of crumbly shortcrust
Szarlotka is the apple cake every Polish café and grandmother has a version of, from Zakopane mountain inns to the cake counters of Poznań. In the classic home style, a sweet, crumbly shortcrust (kruche ciasto) is pressed into a tray, filled with a thick layer of tart apples cooked briefly with cinnamon, and topped with the rest of the pastry grated over like crumble. It is served in squares, dusted with icing sugar, often warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Sharp autumn apples such as Szara Reneta or Bramley give the right sour-sweet balance. Chef's tip: grate the frozen top layer of dough straight onto the apples; it bakes into a light, sandy crust instead of a heavy lid.
- Total time
- 85 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
For the shortcrust
For the apples
To finish
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Rub 9 oz cold butter into 14 oz plain flour, 3 ½ oz icing sugar, 1 tsp baking powder and 1 tbsp vanilla sugar until it looks like coarse crumbs. Add 3 egg yolks and 2 tbsp soured cream and press into a dough without kneading. Divide into two pieces, one slightly bigger. Wrap the bigger piece and chill it for 30 minutes; put the smaller one in the freezer.
30 minStep 2: Put 3 ⅓ lb tart cooking apples in a wide pan with 2 ⅛ oz sugar, 2 tsp ground cinnamon and 1 tbsp lemon juice. Cook over a medium heat for 8–10 minutes, stirring, until the apples soften and most of the juice has evaporated. Tip into a sieve and cool. A common mistake is using raw, juicy apples: the juice soaks the pastry and the bottom of the cake stays raw and soggy.
10 minStep 3: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan). Line a 24 × 30 cm baking tin with baking paper. Roll or press the chilled dough over the base, prick with a fork and bake for 12–15 minutes, until pale golden.
15 minStep 4: Sprinkle 2 tbsp fine semolina or dried breadcrumbs over the hot base; it soaks up any juice. Spread the cooled apples on top in an even layer.
Step 5: Coarsely grate the frozen dough evenly over the apples, right to the edges.
Step 6: Bake for 35–40 minutes, until the top is golden and crisp and you can see the apples bubbling slightly at the edges.
40 minStep 7: Cool in the tin for at least 30 minutes so it sets, then cut into squares and dust with 2 tbsp icing sugar. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 350 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 47 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does szarlotka take?
- About 85 minutes in total: 35 minutes to prepare and 50 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 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 plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of cold butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
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