Apple Sharlotka

Another apple cake, this one from Smitten Kitchen. This one is unlike other cakes I’ve made before in that it’s mostly apples, with just a little batter to hold them together. So the apples are really in the foreground, and the cake is not too sweet, which I really liked. The Engineer called it “honest”, so there you have it. I used nutmeg instead of cinnamon to dust on top of the finished cake, because I think nutmeg is underrated; you could go either way or omit the spice altogether.

6 large, tart apples, such as Granny Smiths
3 large eggs
1 cup (200 g.) granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup (125 g.) all-purpose flour
ground cinnamon, to finish (I used nutmeg)
powdered sugar, also to finish

Preheat oven to 350 °F. Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Butter the paper and the sides of the pan.

Peel, halve and core your apples, then chop them into medium-sized chunks. (I cut each half into four or five slices, then cut them fairly thinly — about ¼-inch — in the other direction.) Pile the cut apples directly in the prepared pan.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, using an electric mixer or whisk, beat eggs with sugar until thick and ribbons form on the surface of the beaten eggs. Beat in vanilla, then stir in flour with a spoon until just combined. The batter will be very thick.

Pour over apples in pan, using a spoon or spatula to spread the batter and press it down so that it covers all exposed apples. The top of the batter should end up level with the top of the apples. Bake in preheated oven for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a tester comes out free of batter. Cool in pan for 10 minutes on rack, then flip out onto another rack, peel off the parchment paper, and flip it back onto a serving platter. Dust lightly with ground cinnamon (or nutmeg).

Serve warm or cooled, dusted with powdered sugar. We imagine it would be delicious with a dollop of barely sweetened whipped or sour cream, if you could find them lactose-free.