Is It a Cake? Is It a Pie? No, It's a Sharlotka!

  I was scrolling around Pinterest the other day and came across a beautiful picture of what looked like a cross between an apple pie and a coffee cake chocked full of apple slices. It was from a blog (with gorgeous photos) called SmittenKitchen.com. After reading the recipe and all the comments I decided to research Sharlotkas by "googling it" and reading all I could find about it. Some sites describe it as a Russian apple pie, others call it an apple cake. I decided it was time to "dish it up" to my taste testers and see what they think.
  I have trouble calling a dessert healthy, but this one is as close to healthy as any dessert I ever made. There is no butter other than what was used to grease the pan, and 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of sugar for the whole cake/pie. Really, including the three eggs there is only enough batter to hold the apples together. One of the sites I researched put the calorie count at 200 per 1/8th of the cake/pie.
  I started with the recipe from SmittenKitchen.com and adapted it slightly. I added some baking soda because most of the other recipes online called for it. I also added some chopped walnuts and cinnamon to the batter because I saw the suggestion on one of the comments posted on one of the recipes. According to one of the web sites a Russian Sharlotka is a lot like an American apple pie in that every family has their own recipe. Hopefully my changes still keep it in the tradition of the Russian Sharlotka. 

First thing I did was preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Then I pencil-traced my 9 inch spring form pan on parchment paper.

I used cooking spray on the bottom of the pan, then put the parchment down and buttered both the parchment and the sides of the pan.

Next, I used my handy-dandy apple peeler-slicer-corer to peel, slice, and core 3 pounds of granny smith apples.

Next, I cut the sliced apples into quarters and placed them in the prepared pan.

The pan should be almost full ~ like this.

Next, I measured 1 cup of sugar, 1 cup of flour, and gathered 3 eggs, vanilla, and cinnamon (I also got walnuts  and baking soda out, but forgot to get them in this picture).

Sugar and eggs went into my mixing bowl. I mixed them for about 2 minutes before adding the vanilla, and cinnamon.

I turned the mixer on for another minute to incorporate the vanilla and cinnamon.

I took the bowl off the mixer and stirred in one cup of flour and 2/3 cup of chopped walnuts.

I added a pinch of baking soda...now quit yelling...it wasn't my idea to measure "a pinch"...that's what the traditional Russian Sharlotka recipes call for...I figure I can pinch as well as any Russian girl.

The batter looks thick, and lumpy (due to the walnuts), and smells yummy (due to the vanilla and cinnamon).

Pour the batter over the apples and wait a minute or two to allow the batter to start seeping down between the apples...Yum!...then pop it in the oven and set the timer for 55 minutes. Now go find something constructive to do to keep your mind off the scent of cinnamon and apples baking in your oven. When the timer goes off check for doneness with a toothpick. The toothpick should have no wet batter on it after inserting it in the middle of the cake/pie.

Take this gorgeous hunk of apple goodness (can you smell it through your monitor?) out of the oven and set it on a rack to cool. After 10 minutes open the spring and (using oven mitts because this is still very hot!) unmold the cake. I do the "double flip" first unmolding on a plate then flipping the cake back over onto the serving dish I plan to use.

Isn't that pretty? I left it to cool for an hour or so and then just before serving I dusted it with powdered sugar.

When GoodMan came home from work and saw the Sharlotka on the table his first words were "Wow! What is that?" as he reached out his hand and snitched a piece of apple (luckily for him I had already taken this picture!)

Ah well, that's what I baked it for, right? This is the actual recipe:

Sharlotka with Cinnamon and Walnuts

1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup flour
2/3 cup walnuts, chopped
pinch of baking soda
3 pounds granny smith apples, peeled, cored, sliced in small thin pieces
powdered sugar, for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare 9 inch spring form pan by lining with parchment paper and buttering sides and also the parchment paper.
In a mixing bowl, beat sugar and eggs for about 2 minutes. Add vanilla and cinnamon and beat again for 1 minute.
Remove the bowl from the mixer and stir in flour, walnuts, and baking soda. Just stir to combine ~ do not over mix.
Fill the spring form pan with sliced apples and then pour the batter over the top. Wait a minute or two to let the batter start to seep down between the apples.
Bake for 55 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out with no wet batter.
Cool on a rack for 10 minutes.
Unmold from spring form pan and "double flip" onto serving platter.
Serve warm or cold with a dusting of powdered sugar.



What is the taste tester's bottom line?

  GoodMan liked the presentation. He thought it looked "Wow!" when he first saw it. He liked the healthy aspect of it (you'd have to know GoodMan ~ the only husband I know who is more into "healthy" than his wife). He liked the cinnamon and walnuts, but he wondered if it could be made with another kind of apple because he found it to be a little more tart than he expected. What is weird is that I absolutely cannot handle tart fruit...and I liked it. I might add a little Truvia to mine to make it a little sweeter, but I don't think I'd like to try another kind of apple because I don't know what kind would hold up and not get too wet or turn to applesauce.
  The bottom line is ~ I would make this again. I'd make it for a potluck, a treat for small-group, to take to a new neighbor or as part of a meal for someone who's been sick...it just has such a special presentation!