Whenever my brother and I would want a sweet treat late in the evening, my mom would make a simple Russian pie for us called Sharlotka. She loved it herself, as our grandmother used to bake it for her when she was little.
All you need is:
- 4 or 5 tart apples
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup flour
- Butter, to your heart’s content
The first step is to peel the apples and then slice them into thin pieces. In a separate bowl, whip the eggs with sugar and a pinch of salt until the mixture gets very light and fluffy.
Next, gradually sift the flour into the egg mixture, and gently fold it in with a spatula. The mixture should be flowy and cohesive.
Then use any baking pan, I used a 22 cm baking pan, excessively grease it with butter or line with parchment paper, and lay out all the apple slices in a spiral. Slowly pour the batter into the pan so it covers all pieces equally. If you have too many apple slices left, you can add another layer of them and then cover with the rest of the batter. You can also add some cinnamon powder.
That’s it. Put it in a preheated oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for around 30 minutes. I usually check whether it is ready with a wooden skewer. Once it comes out dry, it is time for Sharlotka!
Angelina Kunitskaia can be reached at akunitskaia@wesleyan.edu.
Leave a Reply