Sharlotka (Russian Apple Cake)
More apple than cake — the batter is really just eggs, sugar and flour poured over a pan packed with apples.
Ingredients
- 6 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar (or 1 cup allulose — see Notes)
- ¼ cup sour cream, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda, dissolved in ½ teaspoon vinegar
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- 5–6 large apples, Granny Smith for preference
- Powdered sugar, to finish
Instructions
Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 10-inch round cake pan, 3 inches deep, and line it with parchment. A 9×13 dish also works.
Peel and slice the apples thinly and layer them into the pan.
Whisk the eggs and sugar until pale and foamy — give it a full 5 minutes, as this is what makes it rise.
Whisk in the sour cream and vanilla.
Stir in the baking soda dissolved in vinegar.
Fold in the flour gently, stopping as soon as it is combined.
Pour the batter evenly over the apples.
Bake 45–50 minutes, until golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
Cool 15 minutes, turn out onto a rack, peel off the parchment and turn right side up. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Notes
Sugar-free option
Allulose is the closest swap here: use the same 1 cup, or a little more, since it is about a third less sweet than sugar. An erythritol-stevia baking blend also works at roughly half the volume — check the package, they vary.
Be aware that in this cake the sugar is not only sweetness. Whipping it into the eggs for a full five minutes is what builds the foam that makes sharlotka rise, and substitutes do not whip to quite the same volume. Expect a slightly denser cake and less browning on top. Allulose browns better than erythritol, which is the main reason to prefer it.