Polish apple cake recipe is one of the most frequently used in Poland. Jabłecznik is one of the most popular cakes in the country, together with sernik (cheesecake).
In this post, I am giving you a traditional Polish sharlotka recipe.
What’s The Story Behind The Polish Apple Cake’s Name?
See also my fluffy sponge cake with apples recipe.
Polish apple cake has many different names, all of them describe the same pastry:
- szarlotka (sharlotka)– the apple cake originates from France, it was named after Princess Charlotte; it’s exactly how you read the word szarlotka in Polish (charlotte-kah)
- jabłecznik– (yahb-weh-chneekh) “jabłko” means “apple” in Polish; thus, jabłecznik means literally the apple cake
- ciasto jabłkowe– the longer version of jabłecznik “ciasto” means “cake” in Polish
How To Serve Sharlotka?
Cold.
You can serve it cold, as a regular cake.
Warm With Ice Cream And Whipped Cream.
It’s really popular to eat hot Polish apple cake with cold vanilla ice cream and whipped cream.
Tips For Making Polish Jablecznik
There Are Many Ways To Cut The Apples
Every Polish housewife has a slightly different way of cutting apples to sharlotka. You can either:
- grate them– this is the most popular way and this is how I am recommending to do it in this Polish apple cake recipe;
- cut them into cubes– if you don’t have time to grate the apples, you can cut them into cubes (with irregular shapes) as well; since the apple chunks are quite big, you don’t need to squeeze the juice out of them;
- fry the apples before putting them on the cake– many Polish housewives are frying apples in the autumn, then pasteurize them and put them into the jars; they can use them in their apple cakes afterward; if you go for this option, make sure to squeeze the juice out first;
- blend the apples in a food processor (f.e. Thermomix)- make sure you will not get the consistency of the mousse but the apple chunks will be big;
No matter which option will you choose, you always need to peel the apples and remove the core.
Give More Or Less Cinnamon.
Some people (like my father-in-law) don’t like cinnamon. You don’t need to add it to the cake. You can also add more, for up to 2-3 tbsps. The apple layer will be darker.
Sprinkle Your Polish Apple Cake With Powdered Sugar If You Want.
It’s quite popular to serve sharlotka with powdered sugar on top. It will make your Polish apple cake sweeter.
You Can Use Shortbread Crust As Well.
The alternative to the dough you can find in this Polish apple cake recipe is the shortbread crust.
If you are gluten intolerant, check my Polish gluten-free apple cake recipe (follow the link).
Polish Apple Cake Recipe
Polish Apple Cake Recipe
Szarlotka is a classic Polish apple cake that is easy to make.
Ingredients
Dough
- 4 cups of flour
- ¾ cup / 6 oz/ 170g of cold butter
- 2 tbsps of white vinegar
- 4 tsps of baking powder
- 4 egg yolks
- 4 tbsps of sour cream
Others
- 2 kg/ 4.5 lbs of apples
- 2 tbsps of potato starch
- 1 tbsp of cinnamon
- 4 egg whites
- 1 cup of sugar
Instructions
- Peel the apples.
- Oil the 9x13" baking tray or put the parchment paper inside.
- Preheat the oven to 390°F / 200°C.
- Mix all the ingredients for the dough together.
- Place ¾ of the dough in the baking tray. Place the tray in the fridge, as well as the remaining dough.
- Grate the apples, then squeeze out the excess juice.
- Mix the grated apples with potato starch and cinnamon.
- Whip the egg whites with a bit of salt and sugar.
- Mix the apples with ½ of the egg whites.
- Put the apples onto the dough.
- Cover them with the second half of whipped egg whites.
- Finally, cover the cake with the remaining ¼ of the dough. You can either roll it out or grate it.
- Bake for 60 minutes.
Recommended Products
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Whipped Cream - Bita śmietana -
Honeycrisp Apple - Jabłko -
Sugar - Cukier -
Potato Starch (Flour) - Mąka (skrobia) ziemniaczana -
Sour Cream - Śmietana -
Eggs Organic Cage-Free -
Baking Powder - Proszek do pieczenia -
Butter Unsalted - Masło -
All Purpose Flour -
Vinegar - Ocet -
Cinnamon - Cynamon -
Rectangle Baking Pan - Blacha prostokątna na ciasto -
Parchment Paper Roll - Papier do pieczenia
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
25Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 215Total Fat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 45mgSodium: 134mgCarbohydrates: 36gFiber: 3gSugar: 17gProtein: 3g
These data are indicative and calculated by Nutritionix
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Did you like this sharlotka Polish apple cake recipe? Let us know in the comments below!
4 Responses
My dough is not like a batter or a dough. Is there an ingredient missing from this recipe?
Hi Joanne,
Did you use cold butter? The problem may be in the temperature of the ingredients. The dough needs to be cold all the time.
I made this cake according to the recipe and the dry ingredients never came together like a pie dough would, even with cold butter. It had the consistency of a streusel topping. IF I decide to make this again, I will add about 2 T ice water to the dough.
Thanks for your comment, Sharon. I don’t know why the dry ingredients never came together but adding some water wouldn’t hurt for sure.