Szarlotka
Ingredients
- 400 g plain flour
- 85 g icing sugar
- 250 g butter, softened
- 3 eggs
- 1 tbsp vanilla sugar (or vanilla extract)
- 1.5 kg apples
- 200 g sugar
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- Icing sugar, for dusting (optional)
Szarlotka is the apple dessert Poland loves most, and this is the classic double-crust version. A rich kruche ciasto — shortcrust made with butter, icing sugar, eggs and vanilla — is divided in two; the base is pricked and briefly pre-baked so it stays crisp under the fruit. A full kilo and a half of apples is grated or cubed and cooked down with sugar and cinnamon into a thick filling, spread over the base and covered with the second sheet of pastry. It bakes slowly at a low temperature for an hour and is served warm with ice cream or cold with a dusting of icing sugar.
Method
Combine the flour, icing sugar, softened butter, eggs and vanilla sugar and knead into a smooth dough. Wrap and refrigerate.
Peel the apples and grate or cube them. Cook them in a pot with the sugar, adding the cinnamon halfway, until soft and thick.
Grease or line a deep 18 x 27 cm baking tray. Roll out half the dough, press it into the tray and prick it with a fork.
Pre-bake the base at 170°C (340°F) for 5-10 minutes until lightly coloured.
Spread the cooked apples over the base and cover with the remaining dough, rolled out to fit.
Bake for 1 hour at 140-160°C (280-320°F) until the top is golden.
Serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, or cooled and dusted with icing sugar.
