Apple Sharlotka Cake (The Cake Slice Bakers)

We're winding down the year of baking from The European Cake Cookbook by Tatyana Nesteruk. It's been an interesting experience with a few successes and a few not so successful.

This Apple Sharlotka Cake is described by Tatyana as "a delicious combination of an apple cake and Ukrainian cheesecake." She had me when I saw the word 'cheesecake.' It has cottage cheese in it, which I assume is the cheesecakey part.

I ate two slices of the cake before I decided that I like it.

It has a great texture - soft and spongy, and is very, very moist and a little dense at the same time.

It's not real sweet and the cottage cheese doesn't really give it a cheesecakey texture. In fact since large curd cottage cheese is used, there are chunks of it throughout the cake. Different and not altogether unpleasant.

The only problem I had making this cake was when I tested the doneness with a piece of long spaghetti instead of a toothpick (it's a fairly tall cake). Half of the spaghetti promptly broke off because the cake is so thick and I had to warn my husband there might be a surprise in one of his slices..

I added a quarter teaspoon of cinnamon because I knew it would need it and it did. Next time I'll add a whole teaspoon and highly recommend that.

This Apple Sharlotka Cake is a simple-tasting cake with little chunks of apple throughout and a very good flavor. Not what you would make for a "wow" cake, but what you would make for a brunch or to snack on with tea or coffee. Tatyana says she prefers it warmed before serving, but I prefer it room temperature or right out of the refrigerator.

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Apple Sharlotka Cake

Yield: 8-9 slices

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes

Soft, very moist simple cake. Would be good for a brunch or with coffee or tea.

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Ingredients

• 16 oz large-curd cottage cheese
• ½ C butter, softened
• 1 C sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 4 large eggs
• 1 C milk
• 2 C all-purpose flour
• 4 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 apples, peeled and diced
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• Powdered sugar, for sprinkling

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 335°. Line the bottom of an 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper.
2. Wring the cottage cheese in cheesecloth, discarding the liquid. Set aside.
3. Cream together the butter and sugar in a stand mixing bowl. Add the vanilla, then the eggs - one at a time until well combined. (The batter may look a bit curdled at this point - that's OK). Turn the mixer on very low and pour the milk into the bowl and mix for 30 seconds or so until blended in.
4. In a separate bowl, stir the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon together. Pour the flour mixture through a sifter and into the batter - mix just until the dry ingredients are combined (don't over mix - you don't want a tough cake).
5. In a separate bowl, toss the apples with the cornstarch, then set aside about ½ cup of apple mixture for later. Remove the mixing bowl from the stand and fold the rest of the apples and the cottage cheese into the batter with a large spoon or spatula.
6. Pour the cake batter into the prepared springform pan and sprinkle the ½ cup of apples evenly across the top of the batter. Press them down gently into the batter with your fingers.
7. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, checking at 1 hour. Bake until the top is set and golden brown. Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool completely on a wire rack or serve while slightly warm and sprinkled with powdered sugar.
8. Store leftover cake covered in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Notes

Tips and Stuff:

The original recipe calls for an 8" springform pan, but there's no way all the batter will fit in it, so I used a 9" pan.  Use what you have and adjust the time accordingly (bigger pan, less time).

I patted as much liquid as I could from the cottage cheese using a paper towel since I don't have cheesecloth.  

Don't worry if the batter looks slightly curdled before and after you add the milk.  It will smooth out when you mix in the sifted flour mixture.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 9 Serving Size: 1 slice
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 446Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 121mgSodium: 477mgCarbohydrates: 68gFiber: 2gSugar: 42gProtein: 10g

Nutrition Values are Approximate

Each month The Cake Slice Bakers are offered a selection of cakes from the current book we are baking through. This year it is The European Cake Cookbook by Tatyana Nesteruk. We each choose one cake to bake, and then on the 20th - never before - we all post about our cake on our blogs. There are a few rules that we follow, but the most important ones are to have fun and enjoy baking & eating cakes!

Follow our Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest pages where you can find all of our cakes, as well as inspiration for many other cakes. You can also click on the thumbnail pictures below to take you to each of our cakes. If you have a blog and are interested in joining The Cake Slice Bakers and baking along with us, please send an email to thecakeslicebakers at gmail dot com for more details.

The Cake Slice Bakers also have a new Facebook group called The Cake Slice Bakers and Friends. This group is perfect for those who do not have a blog but want to join in the fun and bake through this book.

 

Our choices for September 2019 were ~

1. Apple Sharlotka Cake
2. Strawberry Verdens Beste
3. Apricot Mousse Cake
4. Italian Coconut Creme Cake

Apple Sharlotka Cake

• Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• My Recipe Reviews
• Amandie Bakes

Strawberry Verdens Beste

• Camille Cooks

Apricot Mousse Cake

• All That's Left Are The Crumbs

Italian Coconut Creme Cake

• A Little Bit of All Right 
• Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Oven Delights