Szarlotka

• Szarlotka is the word my mother used for (apple) crumble.
• In some parts of Poland szarlotka is the word used for an apple cake.
• I wanted to create a cake that was cross between a cake and a crumble.
• I have used half the quantity from my apple cake (jabłecznik) recipe as the base and then used a drier crumble type mixture – called kruszonka in Polish – for the top.
• I have already done this  for a rhubarb cake, so I have revisted this recipe.
• I have adjusted the recipe to use just one type of flour (plain) and one type of sugar (granulated) to make it  easier.

Apple Filling

• You can use an apple filling with just apples and sugar with the addition of cinnamon.
• Sometimes in Poland raisins or sultanas are added to the apples.
• As I had some homemade, fruit mincemeat left from last year to use up (made from Delia Smith’s recipe but without nuts) before I made this year’s batch,  I added some of this to the apples.

Ingredients

• 4 to 6 Bramley Apples
• Granulated Sugar to taste – keep it slightly tart
• A little water
• 4 tablespoons of mincemeat

Method

• Make the apple filling first, even the day beforehand as it needs to be cold before you use it.
• Peel and core the apples and cut them into thick slices.
• Stew the apples gently with some sugar and very little water. You can make this in a saucepan on the stove or place the apples and sugar in a dish in the oven.
• Do not add a lot of sugar at the beginning as it does not want to be too sweet, you can adjust the sweetness at the end.
• Do not make it too much of a purée, cook it so that you have some soft apples but with some harder less cooked chunks as well.
• Leave this to be completely cool.
• Mix in the mincemeat.

Note

When I have lots of apples, I cook a large amount and portion this up and keep them in the freezer –  add the mincemeat when making the cake.

Base

• 150g  plain flour
• 2 teaspoons of baking powder
• 100g butter
• 40g granulated sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 or 2 tablespoons of lemon juice or water.

Topping (kruszonka)

• 120g plain flour
• 60g butter
• 60g granulated sugar

Method – Base

• You have to use a loose bottom or spring-form tin or you will not be able to get the cake out.
• I use a loose bottomed anodised aluminium cake tin which is 22cm in diameter and 8cm deep.
• Grease the tin well.
• First make the cake base by rubbing the butter into the flour to make crumbs, then stir in the sugar.
• Add the yolk and lemon juice and bring the ingredients together to form a soft dough – do not handle the dough too much.
• Pre heat the oven to GM 4 – 180ºC.
• Make the dough into a rough flat circle and press it into the base of the tin.

Method – Topping

• Make the topping by rubbing the butter into the flour to make crumbs and then stir in the sugar.
• Put the  apple mixture on top of the base – it wants to be quite a thick layer.
• Sprinkle the topping crumbs over the apple mixture.

• Bake in the oven for around 1 hour.
• Leave to cool in the tin.
• Use a long metal spatula to ease the cake from the side of the tin, then place the cake on to the top of a tin can and slide the side down.

Tea set here is  Woodside by Royal Grafton, 1940 – 1959