Szarlotka aka Polish apple pie is a popular dessert in every Polish home, cafe and bakery.
It’s easy to prepare with delicious, crispy shortcrust pastry, a lot of apple filling and topped with a crispy crumbs. Szarlotka differs from traditional apple pie in both the crust and the filling. It features a more rustic appearance and delicate, less sweet flavour.
Apples are one of the most popular fruits in Poland. My Mom used to make apple pie every week. We would take it to school for lunch or have it as an after school snack.
Here is my Mom’s super easy and delicious recipe:
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups (320g) all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 4 eggs
- 3 pounds Red Delicious apples, peeled, cored, & sliced (1.3 Kg)
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 stick butter (250g)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- Powdered sugar (optional)
Instructions
Let’s start with the dough.
First, separate egg yolks from the whites and set them aside.
In a large bowl combine flour and baking powder. Stir well. Add the butter (cut into small pieces), 4 egg yolks and vanilla extract. Knead together until dough is smooth. If the dough feels too dry, add 1-2 tablespoons of cold water, a little at a time. You can use a food processor, but I prefer to form the dough by hand. It’s just faster, better and less dishes to wash.
Divide the dough into two parts (one larger than the other, 1/3 and 2/3), flatten it slightly and wrap in plastic wrap. Place in the fridge for about 30 minutes, while you prepare the apple filling.
While the dough is chilling, prepare the filling (wow, it rhymes).
Wash the apples, peel them, remove the cores and cut them into small cubes. Optionally you can grate them (see the second part of the recipe).
I like to use Red Delicious apples but you can try Honeycrisp, Braeburn, Pink LadyPour or Golden Delicious.
Place the sliced apples in a large frying pan, add sugar, cinnamon and the lemon juice. Cook for about 15 mins over medium heat stirring gently. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool completely.
Cook the apples as soon as you’ve peeled and chopped them (peeled apples brown quickly).
Cooking the apples with sugar and cinnamon gives them a deep, rich caramelized flavour. Also, the heat causes the apple’s juice to evaporate, so the pie will be less liquid and have a more solid structure.
Next, lightly grease a baking pan with the butter.
Take the larger part of the dough out from the fridge. Remove the foil and cut into thin slices (approx. 1/4 inch or 5mm thick) and arrange in a single layer in the bottom of the baking pan. Use the palm of your hand and your fingertips to evenly distribute it into a uniform dough layer across the bottom of the baking pan.
Next, beat the egg whites until thick and stiff adding a pinch of salt. Start your mixer with low speed and gradually increase it. Set aside.
Spread the apple mixture (it should be completely cooled by now) over the layer of dough and even out without pressing down too much.
Spread the egg whites mixture over the top of the pie.
Take the remaining dough (smaller portion) from the fridge, tear off small pieces and place them gently on top of the egg white mixture without pressing down. If you froze your dough, coarsely grate it over the layer of egg whites.
Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C) and bake for about 55-60 minutes, until the cake is nicely browned and the bottom of the cake is fully cooked.
Remove from the oven and set aside to cool before cutting.
Before serving, dust your apple cake with a powdered sugar or a mixture of powdered sugar and cinnamon.
Szarlotka is best served on the day it’s made, but will still be delicious for the next 2-3 days. Just keep it covered in the fridge so it retains its moisture.
There is another way of making the filling. My wife and I can’t decide which one we like better. Both are amazingly delicious.
Make the dough the same way as described above. Divide into two parts (one larger than the other, 1/3 and 2/3), flatten it slightly and wrap them in plastic wrap. Place the larger part in the fridge for about 30 minutes, while you prepare the apple filling. The smaller part of the dough put in the freezer.
By putting the dough in the freezer, you will have an option to grate it and put it on top of the apple pie. If you put the dough in the fridge, you will need to tear the dough piece by piece and spread it over the entire surface of the pie. Personally, I don’t have a preference.
Preparing the filling is little different this time. Instead of cutting apples into cubes, grate them on a grater with larger holes.
Place the grated apples in colander and put them aside for about 20 minutes, so that the apples release some juice. We don’t want Szarlotka to be too saggy. Add cinnamon and sugar to the grated apples.
Lightly grease a baking pan with butter. Take the larger part of the dough out of the fridge and cut it into thin slices and arrange in a single layer in the bottom of the baking pan. Use the palm of your hand and your fingertips to evenly distribute it into a uniform dough layer across the bottom of the baking pan.
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Put the grated apples on the top of the pastry. Level the surface and lightly pat the apples.
In the meantime preheat the oven to 350 F (180 C).
Take the remaining dough from the freezer and coarsely grate it (same holes as the apples). Spread the grated dough over the entire surface of the apple pie.
Btw, in this case I didn’t use egg whites but you still can do it. Spread the egg whites mixture over the top of the pie and than spread grated dough over.
Bake for about 55-60 minutes, until the cake is nicely browned and the bottom of the cake is fully cooked. Remove the pie from the oven and allow it to cool slightly.
Before serving, you can sprinkle the apple pie with icing sugar.
Served warm or cold, it pairs beautifully with a dollop of whipped cream or even a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Szarlotka is a simple yet elegant dessert that celebrates the natural flavor of apples. Whether enjoyed at a family meal, holiday gathering, or afternoon tea, this Polish apple pie is sure to delight everyone around the table.
Smacznego! (Bon Appétit!) 🍏
