Recipe: Szarlotka – Polish apple cake and a meringue crumble topping

In Poland, you will find a version of this apple pie on every sweet counter and dessert menu, says Ren Behan. There are a few stages to making it, but it’s hugely rewarding, and delicious. Let it fully cool before releasing it from the tin, to let the meringue shrink down.

Ingredients

For the pastry:

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• 450g plain flour, plus extra for dusting 
• 1 tsp baking powder 
• 200g butter, at room temperature, cut into cubes 
• Grated zest of 1 lemon
• 225g caster sugar 
• 4 egg yolks (save the whites for the topping) 
• 1 tbsp natural yoghurt 
• 1 tsp vanilla bean paste

For the filling:

• 6 large Bramleys or other cooking apple (about 1.5kg)
• Juice of 1⁄2 a lemon 
• 200ml water 
• 4 tsp soft, light brown sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

For the meringue:

• 4 egg whites 
• a pinch of salt 
• 300g caster sugar
• 2 tbsp cornflour or potato flour

Method

• Grease and line a 23cm round springform tin with baking paper.
• For the pastry, place the flour, baking powder, butter, zest and sugar in a food processor and blitz to a sandy texture. Add the egg yolks, yoghurt and vanilla, and pulse till the mixture forms a dough.
• On a large floured board, bring the dough together with your hands and roll into a ball. Divide the dough into one-third and two-third pieces, wrap both in cling film and place the larger in the fridge and the smaller in the freezer.
• Peel, core and chop the apples into cubes, tossing in the lemon juice as you go. Transfer to a saucepan, add the water, sprinkle over sugar and cinnamon and cook over a low heat until softened. Leave to cool in a heatproof bowl.
• Preheat your oven to 180°C. Take the refrigerated dough and roll into a circle to fit the bottom of your tin. Prick the base with a fork, bake in the oven for 15 mins, then remove.
• Drain any liquid from the cooked apples and spoon the apple filling over the baked base.
• For the meringue, place the egg whites in a spotlessly clean bowl with a pinch of salt. Whisk, increasing the speed gradually, until soft peaks form. Keep increasing the speed gradually and tip in the sugar, little by little, beating after each addition. Once the meringue is thick and glossy, stir through the cornflour or potato flour, taking care not to knock out the air. Give it another quick whisk, then spoon the meringue over the apple layer in the tin and use a spoon to flatten it out.
• Take the dough out of the freezer, grate it, then sprinkle over the meringue. Bake for 55 mins until golden, then remove from the oven and leave to cool completely in the tin.
• To serve, carefully remove the cake from the tin, dust it with icing sugar and cut into slices.

Taken from The Sweet Polish Kitchen by Ren Behan, published by Pavilion at £26. Photography by Nassima Rothacker. To buy from The Week Bookshop for £20.99 (incl. p&p), call 020-3176 3835 or visit theweekbookshop.co.uk.

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