Polish National Dishes

Szarlotka: Polish Apple Cake with Cinnamon and Grated Pastry

Szarlotka is a familiar Polish apple cake built around tart fruit and a tender shortcrust pastry. This home version layers cinnamon apples over a crisp pastry base and finishes with a grated pastry topping, then a light dusting of icing sugar. Chilling the dough and cooling the apples make the cake easier to assemble and slice.

Polish National Dishes
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A rectangular Polish apple cake and two slices on a platter, showing the apple layer between shortcrust pastry.
Yield 1 rectangular 23 × 33 cm cake, cut into 16 slices of about 160 g
Active preparation 40 minutes
Baking 50 minutes
Chilling and cooling 105 minutes
Ingredients ↓
About szarlotka

Szarlotka: Polish Apple Cake with Cinnamon and Grated Pastry

Szarlotka is one of Poland's best-known cakes and is enjoyed throughout the year. Contemporary versions commonly use short or semi-short pastry, but the dough, apple preparation and topping vary between households and regions. Older charlotte-style bakes could use toasted bread, so there is no single recipe that represents every version.

This recipe uses a buttery shortcrust base, a layer of tart apples gently cooked with cinnamon and lemon, and a grated pastry top. The apples should soften while keeping some pieces intact; cooking off excess juice helps the base stay crisp. A small amount of dry breadcrumbs provides a second safeguard against a wet center without making the filling floury.

Poland also has distinct regional apple cakes, including registered products from Józefów and Lublin and the Kujawy jabłecznik. This practical home-style szarlotka is not presented as any one of those local specialties. Serve it after dinner, with tea or coffee, or as part of an afternoon cake spread.

Tips for success

Tips for success

  • Keep the butter cold and handle the pastry briefly; overworking it can make the crust firm.
  • Cook the apples uncovered and stop when they are tender but still hold their shape. Reduce or drain visible liquid before cooling.
  • Let the apple filling cool completely before layering it on the pastry.
  • Grate the smaller dough portion while it is cold, and leave the topping loose so it bakes into crisp crumbs.
  • Wait until the cake is cool before slicing; the apple layer firms as it rests.
Ingredients

Ingredients

  • 500 g all-purpose wheat flour
  • 250 g cold unsalted butter, cubed
  • 100 g granulated sugar
  • 2 l arge egg yolks, about 36 g total
  • 60 g sour cream
  • 10 g baking powder
  • 3 g fine salt
  • 1,500 g tart apples, peeled, cored and diced (prepared weight)
  • 50 g granulated sugar, adjusted only to the tartness of the apples
  • 15 ml lemon juice
  • 4 g ground cinnamon
  • 1 g fine salt
  • 20 g fine dry breadcrumbs
  • 15 g icing sugar, for dusting
Method

Method

Directions

  1. Mix and chill the pastry.Whisk the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Rub or cut in the cold butter until coarse crumbs form. Add the egg yolks and sour cream, mixing only until the dough holds together. Divide it into two portions, about two-thirds and one-third; flatten, wrap and chill for 45 minutes.

  2. Cook the apples.Peel, core and dice the apples to 1,500 g prepared weight. Put them in a wide pan with the sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon and salt. Cook uncovered over medium heat for 8–12 minutes, stirring gently, until softened but still in pieces and no liquid pools in the pan. Cool completely.

  3. Prepare the base.Heat the oven to 180 °C conventional or 170 °C fan. Line a 23 × 33 cm pan with parchment. Press the larger portion of dough evenly over the base and slightly up the sides. Patch cracks without stretching the dough.

  4. Add the filling.Scatter the breadcrumbs in a thin, even layer over the pastry. Spread the cooled apples over them and level gently, keeping the filling away from the pan edges where possible.

  5. Grate the topping.Coarsely grate the smaller chilled dough portion over the apples to cover them loosely and evenly. Do not press the topping down.

  6. Bake.Bake for 45–55 minutes, until the topping is golden and the apple layer bubbles at the edges. The center should reach at least 71.1 °C. If the top browns too quickly, cover it loosely with foil for the remaining bake.

  7. Cool and serve.Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for at least 60 minutes before lifting or slicing. Dust with icing sugar just before serving and cut into 16 portions with a sharp knife.

Tips for success

Practical

Tips for success

Keep the butter cold and handle the pastry briefly; overworking it can make the crust firm.

Tips for success

Cook the apples uncovered and stop when they are tender but still hold their shape. Reduce or drain visible liquid before cooling.

Tips for success

Let the apple filling cool completely before layering it on the pastry.

Tips for success

Grate the smaller dough portion while it is cold, and leave the topping loose so it bakes into crisp crumbs.

Tips for success

Wait until the cake is cool before slicing; the apple layer firms as it rests.

Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting

  • The base is soggythe apples may have released too much juice. Cook them uncovered until no liquid pools, cool completely and retain the thin breadcrumb layer.
  • The pastry cracks while pressingpatch the crack with a small piece of dough and press it gently into place; do not stretch the pastry.
  • The topping browns before the center is donecover loosely with foil and continue baking until the apple filling bubbles and the center reaches 71.1 °C.
  • The slices slumpthe cake may still be warm. Let it cool for at least 60 minutes so the apple layer can set.
Nutrition per slice

Nutrition per slice

  • Approximate values for one-sixteenth of the cake, including the icing sugar dusting: 330 kcal, 46 g carbohydrates, 4 g protein, 14 g fat, 8 g saturated fat, 3 g fibre and 150 mg sodium. These rounded estimates use generic ingredient data; apple variety, flour, butter, sour cream and slice size affect the result. This is not a laboratory analysis.
Allergens and food safety

Allergens and food safety

Serving, storage and make-ahead: Serve at room temperature, lightly dusted with icing sugar. A spoonful of thick yogurt or vanilla ice cream may accompany a slice, but the cake is also served on its own. Use a sharp, thin-bladed knife and wipe it between cuts for neat portions.

Serving, storage and make-ahead: The pastry dough can be made one day ahead and kept wrapped in the refrigerator. The apples can also be cooked a day ahead, cooled and refrigerated in a covered container. Bring the dough just to a workable firmness and keep the apple filling chilled until assembly; do not leave egg-containing dough at room temperature for an extended period.

Serving, storage and make-ahead: Cool leftovers promptly and refrigerate covered at or below 4 °C within two hours; use within 3–4 days. Freeze fully cooled slices, well wrapped, for up to two months for best quality and thaw covered in the refrigerator. This cake is served cold or at room temperature and does not need reheating.

Serving, storage and make-ahead: For a dairy-free variation, use a firm baking fat and plain dairy-free sour cream alternative; the pastry texture will differ, and product labels should be checked. If a tart variety is unavailable, use a mix of tart and sweet-tart apples while keeping the prepared weight the same. Cook off excess moisture rather than adding unmeasured flour.

Contains wheat/gluten, milk and egg. Wash apples before peeling and cutting. Keep raw flour and egg away from ready-to-eat food; wash hands and utensils after handling them and do not taste raw dough. Bake until the center reaches at least 71.1 °C. Cool on a clean rack, refrigerate covered leftovers at or below 4 °C within two hours and use within 3–4 days.

Let the cake cool completely before covering it so trapped steam does not soften the pastry.

Keep refrigerated leftovers covered and separate from raw ingredients.

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