2026-02-10 Szarlotka (Jewish Apple Pie)  Recipe | Laurel Kratochvila|

I didn’t eat apple pie growing up — but I thought I did After all, we made it in a pie plate My mother kept me in the dark about this until I was in grade school

Ingredients

• Butter and sugar, for the pan
• 2¼ pounds tart and firm apples (8 to 10 medium apples), such as Granny Smith, Braeburn or Cortland
• 3 tablespoons/40 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 1/4 cups/450 grams sugar
• 4 eggs, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
• 2 cups/250 grams all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• Vanilla ice cream (optional), for serving

Instructions

• Line the base of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper, then butter the sides and coat with sugar. Heat the oven to 400 degrees, ideally with the convection setting turned on.
• Peel, core and slice the apples into 1 1/2- to 2-inch chunks. Gently pile the apples into the pan, all the way to the top. (There’s no need to pack them tightly.)
• In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and 2 cups/400 grams of the sugar on medium speed until fluffy. Continuing to mix, add the eggs one at a time, then increase the speed to medium-high. Beat for about 5 minutes, until the batter turns a pale yellow. Reduce the speed to low and add the vanilla and salt. Finally, add the flour and continue to mix on low speed until your batter is smooth. It will be thick but pourable.
• Pour the batter over the top of the apples in the springform pan, covering the top entirely. Use a spatula to smooth the batter to the edges of the pan. If it doesn’t seem like enough batter, don’t worry! It will sink down among the apples as it bakes.
• In a small bowl, mix together the remaining 1/4 cup/50 grams sugar and the cinnamon, then sprinkle evenly over the szarlotka.
• Bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees, then lower the heat to 350 degrees and continue to bake for another 45 to 55 minutes. The top will be a rich tan color and a knife inserted into the middle will come out clean but wet from the apples. If the top starts to get too dark, cover loosely with aluminum foil for the remainder of the bake.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before sliding a knife around the edge of the cake and undoing the springform sides.
• Serve at room temperature with vanilla ice cream if you’d like, or store, covered, in the fridge for up to 5 days, serving cold or reheating in the oven.

Nutrition