Gluten-free apple cake, or how to make Russian gluten-free sharlotka

This gluten-free apple cake is a plush, tall Russian cake that tastes like a cloud when you bite into it.

Discover the combination of Gala apples, almonds and fluffy egg batter in this beautiful gluten-free sharlotka.

This post is a partnership with the Washington Apple Commission. Thank you for supporting the brands that make this blog possible; I am proud to only work with companies that I truly believe in.

Memories of Russian sharlotka cake

I have many Russian cakes and desserts on my blog, most of them adapted to be gluten-free. But there's one cake that has been with me since childhood, and which I haven't told you about yet: Russian sharlotka cake.

Most weekends, my grandmother would bake this Russian apple cake with whatever apples she had on hand. Once we came back home from school, on the corner of our kitchen table would stand a towering, quivering cake, its flesh studded with apples and its top a cloud-like combination of whipped eggs and the lightest cake batter imaginable.

Once we cut ourselves a slice, eating it alongside a hot glass of dark Russian tea, we would lose ourselves in the taste of apple sharlotka.

Now that the weekend means thinking up which desserts to regale my own family with, it was only natural that I would make a gluten-free sharlotka. And I'm proud to report that this adaptation is no less cloud-like, fluffy and majestic than my grandmother's original Russian apple cake.

Also, after trying many different apples in the filling, I am also happy to report that I found the best apple for baking sharlotka: organic Washington Gala apples.

Ingredient spotlight: Organic Washington Gala Apples

We eat a lot of Organic Washington apples in my house (the Cosmic Crisp is my son's favourite!), but organic Washington Gala apples are my favourite for baking.

Gala apples are one of the sweetest apple varieties around, and they're very good in baking or pies. Crisp and very sweet, this aromatic apple features pink-orange stripes atop a pretty yellow background.

And from my experience, buying organic is one of the best ways to get the freshest, sweetest apples around. Washington State is known as one of the premier apple-growing areas in the world and the growing conditions make Washington the finest place to grow organic apples.

In fact, if you eat organic apples on the regular, chances are that the apples you buy are, in fact, Organic Washington Apples. The United States is the leading organic apple producer in the world, with Washington State growing more than 90% of U.S. certified organic apples.

So if we're looking to make this gluten-free apple cake the best possible, grab a bag of organic Washington Gala apples and discover how good this sweet, crispy fruit can be!

For more easy apple recipes:

The secrets to making the best gluten-free apple cake

Making a traditional cake gluten-free requires tinkering with formulas and ratios. And make the best gluten-free sharlotka can be especially tricky, because everyone has their own ideas about how to make the best apple cake.

But with my grandmother's guidance, I believe I really have found the way to make the best gluten-free apple cake.

My secrets for making the best gluten free sharlotka are:

• use a good gluten-free flour mix - In Canada, I like Irresistibles brand all-purpose GF flour mix, or the Robin Hood GF flour mix. If making your own, I like gluten-free on a shoestring's Better Batter mix.
• slice the apples into rings, rather than slices or cubes - this ensures a more pronounced apple flavor, gives more structure to your cake, and looks pretty when you cut the gluten-free apple cake.
• sprinkle sliced almonds or cookie crumbs at the bottom of your cake - this will prevent the cake from sticking to the pan and look really nice when you turn the gluten-free sharlotka upside down.
• choose good apples - I recommend using Organic Washington Gala apples for this recipe, but Granny Smith apples will also produce good results.
• layer the cake - instead of mixing all the ingredients in one batter, I found that this apple cake will rise much taller and become fluffier if you make it in layers, first laying out the apples along the bottom, and then pouring the whipped batter on top.

Did you make this recipe? Leave a star rating and let me know in the comments! You can also leave a photo/comment on this pin for others to see.

Can I Make a Dairy Free Apple Cake?

Absolutely! I have made this cake dairy-free and with dairy, and the results are actually identical.

All you need to make dairy free sharlotka is to substitute the butter for non-dairy margarine, or vegan butter. Both produce great results! You can also use coconut oil.

Adaptations and Substitutions for gluten-free sharlotka

Dairy-free and vegan apple cake

To make dairy-free apple cake, simply sub the butter for vegan butter or non-dairy margarine. I have not been able to achieve the proper texture of this sharlotka cake vegan, because it really relies on eggs for heft.

Keto, paleo and Whole 30 apple cake

Unfortunately, these recipes cannot be easily made keto (as apples aren't keto).

To make this cake paleo or Whole 30 appropriate, find a paleo flour blend you like. I usually like mixing almond flour and arrowroot powder. You would also have to substitute the sugar for a sugar replacement like stevia, but in a smaller ratio.

Ingredients for gluten free sharlotka

For this delicious gluten free Russian apple cake, you need:

• 1 cup crushed gluten-free cookies or sliced almonds
• 4 large Organic Washington State Gala apples, peeled, cored and sliced widthwise into ¼-inch thick circles
• ¼ cup sugar
• ¼ cup butter, cut into small cubes
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup sugar, for batter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
• 1 cup gluten-free flour
• Pinch of kosher salt
• Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Directions for making a gluten free apple cake

Prepare the oven and pan

Preheat oven to 350F. Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper, and grease the paper and sides of the pan with butter or oil for good measure.

Sprinkle almonds or cookie crumbs along the bottom

Sprinkle crumbled cookies or sliced almonds along the bottom of the cake pan. This will help soak up the juice of the apples as they cook, and create a nice topping. This is the first secret to making the best gluten-free sharlotka.

Prep the apple slices

Peel and core your apples. Now, here's the second secret to the cake: slice each apple into thin circles of about ¼ inch. You can also cut them into slices or even cubes, but keeping the apples in circles will result in a nice design on the top of the cake.

Arrange the apple slices in the pan

Arrange the apples directly on top of the crumbs or sliced almonds in the prepared pan, layering them in as many layers as necessary. Sprinkle with ¼ cup sugar. Dot the butter in a circle, keeping  to about 1 inch from the sides of the pan, and leaving the center of the cake bare.

Make the gluten free apple cake batter

In a standing mixer or in a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat the eggs with the sugar until thick and pale yellow and ribbons are formed along the sides, about 8-10 minutes. Gently fold in vanilla, then gradually add in the gluten-free flour and salt in two batches, folding just until combined after each addition.

Pour the batter over the apples. Use an offset spatula or spoon to try and flatten out the top, helping the batter get in between all the apple slices and all the way to the bottom. Let gluten-free apple cake stand for 5 minutes for the batter to settle fully.

Transfer cake to the oven to bake

Transfer to 350F oven for 1 hour, until the gluten-free apple sharlotka is golden on the top, and a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean. Transfer pan onto a cookie drying rack and let cool for 15 minutes.

Turn gluten free sharlotka over onto a cake stand

Flip out onto a large plate or cutting board, unmold the cake pan and remove parchment paper, then transfer onto a serving platter or cake stand so that the apple slices and crushed cookies or almonds are at the top. If desired, dust with confectioners' sugar right before serving, though this isn't necessary.

Cake can keep in the fridge for 5 days.

Storage

This gluten-free apple cake will keep outside the fridge for a day. It will keep in the fridge for 5 days following.

Making in Advance

This cake is best made in one go, because once you whip the eggs, waiting at all will cause them to deflate and the whole cake to collapse.

The good news, the cake takes about 15 minutes of active work, and then an hour of baking, and it can be eaten hot from the oven - but it tastes great if it has some time to rest. You can make this gluten-free apple cake a day in advance of when you intend to serve it.

Dominant flavors and ingredients

The key to a good gluten-free apple cake is great apples. We recommend using Organic Washington Apples, and particularly Gala apples, for best results.

Other than that, the other dominant flavors in this cake are almonds and eggs. We do not recommend trying to sub the eggs. You can use cookie crumbs in place of the almonds, or skip them altogether.

When to Serve

The apples used in this cake are organic Washington Gala apples, which are available year-round in most grocery stores. Therefore, you are not limited to when to make it!

The ease of preparation makes this a perfect, easy cake to whip up for a weekend.

If looking for a special occasion, this gluten-free sharlotka will wow everyone seated around the table during apple season, in the fall, for Thanksgiving, Rosh Hashanah or Sukkot.

If you're looking for more apple desserts:

Pin for Later!

Recipe

Gluten free apple cake (Gluten Free Sharlotka)

 A Russian gluten free apple cake (gluten free Sharlotka) - this simple Russian apple cake features organic Washington Gala apples baked into the batter, and a beautiful rise on account of the egg-laden dough.

5 from 23 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: cake, Dessert

Cuisine: Jewish, Russian

Keyword: almonds, apples, authentic, dairy-free, eggs, Gala apples, gluten-free, Organic Washington Apples

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Servings: 8 slices

Calories: 426kcal

Author: Ksenia Prints

Equipment

• KitchenAid Standing Mixer
• 9-inch springform pan

Ingredients

• 1 cup crushed gluten-free cookies or sliced almonds
• 4 large Washington State organic Gala apples peeled, cored and sliced widthwise into ¼-inch thick circles
• ¼ cup sugar
• ¼ cup butter cut into small cubes
• 4 large eggs
• 1 cup sugar for batter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
• 1 cup gluten-free flour
• Pinch of kosher salt
• Confectioners’ sugar for dusting (optional)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350F. Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper, and grease the paper and sides of the pan with butter or oil for good measure.
• Sprinkle crumbled cookies or sliced almonds along the bottom of the cake pan. This will help soak up the juice of the apples as they cook, and create a nice topping.
• Peel and core your apples. Then, slice each apple into thin circles of about ¼ inch. You can also cut them into slices or even cubes, but keeping the apples in circles will result in a nice design on the top of the cake.
• Arrange the apples directly on top of the crumbs or sliced almonds in the prepared pan, layering them in as many layers as necessary. Sprinkle with ¼ cup sugar. Dot the butter in a circle, keeping  to about 1 inch from the sides of the pan, and leaving the center of the cake bare.
• In a standing mixer or in a large bowl using an electric mixer, beat the eggs with the sugar until thick and pale yellow and ribbons are formed along the sides, about 8-10 minutes. Gently fold in vanilla, then gradually add in the gluten-free flour and salt in two batches, folding just until combined after each addition.
• Pour the batter over the apples. Use an offset spatula or spoon to try and flatten out the top, helping the batter get in between all the apple slices and all the way to the bottom. Let gluten-free apple cake stand for 5 minutes for the batter to settle fully.
• Transfer to 350F oven for 1 hour, until the gluten-free apple sharlotka is golden on the top, and a cake tester inserted in the middle comes out clean. Transfer pan onto a cookie drying rack and let cool for 15 minutes. Flip out onto a large plate or cutting board, unmold the cake pan and remove parchment paper, then transfer onto a serving platter or cake stand so that the apple slices and crushed cookies or almonds are at the top.
• Dust with confectioners' sugar and serve. Cake can keep in the fridge for 5 days.

Video

Nutrition

Sodium: 41mg | Calcium: 115mg | Vitamin C: 4mg | Vitamin A: 181IU | Sugar: 43g | Fiber: 7g | Potassium: 348mg | Cholesterol: 83mg | Calories: 426kcal | Trans Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Fat: 18g | Protein: 11g | Carbohydrates: 62g | Iron: 2mg