Russian Apple Pie

My Russian boyfriend loves (!!!!) this--calls it Neighbor Charlotte--because you make it quickly for neighbors who drop in. I t's not a pie. Think uncomplicated, undersweet coffee cake--crunchy on outside, slightly doughy in the middle.It seems like people are overcomplicating this recipe. It is supposed to be peasanty simple. His mom's variation 1.5 cups sugar + 3 eggs, mix, 1.5 cups flour, mix just until combined. Pour in greased/floured pie pan. Peel/core 3 tart apples, cut into large chunks and press into batter. Bake@350 for 50 mins. If you add 1/2 c. milk, it is a Clafouty recipe (more custard-like than this recipe). If you arrange melon-balled apples neatly and then, after removing from oven, sprinkle with powdered sugar, it can come out a little more formal looking and good enough to take to a friend's house when you are invited over for casual supper.

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I still can't believe that this recipe is so simple. It's so beautiful and tastes amazing! Please, for the sake of this recipe, do not attempt it if you are having a craving for traditional American apple pie. So many reviewers are getting so upset about the lack of sweetness and the "density" - your expectations are not fair for this dish. We Americans have a bad tendency to demand sweetness over flavor. Let the natural sugars in your apples shine for a change, and give it a chance on its own merits. I used 2/3 cup of sugar given that I had some very sour Granny Smiths, and added a touch of cinnamon, but those were the only changes needed to produce a perfect result. I recommend serving this at room temperature but I've tried it both cold and warm now and it's great either way! Thanks so much for this enjoyable dessert - I'll definitely be making it again!

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Followed the recipe exactly, but it was very dry and the texture of the cake was rubbery. The FLAVOR, however, was very good...no flavors competing, not too sweet. I would probably try it again, but with modifications to the cake batter.

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This is ever so lightly sweetened and it's the most delicious apple pie/cake. It's light and goes wonderfully with Russian chai.

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I was amused that it is called Russian Pie here - in Russia we call it Charlotte, assuming it is a "French pie". This recipe is missing baking powder - I did not have it at home so I baked the cake following this recipe, and it turned out to be clearly not as fluffy as when my mom makes it.

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My son and I made this and we had mishaps in the kitchen. First we decided to do some of what Maria suggested tossing the apple slices in about 1/4 c. sugar,1/4 t. cinnamon and 1 t. lemon juice we also added 2T cream and vanilla to the batter but no cinnamon and no butter on top, didn’t want the cinnamon to mix with the vanilla flavor in the cake. I used granny smith and I admit we pealed them…Here comes our mishap… I picked up the pan (spring form) bottom fell out, we hand not gotten the bottom in right. Since I am not a wasters … we scooped what we could back in the bowl and re-did the spring form pan right and dumped it in, we mad a two third batter and put it on top. Now in the oven we are awaiting the results………..even though this have been done differently I fell the integrity of the recipe is intact. I will try this again with the absents of the mishap (I hope) to see if there is a different but I thought that the flavor is good. the insipid flavor of the cake had a mild vanilla flavor but the apples were so yummy bursting with cinnamon-sweet-tartness. The cake came out dense I am not sure if this is because of our mishap or not but still very good flavor This cake is very simple and remains me of a German apple cake that my mother-in-law makes. next time she comes for a visit I will be making this for her. Just a thought I think next time that I will try it with Jonathan apples but then I would omit the dusting of the apples, however I might change my mind later about the dusting. Mmm this is good! I will be making this again and again Thank you Lori

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This is exactly the recipe I got from my good friend Sveta when I lived in St. Petersburg back in 2002 and 2003. She always dusted with powdered sugar afterward and that added a nice touch. It is called Russian Apple PIE but that is a bit deceiving as it is more like a cake. But good none the less. Plus I noticed Russian recipes tend to be less sugary than American, so if you like more sugar add more. Good base recipe! I always add cinnamon and of course the dusting! Yum!

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My spouse is Russian, so this is the first one I found to try on RecipeZaar. To me it was fun but it took a little time to work withthe recipe. First of all,I took the apples sliced them instead of chunks,and mixed them with a couple of tbsp.of cinnamon and one half cup of sugar. Then i put the apple mixture in a skillet that was sprayed generously with cooking spray. I then cooked the apples slightly on the stovetop for about 5 min.to start the cooking process of the apples. For the batter on top, I added slightly more sugar than suggested:three quarters cup sugar and again,3 tbsp. of cinnamon and a half a teaspoon of salt. The batter did appear thick and I couldn't tell if the batter had air bubbles or not. The result was a wonderful apple tort with good flavor and texture! It was a lot like what my Russain mother-in-law made for my family when we visited her in Russia. Thanks for a good recipe. Simple, basic and easy and very tasty!

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I made this but it looks nothing like the picture. My batter stayed basically on the top, like it was too thick. I followed the recipe but used fructose instead of the sugar and added cinnamon. It was pretty bland even with the cinnamon. A cake or pancake batter would probably work better. It's a good idea but didn't work for me.

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An excellent authentic Russian recipe, pretty much exactly as my family makes it (called "Sharlotka" in Russian). As a personal preference, I substitute self-raising flour for the plain flour, and add a bit of cinnamon to the apples -- but there is absolutely no need to do this, it will work regardless. I tend to whisk the eggs separately and then mix the whole batter, apples and all. In response to previous reviewers: the amount of sugar is strongly dependent on the type of apples you use. Obviously, very sour apples require more sugar, sometimes as much as a full cup. For Granny Smith apples, 1/2 to 2/3 cup is plenty.

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I thought this was really good. It is easy to make and doesn't leave me with the guilties. I have made it as is and have added cinnamon and vanilla which was also good (and gave the cake part some color). It is also really good cold!

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Sorry, but I didn't think much of the end product. I did add a little cinnamon but it could definitely use more than 1/2 cup of sugar. I won't make again.

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This dessert was quite easy to make. It's not a pie, it's not a cake; it's something in-between. After reading the reviews, I decided to add sugar and cinnamon to the apples. And dot butter on top before it went into the oven. Next time I won't bake it for the full 55 minutes. My oven must be off. It's really a luscious presentation.I definitely will make it again. Thanks Chef1071.

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Mmmm... I liked this a lot. Very easy. I read the recipe because it was on the front page of RecipeZaar, and, although I had a Brownies troop to lead in 1 hr, I pulled it together and just finished it as I walked out the door! I will say, though, that my cake was done at 40 minutes when I checked -- I was surprised to see how dark it was when I peeped in the oven. I liked the taste and texture, personally preferring cake that is not super sweet and one that a person *could* pick up and eat as they sit in the front yard. My kids will love this as an afternoon snack after school.

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Really good, but if you want it to be more sweet and flaverful, just add some sprinklings of sugar to each layer of apples you lay out.

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I thoroughly enjoyed this. I will be making this again and again. So quick and easy! I used Spartan apples and an 8.5" deep dish pan. It turned out a bit dense but I liked it like that. I dusted mine with cinnamon and icing sugar. It added just a bit of sweetness to it and really set the dish off. I only had a little bit of trouble getting it out of the pan. Some tapping and shaking and it came out. I might try dusting the pan with icing sugar after I grease it with butter. Great dish. Thanks!

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I thought this dessert was very easy and good, although I made a few changes based on previous reviews, first I tossed the apple slices in about 1/4 c. sugar,1/4 t. cinnamon and 1 t. lemon juice. Then I added about 1/8 c. milk,1 t. vanilla, pinch of salt and about 1/4 t. cinnamon to batter. I dotted the top with about 2 T. of butter and baked it at the required temp. I brought it to my mom's for my dad's birthday and got some nice compliments on this simple and easy dessert. Thank you for the quick and easy recipe. Maria

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Sorry, I really wanted this to turn out but it just didn't work too well for me. The only thing I did differently was to add some cinnamon. I would recommend greasing the pie plate with butter instead of cooking spray, as I used cooking spray and it did not come out of the pan. We found this to be more like a dry cakey texture than a pie. The cake seemed to go right through this dish and did not soak through to the bottom. I ended up sprucing it up with a caramel topping in the end as we just weren't too thrilled with it the way it was. I am really sorry, it just wasn't that great for me!!

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I made this with my 5/6 grade class when we were studying Prokofiev. They loved it and all wanted the recipe. Very easy and not too sugary!

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