Polish apple cake in the air fryer is my version of szarlotka, the classic cake that almost every Polish family has its own recipe for. It consists of three layers: a crisp shortcrust base, a thick layer of stewed, tart apples with cinnamon and a golden topping of frozen dough, which is grated directly over the filling. It is precisely the topping of grated dough that sets szarlotka apart from an apple tart with applesauce or an apple cake with an almond topping.
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The cake is baked in a square pan that fits in the basket, and it is dusted with icing sugar just before serving. Here you get my experience with the dough, the apples and the baking, so the base turns out crisp instead of soft.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Table of Contents
Why I love Polish apple cake in the air fryer
Szarlotka is a cake of contrasts. The base is crisp and tastes of butter, the apple layer is soft and tart, and the topping has a light crunch, because the dough is grated and bakes into small golden flakes instead of a dense lid. I use tart apples such as Belle de Boskoop or Granny Smith, because they keep their shape in the pot and balance the sugar and the cinnamon. The dough comes together quickly from plain flour, icing sugar, cold butter, egg yolks and a spoonful of crème fraîche.
The difference between the air fryer and the oven
In the air fryer, the heating element sits close to the cake, and the circulating air dries the surface quickly. That gives a crisp topping without you having to turn on the big oven for a small cake. On the other hand, the topping browns faster than in an oven, which is why the cake is baked at 160 °C and checked along the way. A square pan of about 18 x 18 cm makes good use of the basket, but measure first: the pan needs 1-2 cm of space all the way around, so the hot air can circulate.
My kitchen test of Polish apple cake
I baked the cake in my Cosori Dual Blaze, which has one basket with heating elements both at the top and the bottom. That is an advantage when a cake is baked in a pan, because the shortcrust base gets heat from below while the topping turns golden. The base is pre-baked on its own at 160 °C for 10 minutes, until it is lightly golden around the edge. Then the dry breadcrumbs, apples and grated dough go on, and the cake is baked at 160 °C for 30 minutes. After 15 minutes, I turn the pan a half turn and cover it with aluminum foil if the topping is already dark golden.
The total time is 135 minutes: 35 minutes of preparation, 60 minutes of chilling time for the dough and 40 minutes in the air fryer. During the chilling time, roughly two thirds of the dough rests in the fridge for the base and one third in the freezer for the topping. The dough for the topping must be completely firm before it can be grated. If it gets soft along the way, I put it back in the freezer for 5 minutes.
Let the stewed apples drain in a sieve for at least 20 minutes, and press them lightly with the ladle at the end. Wet apples make a soggy base.
Tips and tricks from the author: Morten Jensen
The typical mistakes and how to avoid them
The first mistake is wet apples. If the apples go straight from the pot into the pan, the juice soaks down into the dough. Let them drain and cool down, pre-bake the base, and sprinkle dry breadcrumbs over it before the filling goes on. The second mistake is a dough topping that is not cold enough. Soft dough clumps on the grater and bakes into a dense slab, so grate it straight from the freezer on the coarse side. The third mistake is cutting the cake too early. The apple layer needs to set, so let the cake cool in the pan on a cooling rack for at least 30 minutes.
How to serve Polish apple cake
Dust icing sugar over the cake through a sifter just before serving, and cut it into 8 pieces. Serve it warm or cold with one of these suggestions:
- Crème fraîche 18%, which gives a fresh, tart contrast to the cinnamon
- Lightly whipped cream, if the cake is going on the coffee table
- A scoop of vanilla ice cream that melts over a warm piece
- A cup of tea with a little of the drained apple juice stirred in
Storage and reheating
Store the cake covered in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat the pieces in the air fryer at 150 °C for 3-4 minutes, until they are warm and the topping is crisp again. The cake can also be frozen in pieces for up to 3 months. Thaw the pieces in the fridge overnight before you heat them.
Polish apple cake takes a little patience, but most of the time the dough looks after itself in the fridge and the freezer. Make sure the apples are well drained and the dough topping is frozen, and the most important things are in place. Enjoy the baking.
FAQ
Tart apples such as Belle de Boskoop or Granny Smith are best, because they keep their shape and balance the sugar and cinnamon. If you only have sweet apples, use 30 g sugar and add 1 tbsp lemon juice.
Yes. If your air fryer has a round basket, you can use a round pan of about 20 cm. It has almost the same base area as the square pan of 18 x 18 cm, so the quantities and baking time are the same.
Recipe
Polish apple cake in the Air Fryer
Cooking Guide
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Recommended equipment
- 1 Air fryer
- 1 Square pan - Approx. 18 x 18 cm, must fit in the basket
- 1 Mixing bowl
- 1 Pot
- 1 Ladle
- 1 Sieve
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Grater
- 1 Paring knife
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Knife
- 1 Parchment paper
- 1 Plastic wrap
- 1 Aluminum foil
- 1 Cooling rack
- 1 Sifter
Shopping list
Ingredients
Apple filling
- 1 kg apples (Tart, e.g. Belle de Boskoop or Granny Smith)
- 50 g sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp dry breadcrumbs (For sprinkling on the base)
Decoration
- 1 tbsp icing sugar (For dusting over the cake)
How to make it
Preparation
- Rub 125 g butter into the flour mixture with your fingertips until the mixture is even and crumbly.
- Add 2 pcs egg yolks and 1 tbsp crème fraîche, and quickly bring the dough together without kneading it more than necessary.
- Divide the dough into two parts: roughly two thirds for the base and one third for the topping. Wrap both parts in plastic wrap, and put the smaller part in the freezer and the larger part in the fridge for 60 minutes.
- Put the apple cubes in a pot with 50 g sugar, 2 tsp ground cinnamon and 2 tbsp water. Let them simmer over medium heat for 8-10 minutes, stirring regularly with a ladle, until the apples are tender but still hold their shape.
- Pour the apples into a sieve over a bowl, and let them drain and cool for at least 20 minutes. Press them lightly with the ladle at the end, so the last of the liquid runs out.
Cooking in the air fryer
- Line a square pan of about 18 x 18 cm with parchment paper, so the paper comes up two of the sides and no more than 1 cm above the rim.
- Press the cold dough from the fridge into an even layer in the bottom of the pan, and prick it all over with the tip of a knife.
- Preheat the air fryer to 160 °C fan.
- Place the pan in the air fryer basket, and pre-bake the base at 160 °C for 10 minutes, until it is lightly golden around the edge.
- Sprinkle 2 tbsp dry breadcrumbs over the pre-baked base, and spread the drained apples in a thick, even layer.
- Take the frozen dough out of the freezer, and grate it on the coarse side of a grater directly over the apples, so they are completely covered.
- Put the pan back in the air fryer, and bake the cake at 160 °C for 30 minutes, until the topping is golden and crisp.
- Check the cake after 15 minutes, and turn the pan a half turn. Cover the cake with aluminum foil if the topping is already dark golden, and fold the foil around the rim of the pan so it cannot blow up into the heating element.
Serving
- Lift the pan out of the basket, and let the cake cool in the pan on a cooling rack for at least 30 minutes, so the apple layer sets.
- Dust 1 tbsp icing sugar over the cake through a sifter just before serving, and cut it into 8 pieces.
Our notes for the recipe
Let the apples drain thoroughly before they go into the pan, because wet apples make a soggy base. For the same reason, the base is pre-baked before the filling goes on. The dough for the topping must be completely firm from the freezer. If it gets soft while you grate it, put it back in the freezer for 5 minutes. Measure the basket before you start: the pan needs 1-2 cm of space all the way around so the hot air can circulate. Two folded strips of aluminum foil laid crosswise under the pan make it easy to lift it out of the basket. Variation:
Fold a handful of raisins or chopped walnuts into the drained apples, or replace half of the cinnamon with ground cardamom. If you only have sweet apples, use 30 g sugar and add 1 tbsp lemon juice. Serving suggestion:
Serve the cake warm or cold with crème fraîche, lightly whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The drained apple juice tastes good in yoghurt or tea. Portion size:
The cake makes 8 pieces, so 2 pieces per serving. If your air fryer has a round basket, you can use a round pan of about 20 cm instead. It has almost the same base area, so the quantities and baking time are the same.
Your notes for the recipe
Nutrition per serving (Guideline)
Important about shelf life and nutrition
Nutrition per serving (guideline): Calculations are based on data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Shelf life (guideline): Shelf life data is provided, as far as possible, by public institutions, including national food authorities. Our information is therefore only indicative, and it is your responsibility to obtain and calculate accurate information about shelf life and nutrition for all recipes on airfryerkogebogen.dk
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