Yabluchnyk (яблучник, rustic apple cake)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •23 by 33 cm metal baking tin
• •Large mixing bowl
• •Balloon whisk
• •Rubber spatula

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the tin

   Heat the oven to 180C. Grease a 23 by 33 cm baking tin with butter or sunflower oil, then scatter in the semolina or dry breadcrumbs and shake it around so the bottom and corners are lightly coated. That little rough layer catches the apple juice and helps the bottom bake instead of turning damp.

   A metal tin gives you better edges than glass. If glass is what you have, cook it anyway and give the cake a little longer.
2. 2

   Cut the apples

   Core the apples but don't fuss over peeling unless the skins are tough. Slice half of them thinly and cut the rest into rough thumb-sized chunks. The thin pieces melt into the batter, the chunks stay bright and juicy, and together they make the cake taste like more than one apple.

3. 3

   Whisk the batter

   Whisk the eggs with 180g sugar until the mixture lightens and falls from the whisk in a loose ribbon. Beat in the kefir, sunflower oil, and vanilla. It will look glossy and a little golden, nothing fancy, just alive enough to carry the fruit.

4. 4

   Fold it together

   Stir the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon together, then fold them into the wet mixture until no dry pockets remain. Add the apple chunks and half the slices, turning gently with a spatula. The bowl will look too full. Good. This is enough for eight guests or one hungry Ukrainian.

5. 5

   Fill and top

   Scrape the batter into the tin and nudge it into the corners. Lay the remaining apple slices across the top in whatever pattern your patience allows, then scatter with the extra sugar. Don't press the fruit down hard; it will settle as the cake rises around it.

6. 6

   Bake by smell

   Bake until the top is deep golden, the edges pull slightly from the tin, and the center springs back when pressed with two fingers. A skewer should come out with moist crumbs, not wet batter. More than the clock, trust the smell: when it changes from raw flour to baked apples and toasted sugar, you're close.

7. 7

   Cool and cut

   Let the cake sit in the tin until warm, not hot, then cut it into generous squares. Dust with icing sugar if you like, but don't bury the apple color. Serve plain, with sour cream, or with black tea strong enough to argue back.

Chef Tips

• •Use apples with some sharpness: Antonivka if you can find them, Bramley mixed with Cox, Granny Smith mixed with any fragrant eating apple. All-sweet apples make a sleepy cake.
• •If the apples are very juicy, toss them with 1 tablespoon of the measured flour before folding them in. That helps hold the juice in the crumb.
• •Plums and pears stand in beautifully. Pears want a little more cinnamon; plums like a spoon of sugar over the cut fruit because their sourness comes forward as they bake.
• •The batter forgives you. The fruit balance doesn't. Keep it more apple than crumb, or you've made a plain cake with visitors.
• •Store covered at room temperature for a day, or in the fridge for three days. It softens overnight in the best way.

Advance Preparation

• •The apples can be cut 1 hour ahead and tossed with a squeeze of lemon if they brown quickly.
• •Yabluchnyk keeps well and is often better the next day, when the apple juice has settled into the crumb.
• •Bake the full tray even for a small table. This is batch-cooking cake, and small yabluchnyk looks lonely.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 150g)