The first time I made a traditional Russian sharlotka, I found the recipe a little confusing. There seemed to be far too little batter to carry the mountain of chopped fruit; even stranger was the lack of fat – like a particularly austere genoise sponge, fallen on hard times. The result, though, is as deliciously light and airy as the making is simple. A cake to enjoy on a late-summer’s afternoon, drizzled with a spoonful of cold cream.
Pear and blackberry sharlotka
For a more traditional sharlotka, swap the pears for an equal weight of apples.
Prep 15 min
Cook 50 min
Serves 10
Butter or oil, for greasing
700g conference pears
3 large eggs
150g caster sugar
½ tsp ground cloves
130g plain flour
150g blackberries
Heat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/gas 6. Grease the sides of a 24cm round tin and line the base with greaseproof paper.
Peel, core and roughly chop the pears into chunks about ½cm thick and 1-2 cm long. Crack the eggs into a large bowl, add the sugar and whisk with an electric whisk for a few minutes, until pale and airy.
Gently fold in the ground cloves and flour until just mixed, then stir through all the fruit, taking care to keep as much air in the batter as possible.
Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 50 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
