There are dishes that evoke childhood memories with just one name. One of them is Charlotte pie, the recipe of which is known to almost every housewife. Agree, it is difficult to find a simpler to cook, but at the same time fragrant and tasty pastries. But why did the sponge cake with apples get such a strange name? There are several versions.
According to one of them, the cake is named after the beloved of one cook - Charlotte. The confectioner prepared it specifically for her, which won the girl’s heart. Perhaps this is the most romantic version. There are, of course, others. True, the culinary historians still believe that the name has nothing to do with the female name. From their point of view, the old English word “charlyt”, meaning any dessert with cream, eventually turned into a pie “Charlotte”. The recipe for the first versions of this dish was not much like today. Most often it was a dessert with apples, biscuit and cream. They served it chilled.
Which version is true is hard to say today. However, this no longer matters. Today, charlotte is prepared around the world. According to the classic recipe, you need to beat 5 eggs with a glass of sugar in a lush, stable foam. This will take at least 7 minutes. This is a very important stage, since charlotte is obtained magnificent due to well beaten eggs. Then you need to add 200 g of flour and mix the dough with a wooden spatula in one direction so as not to lose all the splendor of the whipped mass. Cut 2 apples, remove the core and cut into slices. Pour a little dough into the mold (if it is metal, grease it with oil), put half the apples. On top of a little more dough, put the remaining apples and pour out the rest of the dough. Put the mold in the oven, heated to 180 0 C and bake for 40-50 minutes. So quickly and easily cooked pie Charlotte.
A simple recipe with a minimum of ingredients has made it so popular around the world. And since he is already more than a dozen years old, each housewife changed the recipe to her taste, often based on the products available at home. Therefore, a variety of charlotte appeared: with pears, oranges and berries, with the addition of kefir or sour cream in the dough. There are even recipes for bread and crepes. To make pancake charlotte, you must first bake pancakes according to your favorite recipe. For a pie, 15-20 pieces are enough. But the more pancakes, the higher the finished charlotte will be. So, grate 2-3 apples, add sugar and cinnamon to taste and mix. Put the pancake in the mold, put a little apple mass on top, then the next pancake and so on. Continue until you get the cake of the desired height. The pancake is always put last. To fill, beat 2-3 eggs with a glass of milk and pour it on top of all layers. To bake such an unusual pie "Charlotte" recipe involves 20-25 minutes. Isn't that not so much? Especially if you use pre-baked pancakes for dessert.
With the development of electronics and the replenishment of kitchen appliances with the latest units, another recipe for the Charlotte pie appeared - in a slow cooker. Of course, the same classic recipe is taken as the basis. But the cooking time of the cake already depends on the power of the device. For example, in a slow cooker from Panasonic, charlotte will be cooked for 65 minutes, and in a Redmond unit, it will be baked in 50 minutes. Often manufacturers like
technicians offer a cookbook as a present. There is sure to be a recipe for charlotte in it.
Regardless of how the Charlotte pie is made, the recipe requires strict adherence to all recommendations, especially for beaten eggs. Otherwise, you can experiment as you wish. Instead of apples, you can use any fruit or berries. Adding additional ingredients, such as sour cream or kefir, will make the dough more dense and wet (in this case, you still need to add a teaspoon of soda). Create and enjoy a delicious and fragrant dessert!