VASHLIS PEROGI Georgian apple pie
Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 45 minutes Serves 8
INGREDIENTS
6 cooking apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1cm chunks 200g granulated sugar 250g sunflower spread 1 tsp vanilla sugar 3 eggs 300g plain (all-purpose) flour 60g potato flour 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) 250g low-fat natural yogurt 1 tsp lemon salt, dissolved in a little cold water Double (heavy) cream or ice cream, to serve
Preheat the oven to 180°C and grease a large rectangular cake pan (approximately 32 x 24 cm) with oil and line with parchment paper.
Place the apple in a medium pan with enough water to cover the base of the pan and bring to a simmer over a low heat. Cook until the apples have broken down into a smooth purée and have taken on a light golden brown colour. Just before ready, add 1 teaspoon of sugar and the vanilla sugar. Set aside in the pan to cool.
Cream the sunflower spread and sugar together in a large bowl with an electric mixer, then add the eggs one and a time, beating with the mixer to combine between each addition.
In a separate bowl, sift both flours and the bicarbonate of soda (baking soda), then add the yogurt and lemon salt to the bowl and mix to combine.
Pour the flour and yogurt mixture into the bowl with the butter, sugar and eggs, then fold everything together until you have a smooth batter (do not use the electric mixer for this stage).
Pour the cake batter into your prepared cake pan and level the surface with a spatula. Pour the cooled apple purée over the batter, then use the spatula to gentle ripple it through the cake batter.
Transfer the cake to the oven and cook for 30 minutes, until golden and well risen. The cake is cooked when an inserted wooden skewer comes out clean — be careful when checking as the apple purée remains quite wet when the cake is cooked, so you are looking for residual cake batter only. Slice the cake in the pan and transfer to serving plates. Serve hot with double (heavy) cream or ice cream.