Famous Czech Apple Slice Recipe

Famous Czech Apple Slice Recipe

These amazing apple slices with meringue topping is hugely popular in the Czech Republic. The best translation of the Czech name "Hraběnčiny řezy" into English is probably Countess' slices.

Course Sweet Pastry

Cuisine Czech

Keyword Fruit cake, Recipes with apples

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 45

Total Time 1 15

Servings slices

Calories 206kcal

Author Petra Kupská

Ingredients

Pie crust:

4 egg yolks
¾ cup granulated sugar (150 g)
1 and ⅓ stick unsalted butter (150 g)
⅓ cup milk (80 ml)
3 cups all-purpose flour (390 g)
2 teaspoons baking powder

Apple filling:

5 apples fresh; mid-sized
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
1 cup walnuts (100 g)
½ teaspoon cinnamon ground

Meringue topping:

4 egg whites
½ cup coarse sugar (100 g)

Misc.:

1 Tablespoon fat and flour to prepase a baking try
2 Tablespoons icing sugar to dust the baked apple slice

Instructions

BEFORE BAKING: Grease a baking tray with butter and dust with flour or fine breadcrumbs. Preheat the oven to 340 °F (170 °C).
Place the softened butter in a bowl, add the coarse sugar, and beat them together with a hand spatula. Then incorporate the egg yolks, one at a time. Finally, add the flour mixed with baking powder and milk. Work into a soft, smooth dough.
Separate a third of the dough, wrap it in plastic, and place it in the freezer to stiffen up.
Press the remaining dough into a thin layer on the bottom of the prepared baking sheet.
Chop the walnuts coarsely using a large knife.
Peel the apples, remove the cores and slice them thinly. You can also grate them coarsely. Sprinkle with lemon juice to prevent the apples from browning.
Spread the apples evenly over the dough, dust with cinnamon, about two tablespoons of sugar, and chopped nuts.
Beat the egg whites using a hand-held electric mixer with the remaining sugar until stiff. Finally, whisk in a tablespoon of wine vinegar. Carefully spread the snow over the apple layer.
Take the remaining third of the dough out of the freezer and grate it coarsely. Sprinkle the grated dough over the meringue layer. The dough should not form a thick impenetrable layer; instead, the meringue should be visible under the batter.
Bake the cake for 45 minutes in an oven preheated to 340 °F (170 °C).

Notes

Makes about 25 slices.
SERVING: Let the apple slice cool for a while, and dust the surface with icing sugar. Slice into bars and serve.
EQUIPMENT: The basic recipe is designed for a baking tray of about 12x16" (30 x 40 cm). You will also need a hand grater, a spatula, and a large knife to roughly chop/slice the walnuts.
Sugar the apple layer to taste. For more sour apples, add sugar; for sweeter apples, you can reduce the sugar.
In addition to the nuts, add raisins to the apples if you like them.
This apple slice tastes best on the day it is baked. The fluffy meringue layer gets wet over time, and the cake is not as crispy as fresh out of the oven.

Nutrition