Polina’s Russian Apple Cake
8–10 portions

Ingredients

Dough

• 1cup butter or margarine
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 egg
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon.baking powder
• 1 pinch salt
• 3–3½ cups flour (see directions)

Filling

• 3 large apples or 4 medium-size apples
• Juice of 1–2 lemons
• Sugar to taste
• Cinnamon to taste

Glaze

• 1 beaten egg white

Method

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Cut apples into small pieces.
3. Toss the apples with just enough lemon juice to coat lightly. Lemon juice will keep the apple pieces from becoming brown.
4. Drain off any lemon juice that collects in the bottom of the bowl.
5. Mix all the ingredients for dough together, adding flour last. Add just enough flour so that the dough is not sticky.
6. Knead and roll into a ball. Separate the dough into 2 pieces.
7. Roll out 1 piece of the dough onto a cookie tray (not too thin).
8. Sprinkle the apple pieces with sugar and cinnamon to taste and mix well.
9. Cover dough with a layer of apples, leaving approximately 1” of dough uncovered all around the edge.
10. Roll out the second piece of dough a little thinner than the bottom layer and lay it over the apples.
11. Pinch the bottom and top edges of dough together to seal.
12. Brush the crust with the egg white.
13. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Cut immediately into squares after removal from the oven. Serve warm or cold.