Plăcintă Rapidă cu Mere
Plăcintă Rapidă cu Mere·(pluh-CHIN-tuh rah-PEE-duh koo MEH-reh)
Dulcegării (Mamaie’s Bakery & Sweets)
Shred the Granny Smith apples on a box grater. Wring the sweet juice through a kitchen towel. Breathe in the smell of apples cooking down in butter and heavy cinnamon. A proper plăcintă isn't a sheet of supermarket puff pastry; it's a tender, vanilla-scented cake that sandwiches a deeply caramelized, jammy layer of fruit. This quick poured-batter method delivers that exact, comforting taste without turning the kitchen upside down with rolling pins and flour. Cut the cake into squares while the center is still hot, and eat it straight from your hand.
Ingredients
- Granny Smith apples1 1/2 lb
- sweet apples1 1/2 lb
- granulated sugar1/2 cup
- ground cinnamon2 tsp
- unsalted butter3 tbsp
- plain unseasoned breadcrumbs1/4 cup
- eggs4 large
- granulated sugar3/4 cup
- neutral oil1/2 cup
- whole milk1 cup
- vanilla extract2 tsp
- lemon zest1 tsp
- all-purpose flour2 1/2 cup
- baking powder1 tbsp
- salt1/4 tsp
- powdered sugar2 tbsp
Method
- 01
Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare a 9x13-inch baking pan.
Line the pan with parchment paper, leaving a slight overhang on the long edges so you can easily lift the finished cake out later, and lightly spray with non-stick cooking spray.
- 02
Grate the peeled apples and thoroughly squeeze out their excess liquid.
Using the large teardrop holes of a box grater, shred all the apples. Crucially, take handfuls of the grated fruit and squeeze firmly over a bowl to extract the juice—skipping this step guarantees a soggy cake with an unbaked bottom.
- 03
Caramelize the squeezed apples with sugar, cinnamon, and butter.
Place the dry apples in a large skillet over medium heat with the half-cup of sugar, cinnamon, and butter. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes until they soften completely into a deep amber jam and any lingering moisture evaporates, then stir in the breadcrumbs and set aside to cool slightly.
- 04
Whisk the wet batter ingredients together until smooth and frothy.
In a large bowl, vigorously whisk the eggs, three-quarters cup of sugar, oil, milk, vanilla extract, and lemon zest.
- 05
Incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet mixture to form a thick batter.
Whisk in the flour, baking powder, and salt just until a smooth, thick, pancake-like batter forms.
- 06
Par-bake exactly half of the batter to create a sturdy foundation.
Pour half the batter into the prepared pan, tilting it to spread evenly into the corners. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the top looks dry and set—this prevents the heavy apple layer from sinking straight to the bottom.
- 07
Layer the warm apple filling and remaining raw batter over the baked base.
Remove the par-baked cake from the oven, drop dollops of the apple mixture all over it, and gently spread into an even layer. Pour the rest of the raw batter evenly over the top, letting it naturally expand to cover the gaps as it bakes.
- 08
Bake the pie until the top is puffed and golden brown.
Return the pan to the oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out perfectly clean.
- 09
Cool the cake completely before dusting with powdered sugar and slicing.
Traditional Romanian plăcintă will fall apart if cut while piping hot. Let it set fully in the pan on a wire rack, then use the parchment sling to lift it out, dust heavily with powdered sugar, and cut into generous squares.
From Cook Romanian in America.