James Martin's Russian Sharlotka (Apple Sponge)

Ingredients

• 8 ounces caster sugar
• 5 ounces plain flour, plus extra
• plain flour, for dusting
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon butter, for greasing
• 3 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced

Directions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 350.

2. 2

   Place the caster sugar, flour and eggs into a bowl and whisk together to make a thick smooth batter.

3. 3

   Grease and flour a deep baking dish and arrange all the apple slices to cover the bottom of the dish.

4. 4

   Spoon the batter mixture over the top and transfer to the oven to bake for 30-40 minutes. (To check if the sponge is ready, insert a skewer into the top of the sponge, if it comes out sticky, return to the oven to cook for another 5 minutes.).