I don’t know about you, but I associate the fall season with apples, pumpkins, and of course all the beautiful colors of the leaves. Every year we go apple picking and to the pumpkin patch. It’s become a tradition for us and as you can imagine apples are plentiful around here in the fall. When we’ve had enough pita sa jabukama and lenja pita, I turn to this simple, traditional recipe instead: Čupava Kata or frizzy Kata”. Why frizzy? Because the method of grating the dough on top of the apple bars resembles a crumble topping.
The original recipe for this dessert uses walnuts only, but over the years I found that adding apples to the filling really makes this fall-like. It also adds a little more moisture to the dessert that make it something between a cake and bar.
One great thing about this recipe is how easily it comes together. Pressing down the bottom crust, adding the filling, and then grating the crumble topping makes this a perfect weekend dessert. Back to basics as I like to think of it. And as is with most things, the simpler the better. Good quality butter, fresh apples, and fragrant vanilla sugar when combined together really make this humble dessert shine.
I hope you decide to give this recipe a try soon!
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Čupava Kata sa Jabukama / “Frizzy Kata” Apple Bars
Course: DessertCuisine: Balkan, Serbian6
servings30
minutes40
minutesEasy, simple, delicious. A traditional apple cake/bar sure to satisfy any sweet tooth.
Ingredients
- Crust
1.5 sticks (169 g) unsalted butter
1/2 cup (80 g) sugar
4 egg yolks
2.5 cups (300 g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder (1 kesica)
- Filling
3 large apples, peeled and cored
4 egg whites
1 tablespoon vanilla sugar (1 kesica)
2 tablespoons (40 g) apricot jam
1.5 cups (150-160 g) ground walnuts
Zest of 1 lemon
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 350 F / 175 C.
- Start by preparing the crust. In a large mixing bowl using a hand mixer cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Next add in the egg yolks, incorporate, and switch to a spatula. Add in the flour and baking powder. Form the dough into a ball and divide it in half. It should be easy to handle and shouldn’t be sticky. If it is, add a bit more flour.
- Wrap one half of the dough in plastic wrap or place in a plastic bag and place in the freezer while you prepare the filling.
- Press the other half of the dough into the bottom of a parchment paper-lined baking dish ( I use one slightly smaller than a 9×13 baking pan). The large the pan the shorter the bars will be. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whip the egg whites and vanilla sugar to a stiff peak. Once you achieve a stiff peak, turn off the mixer and fold in the lemon zest, ground walnuts, and apricot jam.
- Grate your apples on top of the crust, making sure to spread the apples evenly to cover the entire surface.
- Next, transfer the filling to the baking dish and spread it evenly over the grated apples.
- Once the filling is evenly spread, remove the other half of the dough from the freezer and using a grater grate the dough all over the top of the filling ensuring all the filling is covered.
The dough should be easy to grate since it will be chilled. - Bake at 350 F/ 175 F until golden brown on top and on the sides.
- Remove from the oven, allow to cool to room temperature, and dust with powdered sugar.
- Slice when cooled to room temperature and enjoy.
I am making this recipe right now! I just put it in the oven and can’t wait to try it. It reminds me of my childhood. Thanks for sharing!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Nevena