Turkish apple cake roll: quick and easy to bake

Shelves and market stalls are slowly filling up with apples again - we had to take advantage of this! That's why we've baked with apples twice recently. Once we made a real Viennese apple strudel with homemade strudel dough. But it's not quite so Turkish and therefore doesn't have a place in the blog. (Info for all apple strudel fans: we had forgotten the sugar and now know that apple strudel tastes the same with the right apples).

The other time we made a swiss roll with apple filling aka apple cake roll - and this is now part of our collection of Turkish recipes.

This is because 'elmali rulo pasta' (swiss roll with apples) is very popular in Turkey and is probably one of the most popular baking recipes with apples here, alongside apple cookies and apple tart.

At this point, however, we would like to say straight away that the apple cake roll is not necessarily prepared in the traditional way. This is because people in Turkey don't really know how to separate eggs or prepare egg whites for cakes. Even if this is not so important for the elmali rule pasta, oil is always used here instead of butter.

But how do you make a Turkish apple cake without beaten egg whites and the like? Our Turkish apple cake roll is actually less of a sponge cake and more of a rolled sheet cake. We therefore also add baking powder and milk to the dough. This makes the recipe for the swiss roll with apple filling easier, because the batter is mixed in no time at all. Alternatively, you can prepare a classic sponge cake from your recipe book.

The fastest apple cake roll ever

That's a long way off, but it's true! Because, as I said, we make the "swiss roll" with cake batter. It's even easier because the apple filling is baked right along with it. You don't have to fill the swiss roll with apple filling after baking - we've already done all that.

Instead, the baking tray is spread with the apple filling and the batter is placed directly on top. After baking, the apple filling sticks to the base of the cake. All you have to do is turn the whole thing over and then the Turkish apple cake roll can be rolled straight away. So easy and the result is really delicious.

Sweet, sour, cinnamony, fruity and, if you like, nutty. To top it all off, the elmali rulo pasta is ready quickly - the ideal way to make the most of apple season.

Tip: The apple filling for the Turkish apple cake roll can be prepared in advance. You can then simply store it in jars or in the freezer.

Elmali rulo pasta: Turkish apple cake roll recipe

Preparation

Step 1: First prepare the apple filling. To do this, peel and grate the apples in a pan and add sugar and cinnamon. Now leave the apples on the stove over a medium heat until the liquid evaporates. This can take a good ten minutes. However, keep an eye on the filling and keep stirring. At the end, optionally mix in the nuts. 

Step 2: Line a baking tray with baking paper and spread the apple filling over the entire tray. The layer can be very thin - that's not a problem. But make sure that you spread the apple filling evenly.

Step 3: Beat the eggs with the sugar and vanilla sugar until frothy. Then add the milk. Stir everything and slowly mix in the flour and baking powder. Pour the batter over the apple filling. Make sure it covers the filling. 

Step 4: Bake the apple cake roll at 170 degrees C°/340 °F until the surface is golden brown. This takes about 20 minutes - but be sure to check earlier.

Step 5: Once the apple cake roll is ready, take it out of the oven. After the initial heat has gone out, turn the cake over so that the apple filling is on top. The best way to do this is to place baking paper on the cake and turn the baking tray with the cake over. 

Carefully remove the baking paper from the filling. Roll up the swiss roll from the desired side while it is hot (!). We have rolled the shorter side (i.e. a long, thinner apple cake roll). Leave the roll to cool and dust with powdered sugar before serving.