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Baked goods

Bulgarian three-glass apple and semolina cake

Name: Bulgarian three-glass apple and semolina cake
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 1 pan
Cuisine: Balkan
Ingredients: 1 glass Sugar; 1 glass Semi-coarse wheat flour; 1.5 tsp Baking powder; 5 Apples (medium); 3–4 tsp Lemon juice; 1 glass Milk; 1 glass Fine wheat semolina (farina)

Bulgarian apple cake with layers of sugar, flour, semolina and grated apples, soaked with milk and baked at 180 °C. Makes one pan.

Balkan cuisine · Translated from Slovak · October 24, 2026

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Recipe at a glance

Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 hr 10 min
Temperature: 180 °C (350 °F)
Servings: 1 pan
Difficulty: Medium

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Bulgarian three-glass apple cake gets its name from measuring the ingredients with a glass: one glass each of sugar, semi-coarse wheat flour and semolina. There is no dough to knead. Alternate the dry mixture with grated apples sprinkled with lemon juice in the baking pan to make three layers, then add a glass of milk for moisture. Bake the cake at 180 °C (350 °F). This traditional Bulgarian recipe requires no special skills.

Ingredients

Sugar 1 glass
Semi-coarse wheat flour 1 glass
Baking powder 1.5 tsp
Apples (medium) 5
Lemon juice 3–4 tsp
Milk 1 glass
Fine wheat semolina (farina) 1 glass

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Instructions

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This cake uses an unusual method. First, mix the dry ingredients: semolina, sugar, baking powder and flour. Add a pinch of salt to taste if desired, though it is not necessary.
Grease a baking pan with butter. Spread one glass of the prepared dry mixture evenly in the pan, cover with grated apples, then sprinkle with more dry mixture. Continue alternating the layers; a standard pan will hold three layers.
Before baking, pour boiling milk over the cake and carefully poke holes in it so the milk reaches the bottom.
Bake at 180 °C (350 °F) for at least 50 minutes. The cake will be delicate and tender, with a pronounced apple flavor. Remove it from the pan after baking; it holds together and slices easily.
Note:
Tip: If you prefer not to pour milk over the cake, use 100–150 g butter cut into thin slices instead. First, place 50 g butter on the bottom of the pan, then distribute the rest between the layers and over the top.

Tip: Use the grated apples along with any juice they release—the dry mixture will absorb it. Spread them all the way to the edges of the pan so no floury patches remain.

Nutrition facts

Approximate values per 100 g, calculated from the ingredients

Energy: 153 kcal
Protein: 2.7 g
Carbohydrates: 35 g
of which sugars: 18 g
Fat: 0.5 g
of which saturates: 0.2 g
Fiber: 1.7 g
Salt: 0.1 g

Calculated from the raw ingredients, without frying oil. Where an amount is “to taste”, typical amounts are used. Food composition: USDA FoodData Central and product labels.

This recipe was translated from the Slovak original: Bulharský trojpohárový jablkový koláč s krupicou