Slovak Apple Žemlovka

Preheat the oven to 180 °C. Slice the stale bread rolls or white bread. Whisk 1 egg with the milk, 30 g sugar and a pinch of salt, pour this mixture over the bread and let sit for 5 minutes so the slices soak through without turning soggy.

Separate the yolks from the whites of two eggs. Mash the curd cheese with the yolks, 30 g sugar and the raisins.

Peel the apples, grate them on a coarse grater and mix with 30 g sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice.

Grease a baking dish with butter. Arrange half of the soaked bread slices in the dish, spread the apples over them, then the cheese filling, and finish with the remaining bread slices. Pour over any leftover milk-and-egg mixture.

Cover the dish with foil and bake for 35 minutes at 180 °C.

Whip the egg whites with the remaining 30 g sugar until stiff and glossy. Remove the foil, spread the meringue over the top of the žemlovka and bake for another 10 minutes, until golden on top.

Let the bake rest for 10 minutes, cut into portions and serve warm.