If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch...

AT HOME FOR FAMILY AND FRIENDS

Apple cakes and pies were what first got me into baking. Because there were too many apples from the trees in my familie's garden that needed to be processed I started turning them into pastries of all shapes and sizes. Apple pie is a perfect match for sunny afternoons in the garden in good company, with coffee and vanilla ice cream. And you don't always have to invent the universe first.

FOR THE BATTER

175 g flour (half whole grain)
100 g ground almonds
200 g butter
4 eggs
2 tsp. baking powder
1 pinch of salt
vanilla, cardamom (powder)
milk

FOR THE FRUITS

5 - 6 apples
rum, armagnac, vermouth or lemon juice
cinnamon (optional)
light jam or powder sugar

VARIATIONS

use pears, rhubarb or blueberries instead
add grated frozen marzipan to the batter
put the fruits in the form first for a tatin-style cake
works great with meringue icing

1 Peel the apples and cut them into quarters. Slice the backs slightly and mix them with the liquor or lemon juice. Add cinnamon to taste (no sugar) and let them soak for a bit. Preheat the oven to 180° with the fan on.

2 Either mix butter and sugar with an electric hand mixer or melt the butter first and then use a whisk. Add eggs, almonds and spices and mix everything well before also adding baking powder and flour.

3 The batter should be smooth and fall from a spoon. Add spoons of milk if it is too solid, or more flour if too liquid. Put the batter in a form greased with butter and almond flour and press the apples into it slightly.

4 Bake the pie for 35 to 45 min, test by sticking a knife into it - there should be no batter on it. Once out of the oven, spread the jam (I like to use my mother's quince jam) or powder sugar on top and let it cool down a bit.

Guten Appetit!

© 2025 Tillmann Toben and respective copyright holders