There are cakes and then there are pies. In Germany, we are not really putting those two types of bakes in different categories. Here it’s all cake. Means this »Old-fashioned« Apple Pie would also be called a cake. Makes it easier sometimes, but also more difficult when you want to explain the differences. ;P
Here in Germany, we do not have a 100% accurate translation for the word »pie«. We would say »cake« instead. But it’s not a cake, it’s a pie. Right?! But also a cake… Confusing? Maybe. Different languages sometimes just don’t have translations for all the words another language may have. For example: Weltschmerz – a feeling of sadness and lack of hope about the state of the world. The English language does not have an accurate translation, so they stick with weltschmerz as well in most cases. ;P
That’s why we sometimes also stick with the word »Apple Pie« or »Amerikanischer Apfel Pie«, though the last one sounds a bit weird, even for Germans. ;P But to be honest – who cares. Pie, cake, or whatever. Languages (and people) mix and match so much lately… as long as you(!) know what it is, everything is fine.
Call it »apple oobydooby« for all I care. If you ask for a slice of oobydooby nicely, I will put a slice of it on your plate. If you smile nicely while asking, I might add some vanilla ice cream or vanilla custard on the side as well. Sometimes it’s as simple as that. ;P
Well. Many might think that apple pie is something the Americans invented. They sing about it, they talk about it a lot and show it in many American movies (sometimes badly mistreated), but the origin of this bake is more likely to be in Great Britain. I mean… when the first ever apple pie was baked, there weren’t apple trees or European invaders on the American continent yet. ;P
Anyway. We really love apple cakes and apple pies as well. It’s funny to see that some German food blogs claim their recipe to be »original American«. Really? Is that so? But there is no single »original« apple pie recipe. Every area in the US and probably every family has their own »original« apple pie recipe – and many of them are different. You can say »typical« or »classic« in my opinion, but nor original. Unless it was the first recipe, one made hundreds of years ago. ;P
Our apple pie here is definitely not an »original« recipe. Some ingredients were certainly not included in the first apple pie recipes: vanilla powder, cardamom, cinnamon, sliced almonds… that was all far too expensive for the average baker back in the days and often not even available. These spices and nuts have been added much later when they became affordable for baking.
The Americans and the British are not the only ones who created nice bakes with apples. For example, we have delicious (Sunken) Apple Cakes here in Germany, which you can serve on Sundays when grandma and grandpa come over for coffee.
Another extremely tasty apple pie from the USA is the Dutch Apple Pie. I am not sure why they call it »Dutch« apple pie, but there must be a reason for it. No matter what – a very delicious specimen of a baked good containing apples.
Wherever apples are grown, you will find bakes that include those apples. The French have a lot to offer here as well. One of our favorites is Grandma’s (French) Apple Cake. It’s packed with apples. So good! Still not enough? Check out our page with everything apples – we got much more where apples are the stars… ;)
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
For the pie dough:
2 cups (260g) all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. sugar
1 pinch of salt
5.3 oz. (150g) butter, cold
1 medium egg
For the apple filling:
about 32 oz. (900g) apples (e.g. Elstar)
1 organic lemon, juice
1/4 cup (50g) sugar
1/3 cup (40g) all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
1/4 tsp. vanilla powder* (optional)
2.8 oz. (80g) raisins (plus 1 tbsp. rum, optional)
2.1 oz. (60g) almonds, sliced
2 tbsp. breadcrumbs
For the decoration:
1 medium egg, whisked
1-2 tbsp. brown sugar
Für den Teig:
260g Mehl (Type 405)
1 EL Zucker
1 Prise Salz
150g kalte Butter
1 Ei (M)
Für die Füllung:
etwa 900g Äpfel (z. B. Elstar)
1 Bio-Zitrone, Saft
50g Zucker
40g Mehl (Type 405)
1/2 TL Zimt
1/4 TL Kardamom
1/4 TL Vanille Pulver* (optional)
80g Rosinen (plus 1 EL Rum, optional)
60g Mandeln, gehobelt
2 EL Paniermehl
Für die Dekoration:
1 Ei (M), verquirlt
1-2 EL brauner Zucker
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
1. Combine flour, sugar, and salt for the dough in a large bowl. Add the cold butter in small pieces and cut it into even smaller, pea-sized pieces, using a pastry blender*. Next, add the egg and knead everything to create a dough. If the dough still has a few dry spots, that’s ok (see notes). Wrap it into plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for about 1 hour.
2. Peel, quarter, and core the apples. Cut the pieces into thin slices and mix them in a large bowl with the lemon juices to prevent them from turning brown. Combine flour, sugar, ground cinnamon, ground cardamom and vanilla powder (optional), add to the apples and mix well. Add the raisins (see notes) and sliced almonds and fold in. Set aside.
3. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) fan-forced. Lightly grease a 23cm pie dish* and set it aside. Roll out half of the dough on a floured surface. Place the dough inside the prepared pie dish, press it down and cut off any overlapping dough. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the base and then add the apple filling. Press the mixture down a little to avoid large cavities inside the filling. Set aside.
4. Collect dough scraps and roll out together with the remaining dough. Cut into strips of about 2 cm width and place those strips on top of the apple filling in a lattice pattern. Press the dough from the base and the lattice pattern together along the edge and create a nice rim (e.g. with a fork). Whisk the egg and brush the dough with it. Sprinkle everything with brown sugar and bake the pie in the lower third of the oven for around 35-40 minutes until golden brown. If the pie gets too dark, simply cover it with a piece of baking parchment or aluminum foil and continue baking. Remove the pie from the oven and let it cool down completely inside the baking tin. The apple pie is great with some vanilla ice cream or vanilla sauce on the side.
Notes:
+ Knead the dough as little as possible. The butter should not get too warm. If there are still a few dry spots, that’s perfectly fine.
+ The raisins can be soaked in a little rum the night before – this makes the pie even better. In case children should be able to eat the pie as well, maybe skip this step.
+ The pie should cool down for a few hours so it doesn’t fall apart when you cut it. If you prefer the cake warm, you can reheat individual pieces briefly in the microwave, then add some vanilla ice cream. So good!
1. Für den Teig das Mehl mit Zucker und Salz in einer großen Schüssel vermischen. Die kalte Butter in kleinen Stücken dazugeben und dann mit einem Teigmischer* in etwa erbsengroße Stücke zerteilen. Das Ei dazugeben und alles zu einem Teig verkneten. Sollte der Teig noch ein paar trockene Stellen haben, ist das OK (s. Hinweise). In Klarsichtfolie eingeschlagen und für etwa 1 Stunde in den Kühlschrank legen.
2. Die Äpfel schälen, entkernen und dann in dünne Spalten schneiden. In einer großen Schüssel mit dem Zitronensaft vermischen, damit die Äpfel nicht braun werden. Mehl mit Zucker, Zimt, Kardamom und Vanille Pulver (optional) vermischen, zu den Äpfeln dazugeben und alles gut vermengen. Die Rosinen (s. Hinweis) und die Mandeln dazugeben und unterheben. Zur Seite stellen.
3. Den Ofen auf 180°C (350°F) Umluft vorheizen. Eine 23cm Pieform* leicht einfetten und zur Seite stellen. Die Hälfte des Teiges auf einer bemehlten Fläche ausrollen. Die Teigplatte in die vorbereitete Form legen und überstehenden Teig abschneiden. Das Paniermehl auf den Boden streuen und dann die Apfelmischung darauf verteilen. Die Mischung ein wenig zusammendrücken, um größere Hohlräume in der Füllung zu vermeiden. Zur Seite stellen.
4. Den verbliebenen Teig mit den Teigresten zusammen ausrollen und in etwa 2 cm breite Streifen schneiden. Diese Streifen als Gitter auf die Apfelmischung legen und am Rand mit dem Boden zusammendrücken – wer mag, kann noch ein schönes Muster in den Rand drücken (z.B. mit einer Gabel). Das Ei für die Deko kurz verquirlen, dann den Teig vorsichtig damit bestreichen. Alles mit braunem Zucker bestreuen und dann im unteren Drittel des Ofens für etwa 35-40 Minuten goldbraun backen. Sollte der Pie zu dunkel werden, einfach mit einem Stück Backpapier oder Alufolie abdecken und weiterbacken. Den fertigen Pie aus dem Ofen holen und in der Form komplett abkühlen lassen. Der Apple Pie schmeckt prima mit etwas Vanilleeis oder Vanillesoße.
Hinweise:
+ Den Teig möglichst wenig kneten – die Butter darf nicht warm werden. Sind noch ein paar trockene Stellen zu sehen, ist das vollkommen in Ordnung.
+ Die Rosinen kann man am Vorabend in etwas Rum einlegen – macht den Pie noch besser. Wenn Kinder mitessen, vielleicht aber besser ohne Rum. ;P
+ Der Pie sollte einige Stunden abkühlen, damit er beim Anschneiden nicht zerfällt. Man kann einzelne Stücke allerdings auch in der Mikrowelle kurz erwärmen – dazu dann etwas Vanilleeis. So gut!
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
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»Old-fashioned« Apple Pie
- Prep Time: 00:40
- Cook Time: 00:40
- Total Time: 04:00
- Yield: 1 1x
- Category: Pies
- Cuisine: United States
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
A family favorite and classic bake everyone loves: Old-fashioned Apple Pie is a staple in our family when it comes to baking with apples! So good!
Ingredients
For the pie dough:
2 cups (260g) all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. sugar
1 pinch of salt
5.3 oz. (150g) butter, cold
1 medium egg
For the apple filling:
about 32 oz. (900g) apples (e.g. Elstar)
1 organic lemon, juice
1/4 cup (50g) sugar
1/3 cup (40g) all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
1/4 tsp. vanilla powder* (optional)
2.8 oz. (80g) raisins (plus 1 tbsp. rum, optional)
2.1 oz. (60g) almonds, sliced
2 tbsp. breadcrumbs
For the decoration:
1 medium egg, whisked
1–2 tbsp. brown sugar
Instructions
1. Combine flour, sugar, and salt for the dough in a large bowl. Add the cold butter in small pieces and cut it into even smaller, pea-sized pieces, using a pastry blender*. Next, add the egg and knead everything to create a dough. If the dough still has a few dry spots, that’s ok (see notes). Wrap it into plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for about 1 hour.
2. Peel, quarter, and core the apples. Cut the pieces into thin slices and mix them in a large bowl with the lemon juices to prevent them from turning brown. Combine flour, sugar, ground cinnamon, ground cardamom and vanilla powder (optional), add to the apples and mix well. Add the raisins (see notes) and sliced almonds and fold in. Set aside.
3. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) fan-forced. Lightly grease a 23cm pie dish* and set it aside. Roll out half of the dough on a floured surface. Place the dough inside the prepared pie dish, press it down and cut off any overlapping dough. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the base and then add the apple filling. Press the mixture down a little to avoid large cavities inside the filling. Set aside.
4. Collect dough scraps and roll out together with the remaining dough. Cut into strips of about 2 cm width and place those strips on top of the apple filling in a lattice pattern. Press the dough from the base and the lattice pattern together along the edge and create a nice rim (e.g. with a fork). Whisk the egg and brush the dough with it. Sprinkle everything with brown sugar and bake the pie in the lower third of the oven for around 35-40 minutes until golden brown. If the pie gets too dark, simply cover it with a piece of baking parchment or aluminum foil and continue baking. Remove the pie from the oven and let it cool down completely inside the baking tin. The apple pie is great with some vanilla ice cream or vanilla sauce on the side.
Notes
+ Knead the dough as little as possible. The butter should not get too warm. If there are still a few dry spots, that’s perfectly fine.
+ The raisins can be soaked in a little rum the night before – this makes the pie even better. In case children should be able to eat the pie as well, maybe skip this step.
+ The pie should cool down for a few hours so it doesn’t fall apart when you cut it. If you prefer the cake warm, you can reheat individual pieces briefly in the microwave, then add some vanilla ice cream. So good!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 12
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I love my job, but in between I love to bake and try new things in the kitchen. A lot of my friends and colleagues encourage me to bake - for a very simple reason: they get the leftovers - and it seems they like it most of the time ;) 
