This apple pie is quite a favourite in my home. After you try my simple recipe, you will understand why. I have been using the same recipe for over 10 years. It has always made a great impression on family and friends. So I thought that I would love to share it with you as well.

The apple pie filling

The thing about baking with fruit is that you are able to use up your older fruit , like in banana bread , it is always better to use ripe bananas. The same applies with this apple pie, I usually use the older apples, you know the ones you forget to eat and have a crinkly peel,sitting in a bowl at the back of the fridge…yup those ones. But feel free to  use fresher or  canned apples if you have them. The apples need to be peeled and seeds removed. Chop them up roughly and place in a pot with raisins,cranberries, cinnamon and sugar and allow to simmer for 10 minutes. I love how divinely delicious this smells when cooking…it fills up your home with this cinnamon sugar cooked apple aroma…it is incredible.

Making the pastry

Now for the pastry, I know that it may seem daunting to make your own pastry . I have been using this pastry recipe for all the sweet tarts and pies which I bake, it never fails and it has always turned out perfect, and it will turn out perfect for you too:), so do not worry …it is super simple. If you are rolling out the pastry and it feels to soft then just pop it into the freezer for 10 minutes and it should roll out just fine.Or you can just skip rolling it and just press it out into the pie dish..and this does not require you placing the dough into the freezer. You can cut the pastry into strips and layer decoratively over the apple pie. Grating the dough over gives it a great look as well. Just remember to dust some flour onto both sides of the grater. This ensures that the dough does not stick on the grater.

When you are baking your apple pie, it sometimes tends to brown too quickly before it is baked, so I place a sheet of foil, shiny side up, slightly domed over the apple pie until it is baked. Dust the baked apple pie with castor sugar as soon as it come out of the oven or wait until it has cooled and dust with icing sugar.  You could serve with ice cream or fresh cream, or serve as is, this makes a great comfort dessert.

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APPLE PIE

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Total Time

30 mins

 

Author: Ashika | Gardening Foodie

Ingredients

FOR THE CRUST:

• ½ cup /125g butter or margarine
• ½ cup / 100g caster sugar
• ¼ cup / 60 ml buttermilk or 1 teaspoon / 5 ml lemon juice mixed into ¼ cup of milk
• 2 cups / 240g cake flour / all purpose flour
• 1 level teaspoon / 4 grams baking powder
• ½ teaspoon / 2 ml salt

FOR THE FILLING:

• 385 g canned pie apples or about 8 peeled cored and chopped medium apples
• ½ cup / 100g sugar
• ¼ cup / 60 ml raisins and cranberries or just use raisins
• 1 teaspoon/ 5 ml ground cinnamon
• 4 teaspoons / 20 ml lemon juice

Instructions

FOR THE CRUST:

1. Start by making the pastry by creaming the sugar and margarine.
2. Add the buttermilk and beat well until light and creamy.
3. Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt.
4. Knead lightly to form a soft dough. Place in the fridge or freezer for about 10 minutes.

FOR THE FILLING:

1. For the filling, combine the apples, sugar, raisins, cinnamon and lemon juice in a pot and
2. simmer on medium heat for 10 minutes.
3. Press half the pastry into a greased ovenproof pie dish and spoon in the filling.
4. Either grate the remaining pastry over the pie or cut the pastry into strips and place decoratively
5. Bake at 160° C / 320° F for about 20 minutes. SEE NOTE 1

Recipe Notes

1.Cover loosely with foil if you find that the top is browning too quickly before it is baked