German Apple Cookie Crust Cake
photo by Andolisa
- Ready In:
- 3hrs 10mins
- Ingredients:
- 15
- Serves:
-
8
ingredients
-
COOKIE CRUST
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 cups butter or 2 cups margarine, softened
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
-
APPLE LAYER
- 4 -5 large baking apples
- 1⁄2 cup plain breadcrumbs (see bottom of recipe)
- cinnamon-sugar mixture (see bottom or recipe) (optional)
-
SOUR CREAM CUSTARD LAYER
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1⁄2 cup heavy cream
- 1⁄2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 lemon, juice only
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1⁄4 teaspoon vanilla extract
-
APRICOT GLAZE
- 1⁄2 cup apricot preserves
directions
- Butter Cookie Crust: In a large bowl, combine the sugar, egg, butter& flour.
- Using your fingertips, work the mixture together until the mixture resembles crumbs (as if for pastry).
- Cover the dough& refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or until slightly firm.
- Preheat oven to 375, lightly butter a 9" springform pan and dustly lightly with flour, tapping out any excess.
- Press about half of the dough into the pan, covering the bottom and reaching about halfway up the sides.
- Save the remaining dough for another use.
- Peel and core the apples, and cut them in half lengthwise; then, with the point of a small knife, cut out small v-shaped strips (the cuts should be wider on the exposed skin-side of the apple and come to a v shape when you cut into the fruit, approximately 3/4 to an inch deep).
- Sprinkle the bottom of the cookie crust with the breadcrumbs (see note at bottom of recipe) to form a thin, even layer.
- Arrange the apples, rounded sides up, on top of the breadcrumbs.
- Using leftover apples, cut them to fill in any empty space with pieces as large as possible, as you don't want any gaps.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sour cream, heavy cream, sugar, eggs, lemon juice, cornstarch& vanilla until well-blended.
- Pour this mixture over the apples and bake for 60-90 minutes, or until the apples are tender and the filling is set.
- Remove the pan from the oven& set on a wire rack to cool (do not remove from the pan at this point).
- In a small saucepan, heat and stir the apricot preserves over medium heat until warm.
- When the cake has cooled slightly, brush the preserves carefully over the top to form a glaze.
- Remove the cake from the pan after the cake has cooled completely.
- Note: I add a little sugar& cinnamon to the breadcrumbs to make them a bit sweeter and more flavorful, since it is not too sweet a cake to begin with (I use about a tbs. of sugar and about 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, but you can omit this completely, or use amounts to your own taste).
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Reviews
-
This is the best, prettiest and easiest apple cake i've made yet-- a lot easier than the finished product looks. I like it better than any other German Apple Cake by far. I employ quite a few time savers but still make a great (and much faster) cake, I use a circle apple slicer to core and slice the peeled apples, than I slice each of those slices once more (16 per apple). I do not notch, and do not arrange, just "dump" each layer. I crumble the bread by hand to save time and make use of old bread (Just do it finely). Also, I used a ready made graham cracker crust the first time, sprinkling a little granola and flax seed over it, and the second time I just laid broken gingerbread cookies down in the bottom of a plain 9x13 pan. ...So i can't rate the crust part of the recipe but the sour cream custard and apple part was fantastic, beautiful and easy. I doubled the recipe and baked it in a 9x13 pan, keeping the temp and time the same. I cut it into bars to serve, and it looks somewhat authentic that way as the Apple cakes you can find in German bakeries. Also, I arranged another cut apple on top of the custard before glazing as decoration (see photo). I brought it to our German church's Christmas eve reception and it was the first dessert to go, so I see that as the final vindication of a deceptively great recipe! THANKS SO MUCH FOR POSTING IT, CHARMED!
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
I enjoying cooking, baking and experimenting with new, ethnic, and out-of-the-ordinary recipes. I live in Pennsylvania with my crazy cat, Da Fuzz (aka Demoncat), who is spoiled beyond human comprehension.