Oozing the comfort of sweet and warm cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg, this easy apple strudel is pure love. The pastry is crispy and flaky, and the filling – lusciously thick. I am using two types of apples to balance the sweet and the tart, and a selection of spices for irresistible flavour and aromas.
The Flavour Affair:
Apples + Butter + Sugar + Cinnamon + Cloves + Nutmeg + Cardamom + Ice Cream
In fact, this filling is so good that it can be used as a desert on its own! But all in a good time…
Apples: use two types, a sweet type like Fuji or Royal Gala and a sour type like Granny Smith.
Butter and Sugar: help caramelize the apples, enriching their flavour and softening the texture. Butter also adds a luscious creaminess.
Spices: I am using four spices here, all of them are sweet but with different undertones. Cinnamon has subtle woody notes that induce that comforting feeling. Cloves (you can also use allspice) are distinctively peppery. Nutmeg is musky and earthy, and green cardamom has a vibrant floral freshness. Together, they create an irresistible medley of aromas and a deeper, more interesting flavour.
Ice Cream: I wanted to say that ice cream is optional, but I just couldn’t. If you are worried about the dessert becoming too sweet, cut down on sugar but do serve with ice cream. The combination of textures and the enticing taste of vanilla over warm spicy apples is just out of this world.
Other Ingredients:
I cheat and use store bought puff pastry. It is probably better that what I would have made at home anyway and it saves sooooo much time!
You will also need a bit of cornstarch. It gives the filling a thicker, more viscous texture.
Preparation tips for Easy Apple Strudel:
- Cut the apples into small pieces so that the filling is more uniform.
- You can use store-bought ground spices in this recipe.
- To wrap up your pie nicely, use a round or rectangular puff pastry sheet and arrange the filling in the middle. Cut the outer pastry into strips of approximately 1.5cm wide half way towards the filling. Carefully lift them one by one, twisting them into braids over the top:
Enjoy warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
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Easy Apple Strudel with Warm Spices and Vanilla Ice Cream
Equipment
- 1 medium saucepan
- 1 baking tray
Ingredients
- 2 medium sweet apples diced
- 2 medium sour apples diced
- 50 g butter
- 1/3 cups sugar
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp ground green cardamom
- A pinch of rock salt
- A sheet of puff pastry
Instructions
- Melt 50g butter in the pan. Add sugar and cornstarch and stir to dissolve.
- Add diced apples, ground spices and salt and cook over medium heat until softened and thickened, for about 10-15 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and let cool.
- Arrange the filling in the middle of your pastry sheet.
- Make cuts in the sides of the sheet, approx 1.5cm wide and about half way towards the filling, and wrap the filling ‘braiding’ the strips on top.
- Place the pie onto a baking tray lines with baking paper.
- Bake in the preheated oven at 180C for 30-35 minutes or until the pastry turns golden and crispy.
- Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Notes
- For sweet apples, you can use Fuji, Royal Gala or Jazz. For sour apples, use Granny Smith.
- You can swap cloves for allspice.
