Apple Pie Cake

So last fall we went apple picking. And you know what happens when you pick apples– you eat a bunch the first week, then the remaining apples just languish in the bag until you can find something to do with them. And since we had a lot of apples, several of them languished for quite a while…

I finally decided that it was time to use up the last few apples, so I went in search of a suitable recipe that I hadn’t tried before– and found this one! It’s apparently a copycat of an apple pie they serve at Disneyworld, and it’s pretty tasty! You start with a pie crust, then fill it with pre-steamed apples (to avoid them getting too juicy during baking) and a thick cake batter. It turns out beautifully golden-brown on top, and the addition of a layer of powdered sugar gives it just the right amount of extra sweetness.

Personally, I cut a corner and used a refrigerated pie crust, but you can make your own if you prefer. I find that using pre-made crusts gets you a thinner layer of crust, which I like in this recipe– too thick and it might end up stodgy-seeming with the extra cake batter in there as well.

Apples:

6 apples, peeled and sliced

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Cake batter:

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

2/3 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 cup heavy cream

• To prepare apples, place in a steamer basket and steam over an inch of boiling water for 10 minutes. Alternatively, you can microwave the apple slices in a bowl with about an inch of water, covered with plastic wrap (with a few holes) for 3-5 minutes.
• Transfer to a bowl and toss with spices. Set aside to cool slightly.

• Line pie pan with pie crust.
• To make batter, cream butter and sugar together until light. Add eggs and beat in thoroughly.
• Sift together dry ingredients, then add to butter/egg mixture and beat to form a very soft dough.
• Add heavy cream and beat to make a very thick batter.

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Take half of your batter and spread over the bottom of the raw pie crust.
• Add the apples, then dollop the rest of the batter over them.
• Cover pie with aluminum foil and bake for 40 minutes.
• Remove foil and bake another 20 minutes, until top is golden brown.

• Let cool at least an hour. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.