This is one of the most unusual recipes, a kind of apple and nut coffee cake wrapped up in pastry and served as a pie. I came across the recipe in an old cookbook, “Mrs. Rowe’s Little Book of Pies,” which I’ve cited here before (see February 4, 2015 post). As I was making it I had my doubts. The filling was very dense, even hard to mix, and then adding a glaze of brown sugar, butter and milk onto the finished baked pie seemed like pure overkill.
But the finished dessert was just amazing. The cakelike texture was moist, almost fudgy, with its filling of apples and nuts. And the glaze added just the right sweetness to complement the filling.
Apple Dapple Pie
It cuts like a cake, feels like a pie and will certainly benefit by serving it with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, and a garnish of fresh raspberries adds another dimension.
Note: I used my butter-lard pastry for the pie, which offers a melt-in-your mouth texture. For 1 1/4 cups flour mix in the usual way, 4 ounces butter, 1 ounce freshly rendered lard, 1 tablespoon sugar, pinch of salt and about 1/4 cup ice water to bring it all together using the food-processor method.
Ingredients
- Pastry dough for 9-inch pie, partially prebaked
- 2 eggs, beaten, minus 1 tablespoon
- 1 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup canola oil
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- Pinch sea salt
- 2 apples (about 1 1/2 cups), peeled, cored and diced
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
- <em>Topping</em>
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1/2 cup light or dark brown sugar, packed
- 1/8 cup whole milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Prepare the pie shell by baking it blind for about 20 minutes at 400 degrees. To prevent the crust from shrinking in blind baking, roll out the rough to fit into the pie dish,, fluting the edge so that it covers the pie rim completely as you pinch the dough for a decorative border. This step will keep the dough from shrinking as the dish rim helps support the pie structure. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to “rest” the dough. Prick the bottom with a fork then affix a large sheet of parchment to cover the dough and fill with beans completely up to the top to weigh the dough down. Put on a baking sheet and tuck the overhang around the pie and under the dish, which further helps keep the dough from shrinking.
- Prepare the filling by beating the eggs with a whisk and whisking in the sugar until combined and creamy. Add the oil, stirring to combine. Add the flour, cinnamon and soda and mix with a wooden spoon until thoroughly incorporated. Stir in the vanilla.
- Prepare the apples and nuts and add to the batter, mixing well. Spoon the filling into the partially baked pie shell, put the pie on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out almost clean.
- While the pie is baking prepare the topping by mixing all the ingredients together. When you take the pie out of the oven, immediately pour or spoon the glaze over the pie, spreading it so that it’s evenly covered with the glaze.
- Allow to rest on a rack for at least 30 minutes before serving. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream and some berries, if you like. To store, cover with foil and refrigerate. Allow to come to room temperature before serving again.
Notes
Adapted from "Mrs. Rowe’s Little Book of Pies" by Mollie Cox Bryan.
Serve the pie with a dollop of whipped cream and a few berries to garnish
