Classic apple & cinnamon tart

A tall, classic Dutch apple pie with a sturdy shortcrust base, lots of apple, cinnamon and raisins. Perfect with coffee, or served lukewarm with a spoonful of lightly sweetened, softly whipped cream.

Serves: 1 pie (springform tin Ø 24 cm)
Preparation: approx. 40 minutes
Cooking: approx. 60–70 minutes
Total time: approx. 2 hours

Ingredients

• 300 g plain flour
• 150 g white soft brown sugar
• 175 g cold unsalted butter, diced
• 1 egg (size M)
• 2–3 g fine salt (approx. 1/2 tsp)
• approx. 1.2–1.3 kg prepared apple cubes (e.g. from 1.5 kg apples such as Goudreinetten or Elstar)
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 100 g raisins
• 75 g caster sugar
• 2 tbsp breadcrumbs (for the base)
• extra butter to grease the tin
• baking parchment for the base
• 125 ml whipping cream (optional, to serve)
• 1 tsp caster sugar or icing sugar (optional, to serve)

Preparation

1. Mix the flour, white soft brown sugar and salt in a large bowl.
2. Add the diced cold butter and rub it into the flour mixture with your fingertips until coarse crumbs form.
3. Add the egg and knead quickly and briefly until it comes together into a dough. Do not knead for too long; the dough may remain slightly crumbly.
4. Shape the dough into a flat disc. Cut or break off about a quarter and wrap both pieces separately in foil.
5. Rest the dough in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
6. Preheat the oven to 170 °C (conventional, top and bottom heat) and place the shelf in the middle of the oven.
7. Grease the springform tin with a little butter.
8. Line the base of the springform tin with a sheet of baking parchment.
9. Peel the apples, remove the cores and cut the apples into cubes (ideally some finer and some coarser for a nice texture).
10. Mix the apple cubes immediately with the lemon juice to prevent discolouration.
11. Add the caster sugar, cinnamon and raisins and mix everything well. Set the filling aside for the moment.

Method

1. Shape the base and sides
   Take the larger piece of dough out of the fridge. Divide it into pieces and press them flat by hand onto the base of the tin. Work from the centre towards the edges until the base is evenly covered. Then take small pieces of dough and press them up against the sides of the tin, creating an upright edge a few centimetres high. If it helps, you can lightly roll out the dough between two sheets of baking parchment first, then lay it into the tin in sections and press it in. Prick holes in the base with a fork. Sprinkle the breadcrumbs evenly over the pastry base.
2. Add the filling
   Spoon the apple filling into the tin and spread it out evenly. Press the filling down lightly so the pieces sit compactly but are not squashed.
3. Make the top
   Take the smaller, reserved piece of dough out of the fridge and knead it briefly until pliable again. Lightly roll it out if desired and cut into strips, or form little ropes that you press into strips with your hands. Lay the strips criss-cross over the pie and press the ends lightly against the pastry edge. For a more rustic topping, you can also crumble the dough into pieces and scatter it loosely over the filling.
4. Bake the pie
   Slide the pie onto the shelf in the middle of the oven. Bake the pie for approx. 60–70 minutes until golden brown and cooked through. The top should be nicely browned and the filling piping hot; it may bubble slightly around the edge. Loosely cover the pie with aluminium foil if the top colours too quickly while the filling still doesn’t seem cooked.
5. Cool and serve
   Remove the pie from the oven and leave it to cool in the tin for at least 30 minutes, preferably on a wire rack. Then carefully remove the side of the springform tin. Serve the pie at room temperature or lukewarm.