This caramel apple pie from Bite reader Vivienne Hill was a finalist in our recent apple recipe competition. Vivienne writes: It is called a pie but is not made with pastry so the amount of butter is minimal, which reflects its era - immediately past Great Depression when butter was very expensive. Beating the egg whites before adding to the topping makes it crisper than a sponge, therefore more like pastry. This recipe was originally published in The New Zealand Apple Cookery Book, 1938. The book was passed from my grandmother to my mother to me. Growing up in Christchurch during the 50s/60s this was a favourite winter pudding. I have rewritten the recipe to make it suitable to today.Mother usually used sturmer apples but the alternative was granny smith."
Vivienne's recipe has been adapted by the Bite team to use less sugar (the original calls for 1 cup brown sugar and 1 cup white sugar). For more apple recipes that got our attention, click here.
Ingredients
| 6 medium | Granny Smith apples (Main) |
| ¼ cup | Brown sugar |
| 1 Tbsp | Butter |
| ¼ tsp | Cinnamon |
| ¼ tsp | Nutmeg |
| 1 Tbsp | Water |
| 2 | Eggs |
| 2 Tbsp | Milk |
| ½ cup | White sugar |
| 1 cup | Flour |
| 2 tsp | Baking powder |
| ½ tsp | Mixed spice |
Directions
- Heat oven to 175C. Lightly grease a 3-litre ovenproof dish and sprinkle the base and sides with brown sugar
- Peel and quarter the apples, remove pips and all traces of the core. Slice apples and layer into the dish. Dot over small pieces of the butter and sprinkle with cinnamon, nutmeg and water.
- Separate eggs and beat the whites to a soft foam.
- In a large bowl beat the two egg yolks with the milk, then beat in the white sugar.
- Sift in the flour, baking powder and mixed spice. Mix to combine, then fold in the beaten egg whites.
- Spread this over the apples. (Mixture should be thick but if too thick to spread easily add a little more milk.)
- Bake for 1 hour. (Check after 30 minutes, rotate dish and, if necessary, cover with foil to prevent topping overcooking before the apples are ready. The apples should be soft but still firm to the bite.
Want to see more reader recipes? Have a lookhereat winners from earlier competitions.
