I'm a bit behind on what we've been doing with all those apples we picked
a few weeks ago at the orchards in Wisconsin. While Jeff would have been happy with a traditional crisp or crumble, he was hinting that we should slide in a different direction to change things up... so that's why this
Bavarian Apple Torte became one of our first desserts!
This turned into an interesting treat for sure - kind of like a crusted thin cheesecake with a mess of sliced apples on top that were doused with cinnamon, sugar and almonds. The crust was a simple combination of butter, sugar, flour and a dash of salt - while it was a little soft, it was easily pressed into and slightly up the sides of a springform pan.
Softened and slightly sweetened cream cheese was mixed with an egg and a splash of floral vanilla to create the cheesecake-esque layer we spread over the top of the unbaked crust. A heaping spiral of the spiced and sugared apples were arranged on top, followed by a sprinkling of raw sliced almonds. This is baked at fairly high heat for the first few minutes to give the crust a jump start, then the temperature is reduced so the apples have a chance to soften without burning as there is no crust to protect their naked slices. Checking for doneness is a little tricky, but you are looking for the center of the cream cheese layer to be just set. Since it will need to be refrigerated anyway, I think you'll be fine if the center is still a bit soft. Depending on your oven, you may need to cover the top, though, if it looks like the almonds are getting too dark.
I used a combination of juicy Honeycrisp apples and crisp Granny Smiths for a tart contrast - you'll need about 4 cups worth, which is roughly the same as 4 medium. This duo retained their texture while baking, but still softened enough for a knife to glide through them. The crust to this torte is sturdy, yet buttery and tender - it is not flaky like a pie crust... more of a cross between pie crust and shortbread. Placing the first forkful into my mouth revealed an array of textures - the soft, spiced apples, the creamy cheesecake layer and the firm base were very a pleasing combination. We enjoyed this torte over a couple of days and froze the remaining slices to see how they turned out once thawed - the texture was just slightly different, but neither of us thought it was detrimental at all!
This turned into an interesting treat for sure - kind of like a crusted thin cheesecake with a mess of sliced apples on top that were doused with cinnamon, sugar and almonds. The crust was a simple combination of butter, sugar, flour and a dash of salt - while it was a little soft, it was easily pressed into and slightly up the sides of a springform pan.
Softened and slightly sweetened cream cheese was mixed with an egg and a splash of floral vanilla to create the cheesecake-esque layer we spread over the top of the unbaked crust. A heaping spiral of the spiced and sugared apples were arranged on top, followed by a sprinkling of raw sliced almonds. This is baked at fairly high heat for the first few minutes to give the crust a jump start, then the temperature is reduced so the apples have a chance to soften without burning as there is no crust to protect their naked slices. Checking for doneness is a little tricky, but you are looking for the center of the cream cheese layer to be just set. Since it will need to be refrigerated anyway, I think you'll be fine if the center is still a bit soft. Depending on your oven, you may need to cover the top, though, if it looks like the almonds are getting too dark.
I used a combination of juicy Honeycrisp apples and crisp Granny Smiths for a tart contrast - you'll need about 4 cups worth, which is roughly the same as 4 medium. This duo retained their texture while baking, but still softened enough for a knife to glide through them. The crust to this torte is sturdy, yet buttery and tender - it is not flaky like a pie crust... more of a cross between pie crust and shortbread. Placing the first forkful into my mouth revealed an array of textures - the soft, spiced apples, the creamy cheesecake layer and the firm base were very a pleasing combination. We enjoyed this torte over a couple of days and froze the remaining slices to see how they turned out once thawed - the texture was just slightly different, but neither of us thought it was detrimental at all!
That looks like something you'd see in a European bakery!
ReplyDeleteIt's been years since I made this recipe. I forgot about it. So I guess this will have to be on the table soon. Thanks Joe for doing it.
ReplyDeleteThat torte is GORGEOUS! This is going in my "must make" pile. :)
ReplyDeleteQuinn - I would buy it!
ReplyDeleteHelene - Yes, definitely worth making again!
Elisabeth - Thanks!
We went to the orchards this past weekend and I have a LOT of apples to make good use of. This looks so tempting that I know where at least 4 cups of them are going!
ReplyDeleteLisa - I love picking apples! I wish the season could be longer though.
ReplyDeleteI made this and it was very good! From your picture of the slice, I thought there was too much crust, so I used a pie crust instead. Less fat, too. I wished for a bit more cheese filling, too, so maybe next time I'd add another half block of cream cheese. The apples were no where near cooked after the 35 minutes and it needed about 20 more minutes of cooking time. I also added a glaze of heated apricot jam with a bit of brandy on top for shine and to help keep the almonds in place. Looked and tasted good enough to bring to a holiday dinner!
ReplyDeletePaul R - The changes sound appropriate! I agree the cream cheese layer could have been a bit thicker - the time for the apples will depend on how thick you slice and what kind you use.
ReplyDeleteI was looking for this recipe, and only you had the recipe as I imagined and you even had pictures to boot! Do you and Jeff own a restaurant?
ReplyDeleteThe version I have is only different in that after you put in shortbread crust you bake it for 10 minutes to get it firm, then you put on a tart jam like raspberrry or blackberry or something similiar..it gives a nice contrast to the cheesecake filling.
Thank you for having the recipe and the pictures also helped!!
Robert
Robert - Nope, we do not own any restaurants!
ReplyDeleteI quite like the idea of hiding a layer of jam!