These Dessert Recipes Celebrate Juicy and Refreshing Apples As The Star Ingredient

Apples are a juicy, refreshing and energizing fruit. They quench one’s thirst, chase away sleepiness and make one feel full. Their satisfying crunch in each bite gives way to a juicy interior that’s naturally sweet and delicious. This also makes them a great ingredient for desserts. With their unique taste and texture, they add layers to any dessert, enhancing it's flavor profile and giving it a more nuanced taste. So here is a roundup of our favorite desserts using apples.

Apple cake

Ingredients:

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• ⅔ cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling on top of the cake
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp dark rum
• 2 apples, peeled, cored and cut into cubes

Directions:

• Preheat the oven and grease a cake pan with a generous amount of butter.
• Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Use a mixer to cream the butter and granulated sugar until the concoction is light and fluffy.
• Then, one at a time, add the eggs. Beat thoroughly and scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition.
• Then beat in the vanilla and rum.
• Next, add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until just combined.
• Add the apple cubes and use a rubber spatula to fold in the chopped apples.
• After properly mixed, you have to scrape the batter into the prepared pan, and remember to level the top. On top, evenly sprinkle 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar.
• This needs to bake for about 40 minutes, or until the cake is golden-brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool on a rack in the pan.
• The cake can be served warm or at room temperature, either plain, with a lightly sweetened whipped cream or with vanilla ice cream.

Apple crisp

Ingredients:

• 10 cups of apple, peeled, cored and sliced
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ cup water
• 1 cup oats
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup brown sugar
• ¼ tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• ½ cup butter, melted

Directions:

• Preheat the oven.
• Place the sliced apples in a pan.
• In a bowl, mix the white sugar, 1 tablespoon flour and ground cinnamon together. Sprinkle this mixture over the apples.
• Pour water evenly into the entire pan, covering all the apples. Set aside.
• In a mixing bowl, combine the oats, 1 cup flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and melted butter together. Spread this mixture evenly over the apple mixture.
• Let it bake for about 45 minutes and serve it while it’s still warm, preferably with some vanilla ice cream on the side.

Apple pie

Ingredients:

• 1 pie crust

For the apple filling:

• ¼ tsp lemon zest
• The juice of half a lemon, approx 2 tbsp
• 5 pounds of apples
• ½ cup brown sugar
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp salt
• 1 & ½ tsp cinnamon
• ¾ tsp nutmeg
• ½ tsp cardamom
• 1 tsp vanilla

For the sugar crumble:

• 1 & ½ cups all purpose flour
• ⅓ cup granulated sugar
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• ¾ cup butter, melted

Directions:

For the filling:

• Zest 1/4 teaspoon lemon peel into a skillet. The heat should be off. To this, add the juice from half the lemon, about 2 tablespoons. Set aside.
• Peel and slice the apples into cubes. Set these over medium heat in the pan on the stove.
• To the apples, add brown sugar, granulated sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom. Stir all this together gently so that the apples don't break.
• Cover the mixture with a lid and uncover to stir every 3 minutes or so, replacing the lid each time. Like this, cook for 20 minutes, until the apples are fork tender but still hold their shape.
• Then remove the pan from heat and stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla.
• After this, transfer the apple pie filling to a pan. Let it cool completely by placing it in the fridge or the freezer.
• In the meantime, roll out the pie dough and place it in a dish. Fold the edges underneath and crimp them with your fingers and thumbs.
• Place the pie crust in the fridge or freezer for about 30 minutes, for a really flaky crust.

For the sugar crumble:

• While these are cooling, in a medium bowl, add the dry ingredients for the crumble and whisk together.
• In a small bowl, melt the butter and pour it over the dry ingredients, stirring together gently. Pop this in the fridge too and let it chill until you are ready to assemble.
• Preheat the oven.

Assemble:

• Scrape the chilled apple pie filling into the pie shell.
• Use your hands or a fork to carefully break the crumble into smaller pieces that will make for easy bites.
• Top the pie with about a cup or two of the sugar crumble. Place the remaining crumble back in the fridge to chill.
• Bake the pie.
• Sprinkle the remaining chilled crumble all over the top of the pie.
• You will know the pie is done when the edges of the crust are brown and the crumble is turning a light golden brown in the center.
• Let the pie cool on a wire rack. Slice and serve!