Norwegian apple pie (eplepai)

Much more like a cake than a pie, this well known traditional Norwegian dessert is comforting, homely and can warm the soul with just one mouthful – especially when served straight from the oven in generous scoops and topped with ice-cream or a large dollop of thick cream. Don’t overlook the fact that it is also pretty good served like any other cake, cooled and in wedges.

Credit: Alan Benson

• serves

  8

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  35 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• melted butter, to grease
• 110 g (¾ cup) plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground cardamom
• 110 g (½ cup) caster sugar
• 3 medium (about 150 g each) apples (such as Golden Delicious, Royal Gala or Pink Lady), peeled, cored and cut into 2 cm pieces
• 80 g slivered almonds, toasted
• 80 g butter, melted and cooled
• 1 egg
• 2 tbsp milk
• 1½ tsp natural vanilla essence or extract
• vanilla ice-cream or thick cream, to serve

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). Grease a 20 cm springform tin with melted butter and line the base.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and cardamom into a large bowl. Stir in the sugar, apple and almonds. Use a fork to whisk together the butter, egg, milk and vanilla. Add to the flour mixture and use a spatula to mix until just combined.

Spoon the mixture into the prepared tin and spread evenly with the back of a spoon. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes or until golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Stand the pie in the tin for 5–10 minutes before removing the sides of the tin. Serve warm in scoops or wedges or at room temperature with ice-cream or cream.

Note

• This pudding/cake will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Photography by Alan Benson. Styling by Sarah O'Brien. Food preparation by Tina McLeish. Creative concept by Lou Fay.

Anneka's mission is to connect home cooks with the magic of baking, and through this, with those they love. For hands-on baking classes and baking tips, visit her at BakeClub. Don't miss what's coming out of her oven via Facebook,Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

This recipe is part of our Bakeproof: Scandi baking.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.