Traditional German Apple Cake

Pastry: 160g white flour 80g chopped almonds 160g cold butter, chopped into chunks 80g sugar pinch of salt 1 egg 1.Mix all the ingredients together quickly 2.Roll out the pastry so it is 4mm thick and has a 3cm border. 3.Lay the pastry in a 20cm dish and pinch it to the sides and corners. Fork a couple of holes in the pastry so the air can get through.

Filling: 4 apples, peeled, quartered then thinly sliced. 1 tsp cinnamon 50g chopped almonds 1.Heat the oven to 180deg C fan. 2.Lay two thirds of the sliced apple on the pastry then sprinkle over the almonds and cinnamon. 3.Lay the remaining apples on top in a decorative fashion.

Custard Filling: 2 eggs 150g sugar 1 tsp vanilla sugar pinch of salt 50 g vanilla custard powder 250ml cream 1.Beat the eggs, sugar, vanilla sugar and salt for a minute, then mix in the custard powder and cream. 2.Pour the whole mixture over the apples. Bake for 45 minutes. If the apples are browning too quickly, cover the dish with aluminium foil.

Tips – If you have time, try to prepare the pastry in advance and leave it wrapped in cling film in a ball in the fridge. This will make it a lot easier to roll and stop the pastry from cracking apart.