Photo: Natalie Levin
One of my favorite aromas in the world is caramelized apples. This deep scent of caramelized sugar along with fresh apples and cinnamon is automatically associated in my head with calmness and security. It’s such a wonderful smell, that for which I’m ready to make apple cakes all day and all night.
Apple strudel and has always been a cake I loved, even as a child. The combination of golden. fragrant dough and apple filling is simply delicious, and this is one of the most delicious cakes there is to my taste. This next strudel is really not a classic recipe – it is made of soft Danish braid dough filled with lots of caramelized apples and nuts.
It is some kind of a hybrid between an apple strudel and a golden Danish braid cake – soft, so fragrant and definitely delicious, that apple lovers will simply fall in love with.
Photo: Natalie Levin
Apple Strudel with Nuts
For the dough:
- 500 grams (3 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour
- 8 grams (1 tbsp.) instant dry yeast
- 100 grams (1 stick) soft butter
- 75 grams (1/3 cup) sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 200 grams (1 cup) sour cream
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
For the caramelized apples:
- 4 large Granny Smith apples
- 100 grams (1/2 cup) sugar
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 200 grams nuts (coarsely chopped)
For the glaze:
- 1 beaten egg
For decoration:
- Sugar powder
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Dough: in a mixer bowl with a kneading attachment, put flour, yeast, butter, sugar, eggs, sour cream, vanilla and salt and knead for 10-12 minutes until you get a slightly sticky dough.
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap and allow rising in the refrigerator overnight.
- Caramelized apples: peel the apples and cut into medium cubes.
- Heat a skillet over a high flame and cook the apples for a few minutes until they begin to soften slightly.
- Add sugar, lemon, vanilla and cinnamon and cook until the sugar melts and the apples soften.
- Add the nuts and mix well.
- Cool completely at room temperature.
- Assemble the cakes: divide the dough into 2 parts.
- On a floured work surface, roll each part of the dough into a rectangle about 1/2 cm thick.
- Spread half of the apple filling in the center third of the rectangle.
- Cut the 2-thirds on the sides into strips and braid in a cross-section.
- Place the cake on a baking pan lined with baking paper.
- Repeat the process with the second part of the dough and the remaining filling.
- Cover the cakes and allow rising in a warm place until they almost double their volume.
- Preheat the oven to 170c degrees.
- Gently brush the cakes with beaten egg.
- Bake the cakes for 30-35 minutes or until golden and set.
- Before serving, sprinkle with powdered sugar.
- It is recommended to serve the cakes warm and not cold.
- The apple strudel cakes are at their best on the day of baking.
- The strudel can be prepared and frozen for up to a month. After thawing it is recommended to heat the oven.
- Instead of apples you can use pears, peaches or any other fruit you like.
- You can use any kind of nuts you like.
Photo: Natalie Levin