Tuesdays with Dorie – Russian Grandmother’s Apple Pie Cake

What a little marvel this is! At first I thought, “this is just a pie!” Well, it is, but with an amazing, puffy crust. Nothing competes with the flavor of the apples. It’s not rocket science to bake (although after the pecan biscuits, who am I to talk?) And it ended up tasting like an old-fashioned, homey, lovely little dessert.

I love the crust – very soft and pliable, which allowed it to conform to the filling, thereby eliminating that pie “gap” that often occurs between the filling and top crust when you make an apple pie. I made some adaptations to the recipe: (1) cut it in half, and baked it in a disposable 8-inch square pan, (2) used 4 Granny Smith apples and one Fuji, half the amount of raisins, all the sugar and cinnamon, and (3) added the zest of half a lemon to the crust. Then I mounded the filling over the bottom crust, and the pie/cake for about 35 minutes. The smell that filled the house was fantastic. I should mention that I rolled out the soft and sticky crust between two sheets of plastic wrap, after making it in my food processor.

Dorie says to let the cake cool to “warm” or “room temperature.” Riiiiight. In my book, that was about five minutes, and then I dug in. Did I mention that I was baking this at 9:30 at night? Mmmm. It was only through sheer force of will that I stopped myself to take photos of my soon-to-be-gutted little wonder. If you look closely, underneath the crisp surface of the crust, the texture is a bit “cakey.” Maybe that’s where the name comes from.Thanks to Natalie of Burned Bits for this week’s selection, and you can find the original recipe over at her blog. I agree with Natalie that this would be even better with some ice cream or some cream. Next week, Peabody has chosen Brioche Raisin Snails! And be sure to check out the Tuesdays with Dorie blogroll to see everyone else’s creations!