Appeltaart (the Dutch deep-dish apple tart) is one of the most eaten home-baked cakes in the Netherlands, and cinnamon is its defining spice. The recipe tradition stretches back to the 17th-century Dutch Golden Age, when the VOC's control of the cinnamon trade made Ceylon cinnamon a household spice in Dutch kitchens in a way it was not yet in other European countries. Dutch appeltaart is structurally different from English apple pie or French tarte tatin: it is tall, latticed, densely filled, and always heavily cinnamon-scented, making it one of the clearest European expressions of the relationship between Dutch colonial power and culinary tradition.
Ingredients
Pastry
300 g plain flour
200 g cold butter, cubed
100 g caster sugar
1 egg
0.25 tsp fine salt
1 tsp vanilla extract
Filling
1200 g cooking apples (Bramley or Granny Smith), peeled, cored and sliced
80 g light brown sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tbsp lemon juice
80 g raisins, soaked in hot water for 15 minutes and drained
Assembly
2 tbsp fine dried breadcrumbs
Glaze
1 egg yolk, beaten (for glaze)
Method
Make the pastry: rub the cold butter into the flour with your fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Stir in the caster sugar, salt and vanilla extract.
Add the egg and mix with a fork, then bring together with your hands into a soft, smooth dough. If it is too dry, add a teaspoon of cold water. Flatten into a disc, wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Prepare the filling: toss the sliced apples with the light brown sugar, ground cinnamon, lemon juice and drained raisins. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 175°C (155°C fan). Grease a deep 23cm springform cake tin well with butter.
Remove the pastry from the fridge. Cut off approximately one-third and return it to the fridge (for the lattice). On a lightly floured surface, roll the remaining two-thirds into a circle large enough to line the base and sides of the tin (approximately 38cm diameter). Carefully lift it into the tin and press into the base and up the sides, patching any tears.
Scatter the dried breadcrumbs over the pastry base: this prevents the base from becoming soggy.
Pile the apple filling into the tin, mounding it generously in the centre as it will compress during baking.
Roll the reserved pastry into a rectangle and cut into 1.5cm-wide strips. Lay the strips over the top of the tart in a lattice pattern, pressing the ends firmly onto the pastry edges. Trim any excess.
Brush the lattice and pastry edges generously with beaten egg yolk.
Bake for 55-65 minutes until the pastry is a deep golden brown and the apple filling is tender and bubbling. Check after 40 minutes and cover the lattice loosely with foil if it is browning too quickly.
Allow to cool in the tin for at least 30 minutes before releasing the springform sides. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Notes
Appeltaart is traditionally served with a generous dollop of slagroom (lightly whipped cream) rather than ice cream. It keeps well at room temperature for 2 days, or refrigerated for up to 5 days.
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