Case of the Missing Apple Strudel
“On special occasions my aunt would make her special apple strudel. We had a large family, and my aunt would make it on a large baking sheet. It was delicious! We’d all look forward to getting a piece at the end of our meal.
“On one occasion, the day of the festivities, the freshly baked strudel was left on the kitchen counter to cool as always. To everyone’s horror, the strudel disappeared! We all knew that it was my cousin Dan and his friends who took it. They were teenagers at the time, and like all teenage boys, they ate everything in sight. Dan refused to admit that he took the strudel. My uncle was so furious that he sent Dan to his room, without dinner, for stealing the strudel and then lying about it.
“Imagine my uncle’s surprise when, a couple days later, he found a chewed-up baking sheet in his dog Bobo’s doghouse! That day, my aunt made another apple strudel just for Dan — and Dan got to decide with whom he would share it. My uncle and Bobo got to watch as the rest of us ate the apple strudel.
“Here’s my aunt’s recipe. It’s actually a very simple and sweet alternative to traditional strudel, which can be time-consuming to make from scratch.”
Irmagard’s Simple German Apple Cake
Dough:
1 cup sugar
2 1/2 sticks butter, softened
3 eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla
3 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch salt
4+ cups all-purpose flour
Filling:
4 to 5 pounds tart cooking apples (Granny Smith or your favorite),
peeled, cored, and sliced 1/4-inch thick
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a rimmed baking sheet (a “half sheet” pan, 13x18 inches, works well) and set aside.
Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl and set aside. Using a stand mixer, beat the eggs. Add sugar and vanilla, and beat until combined thoroughly.
Add the flour mixture, half a cup at a time, to the egg mixture until it comes together in the consistency of a bread dough (it should be firm enough to knead and roll out). Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently until smooth (about 5 turns). Cut the dough in half, and pat down one half of the dough onto the baking sheet, covering the entire pan.
Arrange the apple slices on top of the dough and sprinkle with the cinnamon and sugar.
Place the rest of the dough between 2 sheets of wax paper or parchment, and roll it out to the size of the baking sheet. Remove the top sheet of the paper from the dough and lay the dough on top of the apple filling. Remove the rest of the paper.
Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown.
The dough is already sweet, but you can sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar to serve, if desired.
