Gingerbread Apple Pie
Recipe for an aromatic spiced apple pie perfect for winter
If you’re looking for the perfect, Christmas-scented dessert, gingerbread apple pie on semi-shortcrust pastry will be a hit! This combination of warming spices, juicy apples, and a delicate base makes every bite taste like December magic. Bake it before the holidays to fill your home with a wonderful aroma and surprise your loved ones with something special — I guarantee you’ll fall in love from the first slice!
Table of content
Gingerbread Apple Pie Recipe Step by Step
If you love apple pies, and in autumn and winter you like your home to smell of aromatic, warming spices, then you absolutely must try this recipe!
Gingerbread apple pie on semi-shortcrust pastry recipe with video
Wyposażenie
- Baking pan: approximately 8 × 12 inches (20 × 30 cm).
Składniki
ingredients for gingerbread dough
- 450 g all-purpose flour (3 cups)
- 1.5 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons gingerbread spice
- 3 eggs (size L )
- 150 g sugar (¾ cup)
- 250 g butter
- a pinch potato starch (optional)
ingredients for apple filling
- approx. 2 kg apples
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
Instrukcja
How to make gingerbread apple pie step by step
Step 1 – preparations
- Grease the baking pan with butter and dust with flour, or line with baking paper.
Step 2 – preparing gingerbread dough for apple pie
- In a large bowl, add flour, baking powder, eggs, butter cut into pieces, sugar, and gingerbread spice.450 g all-purpose flour, 1.5 teaspoons baking powder, 2 teaspoons gingerbread spice, 3 eggs, 150 g sugar, 250 g butter
- Knead all ingredients into a smooth and elastic dough – it will be slightly sticky.
- Separate about 1/3 of the dough, flatten it, wrap in foil, and place in the freezer for about 30 minutes.
- Press the remaining dough firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan.
- I additionally sprinkle and spread a small amount of potato starch on top of the dough to absorb the juice from the baked apples.a pinch potato starch
- Turn on the oven to heat to 180℃ (top/bottom mode) or 170℃ (fan-assisted).
Step 3 – preparing apples for apple pie
- Peel the apples (I had 2.2 kg).approx. 2 kg apples
- Grate the fruit on a coarse grater.
- If your apples are very juicy, you can lightly squeeze out some of the juice.
- If you like cinnamon, add 1 teaspoon to the apples and mix thoroughly.1 teaspoon cinnamon
Step 4 – preparing the dough for baking
- Place the apples on the bottom of the pan and spread them in an even layer.
- Remove the reserved dough from the freezer and grate it on a coarse grater – you can also tear off small pieces of dough and arrange them on the apples.
- Place the pan with the dough into the preheated oven and bake for about 50 minutes.
Film
Uwagi
Wartości Odżywcze
Why bake gingerbread apple pie before Christmas?
I recently baked such an aromatic apple pie with gingerbread spice for my family, and it disappeared so quickly that I barely got to enjoy it. But it’s no wonder! Lightly fluffy semi-shortcrust gingerbread pastry combined with a layer of delicately cinnamon grated apples, it’s truly heaven in your mouth! Here, in one cake, traditional Polish apple pie with grated apples meets festive, aromatic, and spiced gingerbread. It’s a real treat. A perfect cake for the whole family, great for a weekend dessert as well as for the upcoming Christmas holidays. What’s more, this is a recipe for apple pie in a large baking pan, so the cake can be divided into many portions. You absolutely must try this recipe, save it for later (even on Beata’s Bakes) and share it with friends ;)
Ingredients needed to bake gingerbread apple pie
To bake such a gingerbread apple pie at home, you will only need a few basic ingredients that you either already have at home or can easily buy in any store. Below is a condensed list of the products I used and possible substitutes.
- apples – the best will be firm apples that won’t fall apart too much during baking, e.g., Szara Reneta, Jonagold, Lobo, Cortland will work, but really, use whatever apples you have. I didn’t sweeten my apple filling because there was no need, but if you have tarter apples or prefer sweeter cakes, you can add a little sugar to the grated apples.
- butter – I used extra 82% butter; it’s best for the butter for the dough to be cold and cut into small pieces. You can ultimately use mixed butter or vegetable butter.
- all-purpose flour – type 450 flour will be best here, but you can use your favourite
- gingerbread spice mix – I personally most recommend homemade gingerbread spice mix (you can make it using my recipe), but if you don’t have time for that and are using store-bought gingerbread spice, pay attention to its ingredients before buying – if flour, sugar, or even cocoa is listed first, it’s best not to buy it. Such a spice mix has few aromatic spices and won’t give the cake a good taste and aroma.
How to prepare semi-shortcrust pastry?
Semi-shortcrust pastry is a variation of shortcrust pastry, but it is more elastic, and with the addition of baking powder, this dough also rises slightly, making it a bit fluffy. Often, a little cream and eggs can also be added to it.
For semi-shortcrust pastry, similar to shortcrust, it’s best to use cold butter cut into small pieces. Knead the dough quickly so that the butter doesn’t get too warm. After kneading, the dough is more pliable and elastic than traditional shortcrust pastry, so there’s no need to roll it out; simply press it into the baking pan. The dough in the pan can also be chilled for about half an hour before baking, but this is not mandatory.
How to enhance the flavor of gingerbread apple pie?
If you want to further boost the flavor of your gingerbread apple pie, you can add raisins to the apple filling – for lovers of these dried fruits. Grated orange zest also works well. It will emphasize the festive character of the cake. You can also add chopped nuts to the apples – which will add a slightly crunchy texture.
How to store gingerbread apple pie?
Gingerbread apple pie can last about 3 days at room temperature if stored properly. After baking and cooling, the gingerbread apple pie should be transferred to an airtight container with a lid. This prevents the cake from drying out too much and helps it stay fresh longer. If the cake needs to last longer, it will be safer to store it with the container in the refrigerator. In that case, take the cake out of the refrigerator earlier before serving to allow it to warm up and soften.
Gingerbread apple pie can also be frozen for about 3 months. It’s best to divide it into portions and freeze each one separately. Then you can take out as much cake from the freezer as you need.
How many kcal does apple cake on gingerbread pastry have?
In the table below the recipe, I provided the calorie count for 100g of the cake (using the products I used). However, if you divide the cake into approximately 24 similar pieces, each will have about 219 kcal (carbohydrates – 33 g, fats – 10 g, proteins – 3 g). So, as befits an apple cake, this is a very pleasant calorie count :) You can safely indulge in one or two pieces ;)
I hope this gingerbread apple cake recipe will also find its way into your home. The recipe is very quick, simple, and always turns out well. The cake will be perfect before Christmas, as its gingerbread scent and taste will fill the entire house. The ingredients for the gingerbread apple cake are very simple and easily accessible, and the clear instructions, with step-by-step photos of the preparation and a short video, ensure that the apple cake on gingerbread pastry will turn out well for everyone – even those with little baking experience. Let me know in the comments how you liked this cake!
Recommended apple cake recipes
If, like me, you love apple cakes and apple desserts, then you absolutely must try my other recipes for amazing apple cakes. Here I recommend, among others, these three recipes, and many more on the blog:
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Discover this special gingerbread apple pie on tender shortcrust pastry — perfect for your holiday table or cozy winter afternoons with a cup of tea.
This aromatic combination of apples and warm spices is easy to make, thanks to a detailed, step-by-step recipe complete with photos and a preparation video. Even beginners will have no trouble baking it!
Try it before the holidays, and your home will be filled with the warm, spiced aroma of gingerbread that will delight the whole family.