Ingredients
Scale
Dough
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Juice of ½ lemon
- Juice of ½ orange
- 3 ¼ – 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
Apples
- 10–12 small to medium apples (I used Macintosh, Honeycrisp, and Gala)
- Juice of ½ lemon
- Juice of ½ orange
- 1 cup raisins
- ½ – ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Make the dough. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar using a hand mixer on medium until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. This may alternatively be done with a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add eggs and beat until once again light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add baking powder and salt, mixing just to combine. Add lemon and orange juices and mix to combine. Slowly add 3 ¼ cups flour, mixing until just incorporated and scraping down the bowl if necessary. You should have a mixture that resembles a dough more than a batter. If it is too thin, add the remaining ¼ cup flour. I did not add any more flour.
- Gather the dough into a ball and divide it in half. Wrap each half in plastic and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- After the dough has rested, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and make the apples. In a large bowl, combine juice of lemon and orange, sugar and cinnamon. Peel, core, and slice the apples into ¼ inch slices. As you slice them, put them into the bowl and stir occasionally to coat them and help prevent browning, but if they brown it is okay. Once all the apples are added, add the raisins and mix to combine. Taste an apple to see if you want to add more sugar, cinnamon, or citrus. I had to add more sugar.
- Generously butter a 9 by 13 inch pan and place it on a foil lined baking sheet. Get half of the dough out of the refrigerator and piece it into the pan. I did this by pulling off a piece, flattening it with my fingers and placing it in the pan. Then you can press the pieces together and fill in any holes, going up the sides of the pan a little. It should be about a ¼ inch thick.
- Pour the apple filling onto the dough and spread into an even layer. Retrieve other half of dough from refrigerator and piece together to cover the apple layer completely, tucking some of the dough down the sides of the pan. Make sure there are as few holes as possible, but it doesn’t have to be perfect (and it won’t be). Cut 8 slits in the top of the pie cake. Bake for 65 to 80 minutes (mine took 65), rotating halfway through if necessary (I did not rotate), until the top is golden brown and the juices from the apples are bubbling around the edges and possibly in the slits. Cool at room temperature for at least 1 to 2 hours; it is best served warm. May be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days or frozen in pieces, wrapped in parchment and foil and placed in a zipper bag for up to 3 months. Thaw in a 350 degree F oven for about 15 minutes, until warmed through.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking: From My Home to Yours, courtesy Good Eats n Sweet Treats
- Prep Time: 45 mins
- Cook Time: 80 mins