Apple Pie with Caramel Sauce (Vegan)

Hey there! And happy October once more!

With Autumn in full swing, I’ve decided to get into the spirit, and bake a pie. And what could say ‘autumn’ more, than a classic apple pie served with warm drizzle of caramel sauce?

As the days are getting shorter and nights are beginning to stretch more and more, I can’t help it, but feel super excited about this time of the year. I guess that’s mainly because:

a) I no longer need an excuse to stay in

b) I can wear woolly tights

c) I can bake the hell out of my kitchen, without anyone complaining that it’s ‘too hot to bake’ (although, it never stopped me before…)

And baking an apple pie, to me, is almost like a ritual that has to be performed at this time of the year, preferably every Sunday afternoon… (occasionally, there is singing and dancing involved too).

The smell of cooked apples and cinnamon would make anyone feel like at home, add lovely, crumbly and buttery pastry, and you’re on your way to heaven! But if that wasn’t good enough, there is also a caramel sauce to drizzle (or pour, if you are like me…) your pie with.

So the idea was to go and pick my own apples from a nearby apple orchard, which we have on our estate. It’s a bit of a weird one, but we have this small strip of land in between newly build houses, which is full of old apple trees (I guess the developers were not allowed to build on there, either that, or they’ve missed that spot). And although it’s a small patch, with about 20 apple trees, I remember that last year, it was literally bursting with all these lovely apples.

But that was last year. It turns out that this year, there is not a single apple left there. My guess is that either, someone has beat me to it and picked them all before me (I hate you, BTW), or the apple gods were just not as generous as they were last year. And after searching for PYO apples places nearby, and finding a big fat nothing, I’ve opted for a shop- bought, good and trusted Bramley apples, which are perfect for cooking or baking.

There are sooooo many different apple pie recipes out there, and you can probably find the recipes that are a bit quicker and even simpler than this one. However, trust me, this is the only apple pie recipe you will ever need, and once you try it, you will see how easily done it is, it will become your ‘go-to’.

You can use the ready made, shop- bought pastry (shortcrust one, just in case if you are not sure), but I will high five you, if you make your own. It’s so damn easy, and I find the difference in taste is humongous. Homemade pastry has got this lovely, buttery taste and smell to it, which I just don’t get with a ready made shop version (perhaps I’m shopping in the wrong places…?).

The recipe for pastry is based on the same recipe I’ve used in my blackberry jam lattice tart but this time, I’m not using an egg, which makes this recipe vegan friendly (providing you are also using vegan butter). Remember that when it comes to making your own pie pastry, chilling it is crucial to the success of your bake. I recommend chilling it not only before rolling it, but also before baking it, as it will hold the shape much better. Also, use cold butter to start off with, and make sure the water is really cold too.

As for the lattice topping, you may find that the leftover pastry is not big enough to form 10 stripes, in which case opt for 8 or 6 strips. It all depends on the thickness of your pastry and how thick you want the stripes to be. The instruction on how to make a lattice pattern is also included in this post .

Because nobody wants a slice of just a plain apple pie, I have also included a recipe for caramel sauce, which is super quick and easy to do. Any extra caramel sauce, that you have left over (if that’s even possible), can be transferred into a squeeze bottle and stored in the fridge for up to 5 days. Although, you may want to heat it up in a bowl of hot water before serving again.

Making caramel sauce to go with this apple pie may seem like an extra effort, but trust me, these extra 3 minutes will pay off at the end. And if you want to indulge even more into this super seasonal apple pie with caramel sauce, top it all up with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream. But be warned, you may not stop at one portion!

I hope you will enjoy this recipe as much as I do!

And just before I go, massive thank you to those of you, who helped me after my ‘blog panic attack’ last week! You know who you are, and I could have never done it without you! I’m hoping not to go down that rabbit hole again, and have more believe in myself moving forward! Whoop!

Until next time!

A.

5 from 3 votes

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Apple Pie with Caramel Sauce

Prep Time

45 mins

Cook Time

45 mins

Total Time

1 hr 35 mins

 

Autumn classic, apple pie with delicious caramel sauce. Really easy recipe for excellent pie!

Course: Dessert

: Vegan

Servings: 8 people

: 448 kcal

Author: Anna

Ingredients

The filling:

• 700 g cooking apples (peeled, cored and sliced)
• 30 g caster sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp mixed spice (nutmeg, cardamom, all spice)
• 2 tbsp corn flour

For the pastry:

• 400 g plain flour (plus extra for dusting)
• 200 g butter (dairy free if vegan)
• 6 tbsp cold water
• 2 tbsp caster sugar (for sprinkling)

For the caramel sauce:

• 200 g caster sugar
• 60 g butter (dairy free if vegan)
• 130 ml cream (use soya cream or oat cream if vegan)

Instructions

To make pastry:

1. Use food processor, and mix the flour, butter, and a pinch of salt until it resembles the texture of the breadcrumbs. Add 5 tbsp of cold water and pulse until pastry comes together into a ball. You can add extra water if needed. If you making pastry by hand (I did), rub the flour and butter with your fingers in a bowl, then stir in the water with a wooden spoon. Work the pastry for a couple of minutes, then tip it into a piece of cling film and shape into a disc. Wrap and chill for 35 minutes, until firm.

2. Place sugar, spices and corn flour in a medium bowl. Add apples and mix all together. Set aside.

3. Take your pastry out of the fridge. On the floured surface,  roll out roughly two thirds of your pastry to a 30cm circle. Carefully roll the pastry around the dusted rolling pin, then unroll into the tart tin. Pastry will be quite crumbly, but if it breaks, just patch it up, then trim away any excess, but save the offcuts for the lattice top. Heat the oven to 200 C (180 C fan).

4. Place the apple filling into a pie dish, making sure that it rises above the edge.

5. Roll out the remaining pastry into rectangle, about 3 mm thick, then slice out 10 strips for lattice topping. Brush the pie with a bit of milk (dairy free), and sprinkle with the caster sugar. Bake for about 40- 45 minutes until golden brown.

For the caramel sauce:

1. Place the sugar in a heavy based frying pan and stir in about 4 tbsp of water, then place over the medium heat, allowing sugar to dissolve. Turn up the heat and bubble for 3-4 minutes until you have caramel. Take off the heat and carefully stir in the cream and butter. Set aside.

Recipe Notes

*You will need 23cm pie dish or tart tin.

*Check out this recipe for the instructions on how to make a lattice pattern.

*Any leftover caramel sauce can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days