The idea for this Apple Crumble Filo Pie was kicking around in my brain for literally months before I decided to make it for a weekend girls lunch. And what do you know – it turned out even better than I had hoped! Imagine a headily spiced apple pie with a crumble topping – sounds good, but nothing revolutionary here. Then what if you cross that with baklava and add a good drizzle of homemade salted caramel sauce? Now we’re talking!
Everyone absolutely loved this dessert. It was the perfect way to end our cozy winter lunch without being too rich or heavy. Afterwards, we were batting around other flavour combinations or additions to try for next time. “Ooh what if you added some sultanas!” “This would be epic with fresh berries inside!” “Maybe some crushed walnuts for texture!” These are my kind of people – always wanting to change up the recipe to make it different or even better next time!
I love a good apple crumble and my secret ingredient is apple cider! You can use any that you love the taste of, boozy or not. However it’s even better if you use Apple Crumble Infused cider! The brand Zeffer, based in New Zealand make my all-time favourite cider. I have used it to make an Apple Crumble Cider Punch (delish) and I can attest that it also works perfectly for making desserts. Along with the cider, I flavoured my apple mixture with a little sugar, cinnamon, ginger, mixed spice and vanilla.
On a normal day, I like to make my own pastry, but I draw the line at filo. These thinner-than-paper-thin pastry sheets are a work of art and I just don’t have that kind of time and patience! Good filo pastry is easily found at supermarkets these days. Using store-bought actually turns this into a much more quick and simple dessert. There’s really no substitute for filo in this recipe – using a different type of pastry won’t give you that shatteringly crisp texture when baked. However the filling is delicious so you could adapt that into a more traditional apple pie with ease.
The other trick when using filo is to work quickly! Keep any remaining sheets of dough covered under a damp (clean) tea towel until you need them. This pastry is so thin, it can dry out if left exposed to the air for too long and start to crack. I found it pretty easy to roll the dough into the and form the scroll shape in the cake tin. Rolling the pastry into a scroll shape adds much more surface area to get crisp in the oven. Plus this Apple Crumble Filo Pie looks really pretty too! If you like, you could even make 4 individual scrolls instead of coiling them in the cake tin.
If you’re short on time, you can make the apple and the crumble mixtures the day before. They will store well in the fridge until you’re ready to assemble and bake the dessert. Of course this Filo Pie tastes best on the day it’s made when the pastry is lovely and crisp. Got leftovers? They reheat pretty well in the oven!
I topped this delicious Filo Pie with some ice cream and a homemade salted caramel sauce. The sauce is super easy to make and keeps well in the fridge for about a month. You could also add a little bourbon, however this is totally optional. I always love a big scoop of ice cream on top of a baked fruit dessert – to me this is not optional! But you could also add a drizzle of cream or custard if you prefer.
Related Post: Apple Miso Crumble with No Churn Salted Caramel Ice Cream
Apple Crumble Filo Pie with Salted Caramel
This Apple Crumble Filo Pie is a delicious simple dessert perfect for autumn or winter dinner parties. A delicious spiced apple filling is rolled in crispy filo pastry, topped with a yummy crunchy crumble and topped with homemade salted caramel sauce.
Ingredients
Crumble Topping
- 1/4 cup caster sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup plain flour
- 3/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 55 g butter
Salted Caramel
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 60 g salted butter
- 1 cup cream
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 tablespoons bourbon or whisky (optional)
Apple Crumble Filo Pie
- 6 medium/large apples (I used Pink Lady)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon mixed spice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup caster sugar
- 1/2 cup apple cider
- 12 sheets filo pastry
- 125 g melted butter, cooled slightly
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon icing sugar
- Ice cream, to serve
Instructions
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To make the salted caramel sauce, place the brown sugar, butter and cream into a medium saucepan and stir until combined and the butter has melted. Cook over a medium heat for 10-15 minutes until slightly thickened. Stir through salt and bourbon if using, and allow to cool to room temperature. Set aside until ready to serve.
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To make the crumble topping, combine the sugar, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and butter. Rub butter into the mixture with your fingertips. Set aside until ready to use.
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To make the apple mixture, peel apples and chop into 1-2cm cubes. Add to a medium saucepan with cinnamon, ginger, mixed spice, vanilla, sugar and cider and cook for 10-15 minutes or until apple is softened and liquid has become syrupy. Set aside to cool.
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Meanwhile, preheat oven to 180°C (350°F) and line the base and sides of a 23cm round springform baking pan.
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Work quickly with the filo pastry and cover any remaining sheets with a damp tea towel. Layer two sheets of filo pastry and lightly brush with melted butter. Layer one more sheet of pastry on top and brush with a little more butter. Spread along the long side with 1/4 of the apple mixture and roll up carefully. Form into a spiral in the centre of the baking pan.
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Repeat three more times with remaining pastry and apples and coil each roll around the previous one to make a spiral in the baking pan. Brush top with melted butter.
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Bake for 15 minutes and then remove from the oven. Drizzle with honey and scatter with crumble (as much as you like, you may have some leftover). Bake for a further 20-30 minutes or until golden and crisp.
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Remove from the oven and cool in pan for 10 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish and dust with icing sugar. Serve in slices with ice cream and drizzled salted caramel sauce.