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apple cream pie with slice cut out
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Apple Cream Pie

5 from 1 vote
prep 45 minutes
cook 50 minutes
6 hours
total 7 hours 35 minutes
Serves 12 slices
This apple cream pie has a buttery, flakey pie crust layered with homemade salted caramel sauce, apple cider pastry cream and fresh whipped cream. It's cinnamony and cozy but light and creamy at the same time!
Servings 12 slices

Equipment

Ingredients

Pie Crust

  • 15-30 mL whiskey , (bourbon, vodka, any spirit works)
  • 60 mL cold water
  • 150 grams all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
  • 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
  • 113 grams salted butter, cubed and cold
  • 1 egg , for egg wash

Salted Caramel Sauce

  • 200 grams granulated sugar
  • 60 mL water
  • 120 mL heavy cream, room temperature
  • 84 grams salted butter , softened
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Apple Cider Pastry Cream

  • 360 mL apple cider, can reduce by 50% for a stronger apple flavor but it's good without reducing too.
  • 2 large eggs, or 4 egg yolks room temperature
  • 150 grams light or dark brown sugar, not packed
  • 42 grams cornstarch
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
  • tiny pinch fine sea salt
  • 1 Tbsp vanilla bean paste or extract
  • 56 grams salted butter , room temperature

Whipped Cream

  • 20 grams powdered sugar
  • Tiny pinch of salt
  • 180 mL heavy whipping cream, cold
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • Dusting of cinnamon

Method

Pie Crust

  1. Place the alcohol in a measuring cup and add the cold water. Place it in the freezer while you prepare the other ingredients.
    15-30 mL whiskey (bourbon, vodka, any spirit works), 60 mL cold water
  2. Place the flour and salt in the bowl of the food processor. Place the whole bowl in the freezer while you cube the butter.
    150 grams all-purpose flour spooned and leveled, 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
  3. Add the cubed butter to the flour in the freezer, for 5-10 minutes.
    113 grams salted butter cubed and cold
  4. Remove the the bowl from the freezer, place it on the food processor and pulse until pea seize chunks form.
  5. While the food processor is on, stream in the water mixture just until it starts to come together. Start with only 2 Tbsp of water and use up to 1/4 cup if needed, I usually do 1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp of alcohol. You want the dough to be kinda crumbly but stick together when you press on it.
  6. Remove the dough from the food processor, press it together so it all sticks together. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for an hour.

Salted Caramel Sauce

  1. Place the sugar and water in a medium size heavy bottom sauce pan. Swirl the pan until the sugar is immersed in water. Place the saucepan over medium heat and allow the sugar to fully dissolve in the water, gently swirling the pan every minute or so.
    200 grams granulated sugar, 60 mL water
  2. Bring the sugar and water to a simmer and lower the heat to low. Place the lid on the pan and allow the mixture to simmer until the color begins to darken to a light amber color, this should take about 10 minutes. Make sure to remove the lid and check the color at least every minute.
  3. You can gently swirl the pan every couple of minutes but DO NOT STIR IT WITH ANYTHING. If there are crystalized pieces of sugar on the sides of the pan, the steam running down from the lid should dissolve them but if it doesn’t, you can use a pastry brush wet with water to brush them away.
  4. Once the sugar is an amber color, remove it from the heat and pour in the heavy whipping cream while stirring constantly. Then stir in the softened butter.
    120 mL heavy cream room temperature, 84 grams salted butter softened
  5. Pour the caramel sauce in a heat proof jar and stir in the salt and vanilla extract.
    1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  6. While the caramel is cooling, preheat the oven to 425F (218C). Roll out your pie crust to about 1/8" thick (diameter should be a little wider than your pie dish) and place it in a pie pan (not a deep dish one). I like to fold the edges of the dough underneath itself to make the edge the clean and thicker (it doesn't burn as easily around the edge if it's thicker).
  7. Place a piece of parchment paper on top of it and fill it with pie weights. If you don't have pie weights, fill it with dry beans, rice or flour.
  8. Bake the pie for 20 minutes, remove it from the oven, remove the pie weights and parchment paper and brush with a little egg wash. Return the pie to the oven and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, until it's browned and the bottom no longer looks wet. If you need to, tent the edges of the pie crust with foil or a pie shield to prevent them from burning.
    1 egg for egg wash
  9. Remove it from the oven and allow it to cool completely before filling.

Apple Cider Pastry Cream

  1. In a medium saucepan (preferably stainless steel or nonstick - avoid aluminum), heat the apple cider over medium heat and bring it to a simmer.
    360 mL apple cider can reduce by 50% for a stronger apple flavor but it's good without reducing too.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, sugar, cornstarch, spices and salt aggressively for 1-2 minutes, until the mixture becomes smooth and runny, with no more chunks.
    2 large eggs or 4 egg yolks room temperature, 150 grams light or dark brown sugar not packed, 42 grams cornstarch, 2 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg, tiny pinch fine sea salt
  3. Temper the eggs by streaming half of the apple cider into the egg mixture while continuing to whisk.
Dump the whole mixture back into the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, while whisking continuously.
  4. Within 1-3 minutes, the mixture should start to thicken, continue whisking.
Once it's starting to stick to the pan, whisk aggressively for another 30-60 seconds.
  5. Remove from the heat and pour into a bowl with the butter and vanilla.
Allow the heat from the pastry cream to melt the butter for a second and then gently whisk it. It may separate at first but it'll come back together as you whisk it.
The pastry cream should be smooth and silky now, if you have any lumps, feel free to push it though a sieve.
    1 Tbsp vanilla bean paste or extract, 56 grams salted butter room temperature
  6. Cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming. Once it’s cooled to room temperature (or almost) spread the custard into the pre-baked pie crust.

Assemble

  1. Once your pie crust, caramel sauce and pastry cream have cooled completely, spread a layer of caramel sauce on the bottom of your pie crust. Freeze the pie for 15-30 minutes to set it so it doesn’t move when you spread the pastry cream in.
  2. Spread the pastry cream on top of the caramel and refrigerate for 1-2 hours before topping it again with a layer of caramel sauce.
  3. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight and then make the whipped cream topping and dust with cinnamon.

Whipped Cream

  1. Sift the powdered sugar and salt into the bowl of the stand mixer (or a large bowl with a hand mixer).
    20 grams powdered sugar, Tiny pinch of salt
  2. Add the heavy whipping cream and vanilla bean paste on top and beat at medium-low speed for about 1-2 minutes, until it starts to thicken.
    180 mL heavy whipping cream cold, 1 tsp vanilla extract
  3. Increase the speed to medium-high and continue beating for another 1-2 minutes, until the cream forms stiff peaks. Don't over-beat passed this.
  4. Use the rubber spatula to scrape the edge of the bowl and fold it a couple of times to make it smooth and silky.
  5. Pipe on top of the chilled pie and dust with a little cinnamon.
    Dusting of cinnamon

Nutrition

Calories: 420kcalCarbohydrates: 40gProtein: 4gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 17gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 114mgSodium: 309mgPotassium: 107mgFiber: 1gSugar: 27gVitamin A: 953IUVitamin C: 0.4mgCalcium: 47mgIron: 1mg
Course: Pies & Tarts
Cuisine: American
Keyword: apple cider, apple cream pie, apple custard, apple pastry cream, pastry cream