German Crustless Apple Pie - Creamy & Loaded with Apples

Love apple pie but hate making the crust? Then this creamy, fresh, loaded-with-apples pie is for you! The apples are the star of the show in this crustless apple pie; they're tender but with just enough texture to hold their own, bound lightly together with a silky custard and just a whiff of spice to bring out their orchard-fresh goodness.

Thanks to Organic Washington Apples for sponsoring this post so I could share this delicious recipe with you and tell you about my go-to apples for our family's apple snacking and baking needs.

There's something classic and comforting about a slice of juicy apple pie, lightly whiffed with cinnamon, a bit buttery, not too sugary so the natural sweetness of the apples can shine. This German apple pie doesn't even need a crust - the apples are the main attraction here.

I've always got at least two or three varieties of Organic Washington Apples in our fridge or fruit bowl at any given time. They're great for snacking, packing in lunches, and turning into delicious desserts. I love that these apples are easily accessible - sold in my local grocery stores year round and available in every key variety.

Washington State is known as one of the premier apple-growing areas in the world and the growing conditions make Washington the finest place to grow organic apples. We've driven through these orchards on vacation trips in the past, and they are a beautiful sight to see when blooming in the springtime, or when loaded with their glowing fruits in late summer. The nutrient-rich soil, arid climate, plentiful water and advanced growing practices provide the right ingredients for producing top-quality fruit in this beautiful locale.

Using Washington Organics in this crustless apple pie turns it into a guilt-free delight, loaded with fantastic flavour and nutritional goodness. One medium apple (180 g) has only 72 calories, 19 carbohydrates, is a source of fibre and is a source of Vitamin C.

So a generous slice of this delicious apple pie is kinda like getting your apple-a-day. I can go for that!

German Crustless Apple Pie

Germans looooove their Apfelkuchen (apple cake) and there are hundreds of different versions, many specific to different regions of Germany, and many specific to individual cooks. You'll find Apfelkuchen with streusel and without, with a crust, filled with custard, heavy on the batter, light on the batter, loaded with apples. Apples sliced on top, apples layered in the middle. Apple cakes with spices, or without. Big slab cakes, delicate layered cakes. Sunken apple cake. Every German Oma (grandma) is the keeper of her family's version of the Apfelkuchen. Although there really is no German equivalent to a typical pastry-crust American type apple pie, this one is close. It's a light and lovely variation, so loaded with apples just held together with a lusciously creamy batter that it's more of an apple pie than a cake. German style.

You'll be delighted with how quick and easy it is to make this type of delicious apple pie.

It's as Easy as Pie! Really.

You just peel and slice 5 or 6 sweet, crunchy Washington Organic Apples. (I used Ambrosias here.) The trick is to slice the apples as thinly as you can.

Stir together a quick and simple batter, then fold in the apple slices.

And pop it all into a baking pan. Smooth out the top slices a bit.

Drizzle with a bit of melted butter and sprinkle with a whiff of cinnamon.

Bake, and then take out this glorious dish of apple delight from the oven.

Isn't that an apple pie beauty? (And no fussing with pastry or rolling out a crust!)

* * * * *

German Crustless Apple Pie

Margaret Bose Johnson

Love apple pie but hate making the crust? Then this creamy, fresh, loaded-with-apples pie is for you! The apples are the star of the show in this crustless apple pie; they're tender but with just enough texture to hold their own, bound lightly together with a silky custard and just a whiff of spice to bring out their orchard-fresh goodness.

4 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Save to Pinterest

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 55 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Course Baking, Dessert

Cuisine German

Servings 8

Ingredients

 

• ▢ 2 large eggs
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ▢ ¼ cup (50gms) natural organic cane sugar
• ▢ ½ cup (120ml) milk or non-dairy milk
• ▢ zest of ½ a lemon ~1 teaspoon
• ▢ ¼ cup (60ml) melted butter, divided
• ▢ ½ cup (80gms) sweet rice flour or ½ cup (65gms) regular flour for non-gluten-free
• ▢ 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ juice of half a lemon ~1½ tablespoons
• ▢ 2 lbs Washington organic apples 900gms/5 medium (Ambrosia or another favourite variety)
• ▢ ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Generously grease an 8-inch (20cm) springform pan or a 9-inch (23cm) deep-dish pie plate. Line the bottom with a round of parchment paper cut to fit.
• In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, salt, sugar, milk, lemon zest, and 2 tablespoons of the melted butter (reserve the rest for on top of the pie). Add the sweet rice flour (or regular flour), cornstarch and baking powder and whisk until no lumps remain. Set aside.
• Squeeze the lemon juice into another bowl. Peel the apples and cut them into quarters. Cut out the cores and slice each quarter crosswise into very thin slices with a knife or mandolin. As you cut them, drop the slices into the lemon juice and toss them to keep them from browning.
• Drop one handful of apple slices at a time into the prepared batter and toss them well to prevent clumps of slices sticking together and to coat each slice with the batter.
• Scrape a quarter of the apple batter at a time into the prepared pan and pat the apples down after each addition so there are no spaces. Smooth the top of the pie with a spatula so the top layer of apple slices lays evenly.
• Drizzle evenly with the remaining 2 tablespoons of melted butter. Sprinkle with the cinnamon.
• If using a springform pan, set it onto a cookie sheet in case there's any leakage. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and bubbling. Let cool completely before serving. Run a knife around the edges to loosen any stuck bits before cutting (remove the sides if using a springform pan).
• Serve with whipped cream. Store leftover pie, covered, at room temperature for up to one day, or in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
• Serves 6 to 8.

Notes

This pie was made in an 8-inch (20cm) springform pan. If you use a 9-inch (23cm) springform pan rather than the 8-inch (20cm) one recommended, your pie will be flatter and take a little less time to bake (but still be just as delicious).

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Guten Appetit!

Want to receive new Kitchen Frau recipes directly to your email? Sign up here and you’ll get a handy and useful kitchen tip along with each recipe, too.  (No spam ever.)

If you like my recipes, follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook. You’d make my day!

PIN IT HERE to save the recipe for later:

You might also like:

Versunkener Apfelkuchen (German Sunken Apple Cake)

Apple Crisp

The Great Baked Apple Experiment

Easy Microwave Apple Crisp