Happy October, friends! I am sharing a recipe with you today that will definitely put everybody in a Fall mood. Spiced apples and the comforting smell of cinnamon combine for a warm and delicious apple pie with a twist! This apple-frangipane ruffle pie is a spin on the traditional apple pie where, instead of pie crust dough, I use layered filo dough for the base and the topping of the pie.
The components of the Apple-Frangipane ruffle pie
- Layered sheets of filo dough, each brushed with melted butter
- A delicious almond cream base (frangipane)
- Sliced apples, tossed with sugar, cinnamon and cardamom
People are often intimidated by filo pastry, but in reality, working with filo dough is very forgiving; any tears or cracks will be completely unnoticed at the end.
The addition of a frangipane layer makes this apple pie moist and creamy and it also prevents the bottom layers of filo from becoming soggy.
The topping of this pie is perhaps the most fun part of the recipe: I use strips of filo to create these ruffle twists and spirals that are super easy to form, as you will see in the photos!
Easy and Quick to Assemble – Step by Step Photos
- Layer the buttered filo on a pie plate, trim the corners and top it with the frangipane
2. Place the spiced apples on top of the frangipane
3. After trimming the excess from the corners, fold the filo dough over the filling
4. Cut 4″ wide strips of filo and roll each one into a spiral
5. Top the pie with the rose-like filo spirals
6. Sprinkle with some sugar and bake
7. Thirty minutes later, the apple-frangipane ruffle pie is ready! Serve warm with some ice cream on the side!
- For the Frangipane:
- 2 TBSP. sugar
- 2 TBSP. butter, at room temperature
- 1 large egg
- pinch of salt
- ½ cup almond flour
- 2 tsp. lemon zest
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 TBSP. rum (optional)
- For the crust and topping:
- 10 filo sheets, 14”x18”, at room temperature (I used Fillo Factory)
- 6 TBSP. butter, melted
- Apple filling:
- 3 large baking apples (Empire, MacIntosh, Cortland, Granny Smith, etc.)
- 3 TBSP. sugar
- ½ tsp. cinnamon
- ¼ tsp. cardamom
- Remove the defrosted filo pastry from the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature for 15 minutes.
- Start by making the frangipane by mixing well all the ingredients for the frangipane base in a small bowl and set aside.
- To make the apple filling, peel, core and slice the apples into ¼” slices. Place them in a medium bowl and sprinkle them with the sugar, cinnamon and cardamom. Mix gently to incorporate everything.
- Preheat the oven to 375º F.
- Melt about 6 tablespoons of butter and set aside to cool slightly.
- Unwrap the filo dough and take out 10 filo sheets. Wrap well the rest and return to the refrigerator.
- To make the filo crust, layer one filo sheet on a clean surface. Brush it lightly with some of the melted butter. Repeat with five more filo sheets, stacking each on top of the previous one and brushing butter on each one as you go, except for the sixth one. Place the stack of all six in a well-buttered 8” pie pan. Trim the four corners of the filo. Spoon the frangipane over the layered filo base and spread it evenly using an offset spatula. Spread the sliced apples and their juices over the frangipane layer then gently fold the sides of filo over the apple filling, trying to disperse it as evenly as possible (see photo).
- To make the filo ruffle rosettes, layer one sheet of the remaining filo sheets on a clean surface. Brush it with some butter, top with a second sheet and brush that with butter too. Cut the stack of the two filo sheets into 4 strips, each 4” wide. With your fingers, scrunch each strip lengthwise and roll it into a tight rose-like spiral (see photo). Place on top of the filo pie. Continue with the other three spirals, making sure to position them tightly close to each other. Repeat with the remaining 2 filo sheets, making a total of 8 ruffle spirals.
- Brush some butter on top of the ruffle spirals, sprinkle with some sugar and bake for about 30 minutes or until the filo is nicely browned. Remove from the oven and let it cool slightly before serving.
This recipe is a collaboration with the Fillo Factory, a company that makes great quality filo pastry and puff pastry, among many other products.
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Frangipane has been on my ‘want-to-make’ list forever… I just wish I had as much energy creating things in the kitchen as you do 😉 . Looks and sounds absolutely delicious!
Thank you so much Kiki! I love frangipane too and it goes so well in this recipe. I hope you try it, it is really easy and completely foolproof! ?
Marilena, I am so very grateful fir your efforts and. delightful presentations. I found the most recent addition of Apple Frangipane exquisite and although Phyllo always. causes me. caution yielded such a delicious result ! Many. Thanks,
That is so kind of you, Estelle. It means a lot to me to know that my readers like my recipes and photos, as there is lots of work, behind the scenes, before each recipe is published! Thank you very much for taking the time to leave a comment!
Marliena, this recipe looks delicious ! Frangipane is no longer a mystery to me and I feel confident that your simple recipe and ingredients will be easy to make! Thanks,
-lauren
Thank you so much Lauren! Yes, Frangipane is so easy to make and it complements so well apples and pears in pies, tarts and galettes! So glad you like it!