Apple Pie and Apple Sour Cream Coffee Cake

The following recipe is from the Culinary Institute of America‘s Baking Boot Camp cookbook (John Wiley & Sons, Inc 2007, $29.95), which is available for purchase at bookstores nationwide or at www.ciachef.edu.

Apple Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Serves 16

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 3 cups peeled, sliced apples
• ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1¼ cups sugar
• 3 eggs
• ½ cup sour cream

To make coffee cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease and flour one 9-inch square baking dish.
2. Sift together the flour, 2 teaspoons of the cinnamon, the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. Finely chop half of the apples and leave the other half sliced.
3. Cream the butter and 1 cup of the sugar together on medium speed until very light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well to combine after each addition. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to combine the ingredients thoroughly. Add the chopped apples and sour cream and stir until combined.
4. Stir in the sifted dry ingredients. Add the sliced apples and fold them into the batter gently, just until the slices are coated. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it into an even layer.
5. Stir together the remaining sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle evenly over the surface of the batter. Bake 45 to 50 minutes in a pre-heated oven, or until tester comes out clean and the edges shrink from the sides of the pan.

The following recipe is courtesy of the Culinary Institute of America.

Apple Pie Bakery Café Apple Pie

Yields one 9-inch pie

Pie Dough:

• 2â…” cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter
• ½ cup ice water, or as needed

Apple Pie Filling:

• 5 cups apples, peeled cored and sliced
• 1 cup apple cider
• â…“ cup sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tbsps lemon juice
• 2 to 3 tbsps water
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• 1 tbsp sugar

To make the dough:

1. Cut the cold butter into small cubes (about ½ to 1 inch in size). Place in freezer to chill.
2. Combine the flour, salt, and sugar.
3. Toss the cubed butter with the flour mixture.
4. Cut the fat into the flour using a food processor, pastry blender, or two knives. Leave some bits of butter in larger pieces, about the size of a walnut.
5. Drizzle a few tablespoons of the ice water over the surface of the flour mixture. Instead of stirring the dough, use a table fork to push and smear the dough, rubbing it against the side of the bowl, to keep the dough tender. Continue to add the water, a tablespoon or so at time, just until it holds together when you press a handful of it into a ball. The dough should be evenly moist, not wet, and shaggy or rough in appearance.
6. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Gather and press the dough into a ball. Divide the dough into 2 equal portions. Pat each ball into an even disk, wrap well, and let chill in the refrigerator at least 20 minutes and up to overnight.

To make the apple filling:

1. In a large sauce pot on medium-high heat, bring the apple cider, the â…“ cup sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice to a boil.
2. In a small mixing bowl, combine the water, cornstarch, and the 1 tablespoon of sugar and mix it into the boiling liquid using a whisk.
3. Add the apples in 3 stages, mixing thoroughly between each addition. Once all the apples have been added, remove from the heat. Mix together until all the apples are evenly coated with the sauce. Be sure not to overcook the apples, the goal is not to cook the apples, but to coat them well with the sauce. Transfer the apples to a large plate and allow to cool at room temperature while you line the pie plate with the dough.

To line the pie plate:

1. Unwrap the dough, place it on a lightly floured work surface, and scatter a little flour over the top. Alternatively, place the dough between 2 sheets of parchment or waxed paper. Roll out the dough into an even round about 13 inches in diameter. It should be about â…›-inch thick.
2. Fold the dough in half or roll it loosely around the rolling pin, and gently lift and position it over the pan. Unfold or unroll the dough, easing it into the pan without stretching it; make sure that the sides of the pan and the rim are evenly covered. Press the dough gently against the sides and bottom. Trim the overhang to 1 inch.

To fill the pie:

1. Mound the apples in the dough-lined pan, making the center higher than the sides. Dot the top evenly with the pieces of butter (about 2 ounces, or half a stick). Brush the rim of the pie shell with egg wash.
2. Roll out the second piece of dough into an 11-inch round, cut vents into the dough round, and place the round over the filling. Press together the top and bottom edges to seal, trim the excess dough so that the edges of the dough are almost even with the edges of the pan, and then crimp or flute the edges. Brush the top lightly with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.

To bake the pie:

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place the pie on a baking sheet and transfer to the oven. Bake the pie for 15 minutes.
2. Lower the oven temperature to 350°F and bake, rotating the pan as necessary for even browning, until the top crust is golden brown and the apples feel tender when pierced through the steam vents with a knife, 45 to 60 minutes.
3. Remove the pie from the oven and cool on a wire rack. Let the pie rest for 20 minutes before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature.
   Note: For a decorative effect, roll out the pastry scraps, cut out leaf shapes, and place them on top of a vented crust.