The Best Apple Pie with Marzipan

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You know when it is an autumn day, cold and windy outside, you see the colorful leaves of the trees just flying around, and you think how nice it would be to grab a cup of tea or coffee and enjoy it with some kind of comfort food?

One of the most loved comfort foods (according to myself) is apple pie. And it is even better when it comes with a cardamon, marzipan cream filling.

I don’t know but there is something about the combination of apple, cardamon, and marzipan that makes it taste like heaven!

In Brazil, we are not used to bake with marzipan. Well, at least I had never baked with marzipan until moving to Sweden and it is incredible how this single ingredient brings the pie to another level!

And although, apples play a really important role in this pie (it is an apple pie after all), in my opinion, one of the ingredients that makes this pie so special is marzipan.

But what is marzipan? Marzipan is a confection that should contain only ground almonds, sugar or honey, and eggs.

A Little bit of History

I then decided to look for the origin of marzipan. Who could have come up with the idea of creating such a perfect and versatile ingredient?

Well, well, just like hummus it is not easy to know its origin because many have claimed its creation. Food historians believe that this delicacy most likely originated in the Middle East and was introduced to Europe in the late Middle Ages.

The confection of marzipan was documented in England at the end of the 15th century, and the British most likely borrowed the word “marzipan” from the French word marcepain or from the Italian marzapane.

It is largely consumed in Spain, Italy, Nordic countries, and Germany. As a matter of fact, in Germany, there is a city that is famous for its marzipan called Lübeck and they like marzipan so much that they actually have a museum dedicated to it!

In Sweden, they are also big fans of marzipan and they add it to cakes and pies recipes. One Swedish cake that I love (and I might try to bake it one day) and is very famous is called Prinsesstårta or Princess cake, which is covered with a layer of marzipan usually tinted green.

Back to the recipe

Apple Pie with Marzipan Recipe Ingredients:

A bit more about the ingredients:

Apples: I used small red apples, but you can use other types of apples if you prefer, and if you are using big apples, you might need less than 3-4 apples.

Icing sugar: Icing sugar is a mixture of sugar and anticaking agent, such as maize or potato starch. Since icing sugar is not pure sugar and it contains a bit of maize/potato starch, the dough will not be too sweet, and it will feel a bit lighter than if you had just wheat flour in the recipe.

Almond flour: It makes the dough feel lighter besides giving an extra almond taste.

Eggs: Helps in the mixing process and bind the ingredients together, besides giving a bit of moisture to the recipe. Room-temperature eggs are easier to work with, but using eggs straight from the fridge will not impact the result. The egg yolk brushed in the dough helps with giving a darker color to the dough.

Marzipan: It usually comes in one block, so cutting it into pieces before mixing it with the other ingredients helps the process.

Butter: Unsalted butter is preferred, but salted butter can also be used since it will not have a big impact on the result.

Vanilla: I used vanilla aroma, but vanilla extract and powder can also be used.

Cardamon: I think cardamon goes incredibly well with apples, but if you do not like it, you can use cinnamon or simply not add any spice.

Almond shavings: Added for decoration and crunchiness purposes. You can change it and use another nut if you prefer, such as pecans or walnuts.

How to make Apple Pie with Marzipan

The recipe is not complicated, and the preparation of the dough and the filling is quite quick and simple. It takes some time, though, because the dough has to be refrigerated for 2 hours.

So here is how you make it:

Dough preparation:

First, we need to prepare the dough. In a bowl, add butter, icing sugar, flour, almond flour, and baking powder and mix until well combined. Then add the egg and work it into a dough. Once it is ready, make it into a ball and wrap it in plastic. Put it in the fridge and let it rest for about 2 hours.

Filling preparation:

Next, once the dough has already been in the fridge for 2 hours, we have to prepare the pie filling. In a bowl, break the marzipan in pieces, since usually it comes in a block (at least in Sweden).

Breaking the marzipan into smaller pieces, before whisking it, especially with an electric hand mixer, will help you with not having marzipan everywhere in the kitchen.

Add butter and egg to the marzipan and stir to a smooth cream. Add vanilla and cardamon and blend it into the cream.

Building the pie:

Then, roll the dough on a baking sheet into a round plate approx. 30 cm in diameter place on a pie tin and remove the extra dough.

With the extra dough, I tried to shape it into hearts and placed it on top of the apples. Spread nicely the cream over the dough.

After that, preheat the oven to 200°C. Cut the apples into slices, remove the seeds and, if you want, peel them, I prefer to keep the peel. Spread the apple slices in a nice pattern and sprinkle with almond shavings.

Put it in the center of the oven and bake it for 30 minutes. But watch it carefully, because the temperature can change from oven to oven, and you do not want your cake to burn!

You might want to check these other recipes:

• Simple and Delicious Pear Cake
• Delicious Fudgy Brownie with Walnuts and Chocolate Chips
• The Best Banana Bread