My grandparents are Austrian, so making apple strudel (or apfelstrudel in German) seemed like a right of passage!
This apple strudel has a heart warming spiced apple filling rolled in layers of crispy filo pastry with plenty of butter.
I use store bought filo pastry (sorry Grandma!) which makes preparing this strudel a breeze.
Serve this delicious dessert warm out of the oven with ice cream or cream. It's guaranteed to be a hit!
Apple Strudel (Apfelstrudel)
This heart-warming apple strudel is a quick and easy version of the classic Austrian dessert. This strudel is packed full of spiced fruit in a flaky filo pastry. This dessert is best enjoyed hot out of the oven with cream or ice cream.
Ingredients
For the Apple FIlling
- ½ cup raisins
- ¼ cup rum / orange juice
- 800 g (28 oz / approx. 5 medium) green cooking apples
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon mixed spice
- ½ cup brown sugar, lightly packed
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- 15 g (0.5 oz / 1 tbsp) unsalted butter
For the Filo Casing
- 6 sheets of filo pastry, defrosted
- 80 g (3 oz / ⅓ cup) unsalted butter, melted
- Icing sugar, to dust
- Cream or ice cream, to serve
Instructions
For the Apple Filling
- Preheat oven to 180°C (355°F). Grease and line a large baking tray with baking paper (needs to be able to fit the width of the filo pastry).
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the raisins and rum. Set aside for 10 minutes or until raisins are soft.
- Meanwhile, peel and core the apples. Thinly slice.
- Drain excess rum from raisins. Add sliced apple, lemon zest and juice, cinnamon, mixed spice, and brown sugar. Stir until well combined.
- Melt the butter in a small fry pan over medium heat. Add breadcrumbs and cook for a couple of minutes or until breadcrumbs are toasted and golden. Set aside.
For the Filo Casing
- Cover the stack of filo sheets with a damp tea towel to stop them drying out while you are not using them.
- Place down one sheet of filo pastry (with the long edge towards you) onto the baking tray. Using a pastry or silicone brush, brush generously with the melted butter.
- Place the second filo sheet directly on top of the first and repeat brushing process until all six sheets are stacked.
- Leaving a 1 cm (⅓ inch) border on all edges, spread toasted breadcrumbs across one half of the width of the filo. Spoon apple filling neatly in a line over the breadcrumbs, closer towards you.
- Carefully pick up edge closest towards you and roll tightly over the apple, continuing to roll the filo until the whole strudel is enclosed. Brush the whole thing generously with butter.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until filo is crisp and golden. Dust with icing sugar. Slice and serve with cream or ice cream, if desired.
Notes
Storage
- You can keep the strudel refrigerated in an airtight container for up to three days, however it is best served fresh while the pastry is crisp.
Substitutions & Tips
- Apples: I use Granny Smith. You can use any variety of tart green apples.
- Filo: you can use fresh or defrosted filo sheets. If using frozen, defrost overnight in the refrigerator. Handle your filo carefully while using as it is very thin and fragile (a couple of tears are okay). To keep your filo from drying out, make sure to keep the stack covered with a damp tea towel and replace the tea towel after taking one sheet from the stack.
- Raisins: you can substitute ½ cup of raisins with ½ cup of sultanas or ½ cup of currants.
Nutrition Information:
Serving Size: ⅛th of StrudelAmount Per Serving: Calories: 324Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3.2gCholesterol: 25.5mgSodium: 7.8mgCarbohydrates: 56.7gFiber: 5.1gSugar: 32.2gProtein: 2.6g
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