Polish Apple Pie on a Shortbread Pastry

For many, apple pie is the taste of childhood. The scent of baked apples 🥧 with a hint of cinnamon 🌿 perfectly fills long autumn evenings 🍂. It originates from the 14th century and has French roots, but in Poland, it is also known as "jabłecznik," which gained popularity in the 19th century. Quite rightly so, as in 2024, polish jablecznik was voted the best sweet cake in the world 🥇 in the Taste Atlas ranking. However, I suspect that there are as many recipes as there are people. Here, I present a classic version with a buttery shortbread pastry 🧈 and a thick layer of juicy apples 🍎.

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Directions

Filling:

Peel the apples, cut out the seeds and dice them.
Transfer the apples to a pot, add sugar and cinnamon (you can reduce the amount of sugar depending on the apples used).
Cook the apples in the pot over medium heat for about 20-25 minutes.
Remember to stir them frequently.
Leave the apples to cool and move on to making the dough.

Dough:

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
Cut the cold butter into small pieces.
In a bowl, mix all the dough ingredients.
Knead the dough into a smooth mass by hand or using a food processor.
Divide the dough in half, wrap in plastic wrap and place in the freezer for about 20 minutes.
Line a cake pan with baking paper (I use a 24x24 cm (9x9 inch) or 21x27 cm (8x11 inch) pan).
Cut half of the dough into slices and line the bottom of the mold with them.
If you want the bottom of the cake to be more crumbly, you can bake it for 12-15 minutes.
Layer the cooled apples over the dough.
Grate the other half of the dough on top of the apples.
Bake it in the oven for about 50 minutes (the dough should be golden in color).
After cooling, sprinkle the top with powdered sugar.