Yahoo Lifestyle The Genius Apple Pie Trick We Wish We’d Known About Sooner
It's November, which means it's prime pie season (finally!) and if you're anything like us, you're forever looking for the perfect pie to wow your holiday guests. And the perfect technique? That's priceless, too (it's all about presentation, right?). So what if we told you that we found a handy trick that would change the way you make your holiday pies?
On her Instagram feed, cookbook author, teacher and pie champion (how do we get that title?) Denise Marchessault (@denisem.ca) shows us just how easy it is to make a picture-perfect pie using a cake pan. Denise says using a cake pan instead of a traditional pie dish gives you a deeper pie with a prettier presentation. This means more layers of delicious, cinnamon-spiced apples and a sturdier, golden crust that’s less likely to turn soggy. Sounds good to us. But is it too good to be true? I tried it in my kitchen to find out.
Related: We Tried 13 Store-Bought Pie Crusts and the Winner Is Ina Garten-Approved
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How to Make an Apple Pie in a Cake Pan
Courtesy of Jessica Wrubel
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To test this tip, I used my go-to apple pie recipe by Melissa Clark from The New York Times—and it did not disappoint. Following the recipe up until the baking process (when I switched to my cake pan), I was able to bake up a delicious, deep-dish apple pie in no time that didn't get soggy on the bottom or fall apart when I cut into it (woohoo!). The cake pan method results in a taller pie that’s as gorgeous as it is delicious. And the best part? It requires zero extra work, just a pan swap. Here's how to do it:
Choose your recipe and crust: Start with your favorite apple pie recipe. You can use homemade pie dough if you have time, but store-bought crust works just as well—I used my favorite Trader Joe’s frozen pie dough, making sure to defrost it per the directions well before it was time to start putting my pie together. Whether or not you're using store-bought dough, make sure you have enough, especially because a cake pan will require a bit of extra crust for that deep bottom layer. My TJ's crust was enough to cover both the top and bottom of a 9-inch cake pan easily.
Prepare the cake pan: For easy pie removal, line the bottom of the cake pan with parchment paper. This step helps keep the crust intact, avoiding any sticky surprises when you’re ready to slice and serve. A simple trick to line the pan this way is to crumple up a large piece of parchment, then uncrumple and press into the pan.
Assemble the pie: Place one crust in the cake pan, pressing it gently into place. I refrigerated my dough at this point for about 30 minutes to make sure the bottom was firm enough for my filling because the goal here is a firm, crisp crust. Fill with your apple filling, layering and packing it tightly to make the most of the cake pan’s depth. Once filled, cover with the second crust and crimp the edges to seal.
Bake the pie: Bake according to your apple pie recipe’s instructions, keeping an eye on the top crust. If it starts to brown too quickly, loosely cover the pie with foil or use a pie crust shield to prevent burning. Let the pie cool completely before removing it from the cake pan and cutting into it. Also, a tip here from Melissa Clark—preheat a cookie sheet or sheet pan in the oven, then place your assembled pie on top of it. Starting the pie on a hot pan will help give you a beautifully crisp bottom crust, reducing the chance of the dreaded soggy bottom.
Related: The Genius Pie Trick That Will Please Everyone at the Thanksgiving Table
Courtesy of Jessica Wrubel
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