Bavarian Apple Torte. A fancy shmancy name for an absolutely stunning and delicious dessert that isn’t as hard to make as it sounds. And talk about a great way to change up your regular ol’ apple dessert. Where I live, there are apple orchards in abundance, and this is a delicious dessert to serve with those fresh-picked apples (or store-bought or home-grown or whatever!).
A soft, buttery crust is pressed into a pan and topped with a light and simple cream cheese layer and topped again by cinnamon and sugared apples. The entire concoction bakes to golden and puffed perfection and once cooled it is ready to be sliced into pieces and devoured.
The contrast of layers in this torte is lovely. The dense, cakey crust with the creamy middle layer and the tender bite of the sweet apples is perfection. Thanks, Reyna, for sending the recipe along to me all the way from it’s origin in Austria!
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Bavarian Apple Torte
Printable Version
Printable Version with Picture
INGREDIENTS:
Crust:
12 tablespoons (3/4 cup) butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Filling:
2 packages (8-ounce each) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1/4 cup granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Topping:
3 cups peeled, thinly sliced Granny Smith Apples (about 3-4 apples)
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium bowl, combine the first four crust ingredients. Press the mixture into the bottom of a 9- or 10-inch springform pan.
In another medium bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar together until well blended. Add the eggs and vanilla; mix well. Pour over crust and smooth the creamy layer to the edges.
Combine the topping ingredients and mix well. Spoon the coated apples over the cream cheese layer, taking care to even out the apple layer as much as possible. Place the springform pan on a larger baking sheet and bake the torte for 60-70 minutes, until the center is set. I gently pressed on the middle of the torte (on top of the apples) to check for doneness. When there is not a lot of “give” and the center seems mostly firm, it is finished baking. Keep in mind it will continue to set up a bit as it cools. Cool completely, cut into slices and serve.
Recipe Source: from Reyna M.
{ 49 comments… read them below or add one }
oh my – I really shouldn’t look at these sites until AFTER I’ve had my breakfast!
This looks fantastic!
Perfect for October! This looks delish.
What a beautfiul apple tart! My best friend has a birthday coming up, and she loves apples. This will be her birthday cake this year! Thanks, Melanie!
That tart looks wonderful. One of my favorites. I just posted your chicken and rice with green beans on my blog. Great dish….I made it the other night. I’ll be giving your chocolate cake a try too! Thank you!!!!
yum, apples over a cream cheese filling? sounds great!
Sounds amazing! I bet puff pastry would be a fun crust alternative to try out!
I am so excited! My husband spent 2 years in Austria, and then took me back when we were first married. We had this very thing in a little gasthaus in Vienna. So so so so super delicious. This is one of the Austrian foods I have never been able to replicate. And the one I really want to. Thanks! I’ll let you know how it goes.
Looks absolutely wonderful! I can’t wait to try this for the holidays.
Being kinda sorta from Bavaria (my mom was born and raised there and I’ve visited many times), Apfelkuchen is an order of magnitude better with Streusel on top.
oh my gosh, I need to find a reason to make this STAT! Thank you for sharing, I can’t wait to try!
This looks incredible – kind of like a cross between apple pie and cheesecake! I’m not sure there’s a better combination… ok, maybe chocolate and peanut butter… but I can’t wait to try this out!
Thank you so much for this idea. I love this time of year because I feel as if I can put pumpkin, apples, and other great fall things in everything. This week I made a few pumpkin things one I did make it a Pumpkin Smoothie. It was so good!!!!. Thank you for your Blog!!! http://ashandlewplus2.com/2010/09/27/pumpkin-green-monster/
Ashlee
Oh my! This is perfectly what I was looking for, I was looking for a similar recipe to the Bakers Square French Cream Cheese Apple Pie or something like that… and think this may be quite close. It is my favorite pie ever and am exited to try this and compare. It is rustic and beautiful too.
Debbie – glad you liked the chicken and rice…thanks for posting about it!
Sounds and looks good.
~ingrid
I’m totally digging that creamy middle layer topped with those wonderful apples.
This sounds so wonderful with the layer of cream cheese! yum!
If all goes well, I am sooooo making this this weekend. This looks fabulous!!!
I just found your blog and I have to say I LOVE IT! My sister is a new covert as well! I made this torte today and I have to say it was relatively easy and delish!! Even my husband, who does not like apple pie ate a huge piece. Thanks for these yummy normal recipes!!
I love cheesecake, my husband loves apples- this sounds perfect for the both of us! It’s beautiful too.
Monica
I made this for dessert yesterday and everyone loved it. My husband, who spent two years in Austria, said that this is a new family favorite! Thanks for all the yummy recipes.
Oh my goodness, that sounds absolutely delicious!
I made this also, but I reserved 1 loose cup of the crust and sprinkled it over the top. I have a thing for crumb toppings. It was delicious thanks.
Made this last weekend and it was absolutely fabulous! Loved the combination of the cream cheese with the apples!
This was wonderful. I was pleasantly surprised how quickly and easily it came together. My husband, who spent a couple of years in Austria, loved it. I think when I make it for company I might drizzle some warm caramel on top, just to make it look fancy-schmancy. Thanks!
Thanks, Danielle! I love the idea of caramel on top…
Thanks, Sue E.! Glad you liked this one.
Crystal – fantastic idea!
Lani – thanks for letting me know that your family liked it!
Thanks, Gail! I’m glad your husband liked this – and you, too!
What a great-looking fall treat! I always make apple turnovers around this time of year!
I made the torte this weekend and it turned out SOOOO good. Everyone LOVED it! I used brown sugar in the crust and used three different types of apples. I’ll be making this for thanksgiving but I don’t think I can wait that long to eat it again. Thanks for such a great recipe!
Amy – what a great idea to use brown sugar in the crust. I bet it added great flavor. Thanks for letting me know that everyone enjoyed it!
I made this tonight for a bunch of friends and everyone LOVED it! It was definitely an easy recipe to put together. My only issue is I couldn’t get pretty slices like you have in your picture. When I cut it the apples would smoosh off–but I would still eat it no matter what it looked like it was so yummy! Thanks for a great apple recipe!
Joy B. – if I remember right, I used a serrated knife and cut the torte when it was completely cool…but the slice pictures was definitely the prettiest one (others were a little messy). Glad you and your friends liked this one!
made last night- cut perfect when cooled- definatly at do -over.
love your website and use the recipes often
Ashely – glad you loved this. Thanks for letting me know1
i was gonna say that it’s like a marriage of some of my favorite desserts, but i guess it’s more like an orgy! let’s be less crude and call it a polygamous marriage.
This torte was delish! and super easy to make. I am going to try a pear version soon, I am sure it will be just as good. Thanks for posting it.
Thanks, Scoggdog! I love the idea of a pear version…let me know how it turns out if you make it.
I have made something similar that calls for a cake mix to use for the crust, but after making this I don’t think I will ever bother with the cake mix again. This is simpler (in ingredients) and healthier (less processed) so I am converted. Our guests that we tried it out on also liked it. Thanks for sharing and thanks to Reyna for sending it! One note… I think it tastes even better after it’s cooled and even refrigerated, though it’s really good warm too.
Made it last night and it was great warm! The crust tasted like shortbread…Love the way it smelled up the whole house and it was super easy to make. This dessert is worth the calories!
Thanks, Cathy! When I made this, we ate it at cool room temp so I’m going to have to try it warm!
Shannon – glad you loved this version and I’m always happy to convert someone over to a less-processed recipe!
Mel,
The pear version was OK, but not as flavorful as the apple version…Perhaps it was the type of pear I used? In any case it was still good.
I will have to attempt your recent chocolate cheesecake posting…I am not a huge fan of chocolate cheese cake, but I think that recipe may change my mind.
Thanks,
Scoggdog – I’m bummed the pear version didn’t turn out as great as the apple, but thanks for taking one for the team and trying it out for all the rest of us who wondered what the result would be.
I made this torte tonight for a birthday party and everyone loved it and asked for the recipe….I think apple pie is a little boring but this was delicious with the cream cheese layer and buttery crust. Thanks for the recipe!
Thanks, Bobbi!
Oh. My. Goodness. That was incredible. First off I loved that there weren’t really that many “special” ingredients. Other than the cream cheese and apples we had everything on hand which made it so easy to plan for and make. Second, it really was VERY simple to make! Can’t argue with that! Third, it looked super fancy and nice. I made it for my sister-in-law’s birthday and everyone was impressed. This was so good. We never got a chance to let it cool but it was delicious even fresh from the oven. I honestly don’t know how it could be better cool! Anyways, this was a huge hit and I’m super excited to make it again. Thank you so much!