The best apple cake/desert ever......... Probably

This recipe is an old old family recipe which my mother taught be while I was young, it had then been in the family for at least four generations that we know of. My grandfather was Austrian and his mother also with a Polish father. I think it is an Austrian recipe however. This is the best apple dessert I have ever tasted,and there have been a few believe me =0)

Please please let me know how it goes down as this is the first time I have shared this, I am sure there are plenty of similar twists on this but this is how it ended up in our family. It is great with cream or ice cream and equally with Custard I guess .. enjoy...

Apfel Krommel Torte

•                     16oz Plain flour

•                     8oz crystally brown sugar like Demerara

•                     8 oz cubed butter from the fridge

•                     2oz of sliced almonds/walnuts/pecans or all depending on preference, these can also be substituted for oats

•                     10  cored and thinly sliced peeled apples about 10

•                     2 tbsp lemon juice fresh is better but jif is fine

•                     1 tsp grated nutmeg

•                     1tsp cinnamon

•                     Vanilla pod scraped

•                     2tbsp icing sugar

Place 10-inch springform pan in centre of large piece of heavy-duty foil; press up around pan. Set aside. The foil will catch the escaping apple mix if it does ..=0)

In bowl, whisk flour with brown sugar. Using 2 knives, cut in butter until in pea-size pieces. This is your Krommel which is basically crumbs.

Press three-quarters over bottom and up side of prepared pan this makes kinda a pastry although you need to press reasonably hard don’t batter it it is good to be slightly loose if that makes sense. Stir almonds/nuts/oats into remaining Krommel; put this in the fridge.

In bowl, toss apples, lemon juice and nutmeg/cinnamon/vanilla pod; spread over pastry, pressing gently  

Sprinkle with remaining crumb mixture (gently like faeries feet, I usually sprinkle it on and just lightly press with the tips of my fingers  the mix does its own thing as it cooks)  

 Bake in centre of 350°F (180°C) oven until golden and apples are tender, 1-1/2 hours. Run knife around edge; let cool in pan on rack. Dust with icing sugar.