Apple Almond Linzer Torte

By popular demand (read: a few people asked), here’s the recipe I use for my Apple Almond Linzer Torte. It’s mostly faithful to a recipe I transcribed from an issue of Family Circle about 30 years ago. (I can’t find it online, otherwise I’d absolutey credit the orignal author!) Nothing in this is complicated – I’m no pastry chef – although it does take some time.

Ingredients
2 C flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. nutmeg
1 C unsalted butter
1 C granulated white sugar
½ C (6 oz.) apple jelly (not mint!)
½  C sliced almonds (or equivalent in almond meal)
2 lg. eggs
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice, plus more to keep apple slices from browning
1 tsp. vanilla
½ C finely chopped almonds
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into thin wedges
Confectioners’ sugar and gold dusting sugar as garnish

Directions

1. 1. Place oven rack at lowest position; preheat oven to 350 degrees.
   2. Grease 9-inch springform pan.
   3. Mix flour, cinnamon and nutmeg.
   4. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar with electric mixer until light and fluffy.
   5. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then lemon juice and vanilla.
   6. Stir in flour mixture and chopped almonds a bit at a time until well blended.
   7. Measure out 2/3 C batter and set aside. Spread remainder in bottom of prepared pan.
   8. Starting ¼ inch from the edge of pan, arrange about 1½ cups of the apples in a circle, slightly overlapping. Form another circle on top into remaining apples, starting ½ inch from center of pan.
   9. Melt 1/4 cup jelly and brush over apples.
   10. Drop teaspoonfuls of the reserved batter around outside edge and spread with back of spoon to make a ½ inch border. Fill center of torte with remaining batter.
   11. Scatter sliced almonds in center and around the border.
   12. Bake 1 hour or so until golden.
   13. Cool in pan on rack 15 minutes. Remove pan sides.
   14. Melt remaining ¼ cup jelly and brush apples again.
   15. Cool completely on rack.
   16. Sprinkle border and center with confectioners’ sugar.

   Notes

   • My son omits the chopped almonds when he makes this. He says he prefers the taste and texture without it. I compromise and use ground almonds.
   • Instead of dropping teaspoons of dough around the border, I put the 2/3C dough into a ziploc, seal it, cut the corner off, and use it as a pastry sleeve to pipe it around the edge.
   • For the apple wedges, I use an 8-slice corer-slicer after I’ve peeled the apples. I then cut each slice in half and then in half again.