Delicious Apple Strudel Recipe with complementary creamy vanilla sauce

Try this quick puff pastry dessert recipe.

This easy to make apple strudel recipe can be done in many variations. Just check what fruits you have available and you can make this cake in no time.

There are many apple strudel recipes where you can change the filling to your liking. This one is made with puff pastry and makes a perfect dessert. Served with my vanilla sauce, you will create a delicious snack.

I made my strudel with apples, but you could use pears, sweetened quark, even some strawberries. I added chopped hazelnuts, but you can use as well almonds as substitutes or pine tree nuts.

If you use apples, I suggest using cox apples or granny smith. They are great for baking and I had the best results with them.

If you choose to make the sauce, don’t mix the egg-milk mixture with a whisk, but use a spoon. If you mix it with a whisk, you will add air to the mixture and will miss the boiling point of the sauce, curdling the egg yolks.

If you do that (miss the boiling point and cook too long), don’t worry. BEFORE straining, take out the vanilla bean and blend the sauce in a blender or with a hand blender. This action will make the sauce nice and creamy again.

I hope that you will enjoy this apple strudel recipe as much as I did.

Easy Apple Strudel Recipe

For the apple strudel:
• 1 pack of puff pastry (defrosted if frozen)
• 2 apples (cox orange or granny smith)
• 100 g of hazelnuts or almonds, chopped
• 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons of sugar
• 1 egg

Preheat the oven to manufacturer’s recommendation (around 355°F – 180°C)

Prepare the strudel:
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Butter and flour the parchment paper.
• Peel the apples, core them, and chop into small pieces.
• Place the apple in a bowl and mix with cinnamon, sugar, nuts, and lemon juice
• Roll the pastry out, place the apple filling in the middle. Fold the dough from one side on top of the filling, lightly smear it with slightly whipped egg and fold the other side of the pastry dough onto the egg smeared one. Glue together. Fold the end sides, closing the strudel completely.
• Flip the apple strudel, seam side down, onto the parchment paper.
• Bake according to instructions on the puff pastry packaging (around 25 minutes).
• Cut the apple strudel with a serrated knife.

Vanilla Sauce Recipe

For the sauce:
• 3 tablespoons of sugar
• 4 large egg yolks
• 250 ml (1 cup) of milk
• ½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise

How to make the vanilla sauce:
• Make sure that all of the egg white is gone, since if just a small portion gets to the sauce, it will not thicken. This is the tricky part in this recipe.
• Mix the yolks and sugar with a wooden spoon in a heavy sauce pot.
• Bring the milk and vanilla to the boiling point and add a little to the egg mixture.
• Mix in well (still using a wooden spoon).
• Add the rest of the milk and cook while stirring constantly to the point just before the mixture start boiling. This is about 170°F - 180°F (76-82°C). You will also see steam and the mixture will be thicker then heavy cream.
• Strain the mixture, remove the vanilla bean, and scrape the seeds into the sauce.
• If you see a lot of curdled egg yolk, then use a hand blender and blend it. If you have a regular blender, you can use that as well.