How Do You Make the Perfect Baked Apple?

While the baked apple used to be baked in a casserole dish on the hot stove, today it is usually cooked in the oven. Both are possible, but it cooks faster in the oven and also gets heat from above. Tart apple varieties such as Boskop or Cox Orange, which should not be too small, are more suitable for baked apples. Otherwise, it can happen that the baked apple breaks apart when hollowed out or there is not enough space for the filling.

The apples are washed and dried, but not peeled. Cut the top off the fruit and remove the core. The best way to do this is with an apple corer. Be careful not to pierce the base of the apple, otherwise the filling may leak out during baking. If it does happen, cut off the bottom part of the core and put it back in the apple. Don’t throw away the lid, you’ll need it later.

Place the filling in the hollowed out baked apple and place the fruit in a casserole dish. Place the lid slightly offset on the opening so that it does not close completely. Set the oven to 200 degrees Celsius (convection: 180 degrees Celsius). The baked apples take about 25 minutes to cook. However, the baking time may vary depending on the size of the apple. A baked apple that has been hollowed out particularly thoroughly also cooks faster.

According to the traditional recipe, the baked apple is only filled with sugar and cinnamon and the finely chopped apple top. A filling made of marzipan, almonds and some cinnamon is also widespread. If you like it crispy, you can fill baked apples with chopped nuts, and raisins also go well with this. A filling with speculoos is refined, as in our recipe for a delicious baked apple with vanilla sauce.

The baked apple can also be filled with chocolate, peanut butter, nut nougat cream, quark, vanilla pudding, rice pudding, and dried fruit. If you like, you can also garnish them with a meringue topping or sprinkle with small knobs of butter so that the baked apples caramelize. Custard or whipped cream goes well with sweet baked apples. Or you can try the perfect mix of the famous Italian layered dessert and traditional baked apples – with our recipe for baked apple tiramisu.

In addition to the sweet variants, savory baked apple fillings are also very tasty. The fruit can be filled with, for example, diced ham and onions, bacon and camembert, minced meat, or a mixture of gorgonzola, ham, crème fraîche, and diced white bread.