RECIPE | Spiced apple phyllo coil

Serves: 8

Preparation and cooking time: 1 hour and 10 minutes (plus cooling and standing)

Cook’s notes: Depending on the design of the springform pan you're using, lock the base in upside-down so that the base is level. This will make it easier to remove the coil from the base.

To make in advance, store the baked coil in the fridge for up to three days and reheat in the oven before serving. You can also freeze it for up to one month.

For detailed step-by-step instructions on how to make the phyllo coil, scroll down to the end of the Method section.

Ingredients:

3 medium green apples (450g), peeled and cut into 1cm cubes

1½ tsp mixed spice

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

⅓ cup (55g) dried currants

½ cup (125ml) water

½ cup (110g) caster sugar

1 cup (100g) walnuts

1 tsp ground cinnamon

¼ cup (55g) firmly packed brown sugar

12 sheets phyllo pastry

125g unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

1 tbsp honey

2 tsp icing sugar

Method:

1. Combine apple, mixed spice, vanilla bean paste, currants and the water in a medium saucepan; bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium; simmer, stirring, for 5 minutes or until apple is softened. Add caster sugar; cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until mixture is syrupy. Cool.

2. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan. Grease a 23cm springform pan (see Cook's Notes above).

3. Spread walnuts on an oven tray; roast for 5 minutes or until golden brown. Cool. Finely chop 1/2 cup of the walnuts; coarsely chop remaining walnuts.

4. Combine finely chopped walnuts with cinnamon and brown sugar in a small bowl.

5. Layer two sheets of phyllo pastry. Cover remaining sheets with baking paper, then a damp tea towel to prevent them from drying out. Lightly brush top sheet with a little of the butter; sprinkle with a quarter of the walnut mixture. Top with another sheet of pastry and brush with a little more butter. Spread a quarter of the apple mixture along the long edge. Roll up from long edge; brush with butter.

6. Coil the roll in the centre of the pan to form a spiral. If the roll cracks, patch with extra pastry, brushed with butter. Repeat with remaining pastry sheets, butter, walnut mixture and apple mixture to create three more rolls. Wrap each roll around the previous one in the pan to create a spiral.

7. Bake coil for 15 minutes. Drizzle with honey and scatter with the coarsely chopped walnuts. Bake for a further 10 minutes or until golden. Leave in the pan for 10 minutes. Dust with sifted icing sugar.

To make the filling, combine apple, mixed spice, vanilla, currants and the water in a medium saucepan; bring to the boil.

Reduce heat to medium; simmer, stirring, for 5 minutes or until apple is softened.

Add caster sugar; cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until mixture is syrupy. Cool.

To assemble the rolls for the phyllo spiral, layer two sheets of phyllo pastry.

Lightly brush top sheet with a little of the butter; sprinkle with a quarter of the walnut mixture.

Top with another sheet of pastry and brush with a little more butter.

Spread a quarter of the apple mixture along the long edge.

Roll up from long edge; brush with butter.

To position the rolls in the pan, coil the first roll in the centre of the pan to form a spiral; if the roll cracks, patch with extra pastry, brushed with butter.

As you make each roll, wrap the roll around the previous one in the pan to create a spiral.

Bake as directed.