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French Custard Apple Pie

French custard apple pie with a creamy egg custard baked over thin, overlapping apple slices inside a flaky crust. After 50–55 minutes at 375°F, the custard sets into soft layers and turns golden on top for easy slicing.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: French-American
Calories: 420
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

pie
  • 1 refrigerated pie crust Use a store-bought crust or homemade for a flaky base.
  • 4 apples Peel and thinly slice so they soften and layer neatly.
custard
  • 3 eggs
  • 0.75 cup heavy cream
  • 0.5 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 0.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 0.25 tsp nutmeg
  • 2 tbsp apple brandy or calvados Optional—adds warm apple aroma.
topping
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 0.5 tsp cinnamon Stir into sugar for the topping sprinkle.
  • 1 powdered sugar For serving, dust lightly over the cooled pie.

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Preheat and prep crust
  1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Fit the pie crust into a 9-inch pie dish and crimp the edges.
Layer apples
  1. Arrange the sliced apples overlapping in the crust in concentric circles. Pack them evenly so the custard has space to flow between slices.
Make custard
  1. Whisk eggs, heavy cream, granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, vanilla extract, cinnamon, nutmeg, and apple brandy or calvados (if using) until smooth. Stop when no floury streaks remain.
Fill and top
  1. Pour the custard mixture over the apples so it fills around and between the slices. Tap the dish lightly to settle any dry pockets.
  2. Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar topping. Use an even hand so the top browns uniformly.
Bake, cool, and serve
  1. Bake for 50–55 minutes at 375°F until the custard is set and the top is golden. A center jiggle should be minimal when tapped.
  2. Cool for 30 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar before serving for a finished look.

Notes

For clean slices, let the pie cool fully until the custard firms up, and avoid cutting too early. Store covered in the refrigerator up to 4 days; freeze slices up to 2 months if needed. For a lighter option, swap half the heavy cream for evaporated milk for a similar custard set with slightly less richness.