French Apple Cake

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4.74 de 192 votes

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I wanted to share with your one of the easiest cakes that I love to serve for a quick and simple dessert during the apple season : the classic French Apple Cake.

Zoom on a piece of French Apple Cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream

This is a rather a rustic cake with intense apple flavors and a golden brown and crispy crust. But, served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or homemade chantilly, this delicious apple cake will please the whole family!

And since this apple cake is rich in fruit, it is even rather healthy

Zoom on a plate with a rustic French Apple Cake

Which apples to choose for a French Apple Cake?

To make this apple cake, you can choose any kind of apples. Above all, it is important that the variety of apple you choose pleases your taste. In general, a sweet and sour apple variety is ideal.

It is not necessary to choose an apple variety that melts when cooked like Boskoop. 

Personally, I recommend Elstar, Jonagold, Braeburn, Honey Crunch or even Pink Lady

Zoom on a piece of French Apple Cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream

List of ingredients

To prepare this French apple cake recipe, you only need a few simple ingredients

Apples: This is the star of this recipe! I chose fresh apples. See my tips on choosing the right variety of apples above. 

Flour: I used all purpose flour. You can substitute some of the flour with whole grain flour or almond powder. 

Butter: I used French unsalted butter with a minimum of 82% fat content. For a lighter version, replace some of the butter with crème fraîche or yogurt. 

Sugar: I used brown sugar to give the apples a caramelized flavor. You can also use white sugar. 

Baking powder: You need a little baking powder to make the cake puff up and give it even more fluffiness. 

Vanilla: I like to add a little vanilla to my apple cake. You can use vanilla extract or a vanilla bean. You can also substitute cinnamon for vanilla. 

Rum: In the traditional French apple cake recipe, it is common to add a little dark rum. Rum is of course optional and should be avoided if you are eating it with children. 

You will find the exact quantities in the recipe card.

Zoom on a piece of French Apple Cake

How to prepare this French apple cake?

The preparation of this apple cake is ultra simple and takes no more than 10 minutes!

APPLES: The most tedious part of this recipe is preparing the apples! To do this, I first cut the apples into quarters after washing them. 

Then I peel them and slice them thinly. I recommend that you cut them into very thin slices using a mandolin. The finer the apples are cut, the more melting the cake will be. 

You can also cut the apples into small cubes. 

BATTER: In a large bowl, break the eggs and whisk them with the sugar until the mixture turns white. In a small bowl, mix the flour mixed with baking powder.

Add it to the eggs with the melted butter and vanilla. Mix well with a rubber spatula. Add the slices of apples. 

BAKE: Pour the cake batter into a springform pan greased or covered with parchment paper. Sprinkle the top of the cake with sugar. The sugar will caramelize the top of the cake. Bake for 35 minutes at 180°C (fan oven).

While the cake is still warm, run a blunt knife along the edges of the cake. Unmold the cake and place it on a wire rack to let the cake cool. Place then on a large plate.

Zoom on a piece of French Apple Cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream

Géraldine’s tips 

  • To make sure the cake doesn’t stick to my pan, I start by buttering the edges of the pan. Then, I cut a circle of baking paper the size of the pan and place in the bottom of the pan.
  • The finer the apples are cut, the more moist the cake will be. If you prefer thicker chunks of apples, cut the apples in cubes of medium size.
  • You can make this cake with any other type of fruit: pears, apricots, peaches or even pineapple.

More French cake recipes

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does this French Apple Cake keep?

This apple cake can be kept for up to 5 days. It will be moister if you eat it within 48 hours.

Can I freeze this French Apple Cake ?

Yes, you can cut in in individual portions and place them in an airtight container. Perfect for a dessert for your lunch box!

Can I make this French Apple Cake gluten free?

Yes, absolutely. You can easily replace the flour with a gluten free flour and or part of with with ground almonds.

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Print Recipe

French Apple Cake

I wanted to share with your one of the easiest cakes that I love to serve for a quick and simple dessert during the apple season : the classic French Apple Cake
Like to support my work?Rate this recipe by clicking on the hearts!
4.7 de 192 votes

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Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 35 mins
Course Cake
Cuisine French
Servings 8
Calories 325 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 4 apples
  • 180 g flour
  • 125 g butter
  • 3 eggs
  • 120 g brown sugar
  • 5 g baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons rum (optional)
  • Vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons sugar brown or white

Instructions
 

APPLES

  • Cut the apples into quarters after washing them. Peel them and slice them thinly with a knife or a mandolin.

BATTER

  • In a large bowl, break the eggs and whisk them with the sugar until the mixture turns white. In a small bowl, mix the flour mixed with baking powder.
  • Add it to the eggs with the melted butter, vanilla and rum (optional). Mix well with a rubber spatula. Add the slices of apples.

BAKE

  • Pour the cake batter into a springform pan greased or covered with parchment paper. Sprinkle the top of the cake with sugar. The sugar will caramelize the top of the cake. Bake for 35 minutes at 180°C (fan oven).
  • While the cake is still warm, run a blunt knife along the edges of the cake. Unmold the cake and place it on a wire rack to let the cake cool. Place then on a large plate.

Nutrition

Calories: 325kcalCarbohydrates: 45gProtein: 5gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 95mgSodium: 196mgPotassium: 168mgFiber: 3gSugar: 24gVitamin A: 529IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 71mgIron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Tag @la.cuisine.de.geraldine on Instagram and let me know how it was!

20 Comments

  1. Jonathan Davies says:

    3 stars
    Love, love, love this recipe. Really enjoy your choice of recipes – but of course it is difficult to argue with classic French cuisine.

  2. Sharon Hyder says:

    Thank you for this recipe Geraldine
    Made it and loved it, such an easy but beautiful cake

  3. Sharon Hyder says:

    Thank you for this recipe Geraldine
    Made it and loved it, such an easy but beautiful cake 5*

  4. Susan Palfrey says:

    5 stars
    Brilliant! 🤗

  5. Now found your reply Garaldine! Thanks

  6. Several people have asked what size tin but there hasn’t been an answer that I can see. I was about to start but this point is stopping me. Can we get an answer please?!???

  7. Maria says:

    5 stars
    Hi Geraldine! I tried the recipe. I t was great! Thank you!

  8. 5 stars
    Absolutely loved this cake! Thank you for sharing it with us.

  9. Olatz says:

    Spectacular recipe! I used less sugar and added cinnamon (gently), 1tsp of ground clove, 1tsp of ground ginger. They all combine very well with apple. Thank you! It was a great discovery!

  10. Adeola Odutola says:

    5 stars
    Will certainly try this, I have some Pink Lady at home, always loved apple cake. Thanks for the recipe.

  11. Michael Schertz says:

    5 stars
    made this with one slight change: let the sugar rest two days with 2 green cardamom pods which I then discarded. Added the most subtle of flavors to the apple and vanilla. Superb!

  12. Lucie says:

    I will make this cake after coverting some of the ingredient amounts to imperial measurements. My dry ingredient cups do not provide both. It would be nice to have an option to auto-convert the measurements and they should all be one or the other. The recipe does not specify how much vanilla to use. Can one presume it might be 1 teaspoon? I would also like to know the springform size.

  13. Robert says:

    Which size panform did you use?

    1. a 18 cm / 7 inches springform. I will include it in the recipe! Thanks for asking.

  14. Kate says:

    What size springform do you use for this recipe?

  15. Lilian says:

    5 stars
    I loved this recipe! I followed it to the letter. I baked it in a Staub ceramic pie pan that I sprayed with canola oil before baking. I found that it needed more time to bake (underbaked at the bottom), so I covered it at 35 minutes and baked it for an additional 20 minutes (55 total). Flipping it out of the pan was a breeze. I used pink lady apples and thought it was perfect Ku sweet without sooo much sugar. Highly recommend this recipe! Merci Geraldine!

  16. Hi,
    Can you recommend which diameter springform pan to use? I’ve got three sizes!
    Merci!

  17. 5 stars
    So simple, so rich! Great recipe, thank you ❤️

  18. Melissa says:

    What size springform pan did you use?

  19. 5 stars
    This one is so good! I made it with real vanilla seeds and it was amazing fragrant. Thank you for the recipe

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