French Apple Cake
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.
- Which apples to choose for a French Apple Cake?
- List of ingredients
- How to prepare an apple fondant cake?
- Géraldine’s tips
- Frequently Asked Questions
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.
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.
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 35-46 minutes at 180°C / 350 °F (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.
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
- French Almond Cake (Amandier)
- Rose Apple Tart
- Strawberry Tartelettes with Crème Pâtissière
- Apricot tart with almond cream
You may also like
- Apricot Almond Cake (naturally gluten-free)
- French Almond Cake (Amandier)
- Super Moist Marble Cake
- Hazelnut Cake with Chocolate (naturally gluten-free)
- Orange and Olive Oil Cake
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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French Apple Cake
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Ingredients
- 4 apples (about 500 g or 17-18 oz)
- 1 1/2 cup flour (180 g)
- 1/2 cup butter (125 g)
- 3 eggs
- 2/3 cup brown sugar (120 g)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder (5 g)
- 2 teaspoons rum (optional)
- 1 teaspoon 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 35-40 minutes at 180°C / 350 °F (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.
I love this recipe! I have made them a bunch of times. I’m allergic to cinnamon and this apple cake is perfect for me!
Thank you, Lita!
I have made this apple cake about a dozen times over the past 6 months. My 98yo mother in law loves it and so too the rest of the family. Our fan forced oven no longer operates as fan forced; I have found that about 50 mins is about right while it’s working as a conventional oven. Only additive I added was a teaspoon of cinnamon. Never fails to please..
Thank you so much ! Good to know about your baking time in the conventional oven
My goodness! I didn’t expect anything from the recipe, Apple cake is an apple cake, but this recipe is special indeed! I have yet to find a recipe of Geraldine that doesn’t work (and I tried many) – reliable like a Swiss clock! And every time it is a special one. Geraldine, many thanks for sharing your talent and inspiration!
Thank you su much, Julia 🙂 So happy you like my recipes !
Love this apple cake recipe, lovely and moist. I am coeliac and I have to adapt many recipes, so I love your recipes as I lived in France for many years and enjoy French cooking.
Thank you, Gill !
delicious and easy.
I used random backyard apples,
coconut oil instead of butter
1/3 whole wheat flour
and coconut sugar instead of brown.
it was wonderful and not too sweet.
Am so excited to try this recipe! I want to bring it to a gathering, but would need to make it in advance due to my schedule. Would it keep its same lightness and moisture if I froze it, then took it out of the freezer the morning of the serving day? Thank you!!
Hi Caitlyn,
Yes, this cake freezes very well and it should keep the same mositure as it is rich in apples!
While I didn’t have any rum on hand, I had the last of my Sortilège (Quebec maple and whiskey). Goodness, it really tasted like Autumn!
Thank you Jacqueline 🙂
I really wanted this to work, but my cake came out undone, although I took it out even a couple of minutes later.
😭 Is it because my oven is not a convection (fan) oven?
Btw
Thanks for the excellent recipes.
Hi Mana, yes, when you don’t use a convection oven (fan oven), you need to cook the cake enlarge. I should have added this in the recipe. I will add a note so that it doesn’t happen to someone else 🙂
Hi I like the recipe but if i was a complete novice i would be wondering where to put the flour mix. Love your recipes Ted Hughes
Very delicious and light! Thank you!
Lovely, I added a jar of Marmite and it totally worked!!!
Excellent recipe. Added ground cardamom seeds and a little cinnamon.
It looks special, want to try it once I find the ingredients chart😅😅
Added a 1/4 tsp of salt, which brought out the sweetness of the apples
Great recipe! I added 2t of vanilla essence (recipe doesn’t give a measurement) and since I had Irish Cream Baileys in the pantry instead of rum, I used about 2.5t – tasted so good!
Thank you Sheryl, I always add a few drops of vanilla flavor. I should maybe write the exact quantities in the recipe card.
Love, love, love this recipe. Really enjoy your choice of recipes – but of course it is difficult to argue with classic French cuisine.
Thank you for this recipe Geraldine
Made it and loved it, such an easy but beautiful cake
Thank you for this recipe Geraldine
Made it and loved it, such an easy but beautiful cake 5*
Brilliant! 🤗
Now found your reply Garaldine! Thanks
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?!???
Hi Geraldine! I tried the recipe. I t was great! Thank you!
Absolutely loved this cake! Thank you for sharing it with us.
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!
Will certainly try this, I have some Pink Lady at home, always loved apple cake. Thanks for the recipe.
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!
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.
Luckily, the vanilla does not have to be exact, but any spoonful will do. She mentions 1 teaspoon which is roughly 5ml but I would use 10ml to really get any flavor.
Which size panform did you use?
a 18 cm / 7 inches springform. I will include it in the recipe! Thanks for asking.
What size springform do you use for this recipe?
In the video are you sure you use a 7” and not a 9”?
Lovely moist light cake.
Delicious with cream dwollop!
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!
Hi,
Can you recommend which diameter springform pan to use? I’ve got three sizes!
Merci!
So simple, so rich! Great recipe, thank you ❤️
What size springform pan did you use?
This one is so good! I made it with real vanilla seeds and it was amazing fragrant. Thank you for the recipe