French Apple Cake

4.8 of 318 votes
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes
Jump to Recipe

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!

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

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 35-46 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.
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

You may also like

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.

Don’t hesitate to leave me a comment, it always makes me happy!

Portrait of Geraldine Leverd, author of La Cuisine de Géraldine, a blog of simple, healthy French recipes.

You can also find me on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok to see behind the scenes of my blog

Print Recipe

French Apple Cake

Click on the stars to rate!

4.8 of 318 votes
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
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Course Cake
Cuisine French
Servings 8
Calories 325 kcal

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.

Notes

If you don’t use a convection oven (fan oven), you will need to bake the cake 10-15 minutes longer. 

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!
4.78 from 318 votes (293 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rate this recipe!




62 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    This has become a standard family favorite over the past 18months. Goes great with a large dob of whipped cream or ice cream depending on your point of taste.

  2. 5 stars
    Tried this recipe, loved the cake! Came out moist, delicate and not too sweet. Printed the recipe, now need to frame it and on the wall in my kitchen! 😁 Big thanks for sharing, Geraldine!

  3. 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!

  4. 5 stars
    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..

  5. 5 stars
    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!

  6. 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.

  7. 5 stars
    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.

  8. 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!!

  9. 5 stars
    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!

  10. 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.

    1. 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 🙂

  11. 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

  12. 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!

    1. Thank you Sheryl, I always add a few drops of vanilla flavor. I should maybe write the exact quantities in the recipe card.

  13. 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.

  14. 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?!???

  15. 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!

  16. 5 stars
    Will certainly try this, I have some Pink Lady at home, always loved apple cake. Thanks for the recipe.

  17. 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!

  18. 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.

    1. 5 stars
      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.

  19. 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!