Apple Cake Recipe (A French Classic)
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With tart apples baked into a buttery cake with just a hint of rum, this might be the best apple cake you’ll ever taste. It’s simple yet so satisfying—perfect for dessert, a cozy afternoon snack, or even breakfast (yes, it’s that good!).
The summer after my junior year of college, I worked as an au pair in Paris for a family with three energetic little boys. My host mother, Valérie, loved to cook and often enlisted my help in the kitchen once the kids were in bed. Her apple cake recipe, with chunks of tart apples nestled in a tender, buttery rum cake, quickly became one of my all-time favorite fall desserts. Like many French classics—think clafoutis, madeleines, or crepes—it’s wonderfully simple yet incredibly satisfying. A slice is perfect with a cup of coffee in the afternoon or served as dessert with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
“Last year I won first place in a state fair with this recipe…This year I won division champion in our county fair. It’s a total winner of a recipe!”
What You’ll Need to Make French Apple Cake
- All-purpose flour: Forms the base of the cake, keeping it light and tender.
- Baking powder: Gives the cake its lovely rise and fluffiness.
- Salt: Balances the sweetness and enhances the flavor.
- Unsalted butter: Adds rich flavor and moisture, making the cake soft and buttery.
- Granulated sugar: Sweetens the cake and gives it a crisp topping.
- Eggs: Help bind the ingredients and create structure.
- Vanilla extract: Adds warmth and complements the apples.
- Dark rum: Adds a hint of depth and complexity to the cake. If you’d like to omit the rum, you can replace it with milk, apple cider, or apple juice.
- Baking apples: Tart-sweet varietals provide the perfect balance of flavor and also make the cake incredibly moist. When this baking this cake or other desserts with apples, such as apple crisp, apple pie, or apple cobbler, it’s important to use apples suitable for baking. These apples hold their shape when cooked, so the chunks of fruit won’t turn into applesauce in the oven. Granny Smith apples and Honeycrisp apples are both great options. Feel free to combine different varieties for a more nuanced flavor.
- Confectioners’ sugar (optional): A light dusting gives the cake a pretty finish.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by combining the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl.
No need to sift; just whisk well.
Set aside. Then, in the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs one at a time.
Beat in the vanilla extract and rum.
It will look a little curdled at this point; that’s okay.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.
Mix until just combined.
Add the peeled and chopped apples.
Use a rubber spatula to fold the apples into the batter.
Have a 9-inch springform pan greased, or a 9-inch cake pan greased, lined with parchment, and greased again.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and even the top.
Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar.
Bake the cake for about 40 minutes, until golden and crisp on top.
Serve warm or room temperature, plain or with lightly sweetened whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. A dash of cinnamon would be a nice addition, too.
Make-Ahead/Freezer-Friendly Instructions
The cake is best enjoyed fresh but keeps well at room temperature for up to 2 days. Store it at room temperature in a cake dome or covered with foil. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months. After it is completely cooled, wrap it tightly with aluminum foil or freezer wrap. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving.
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Video Tutorial
French Apple Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled off
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling over cake
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons dark rum
- 2 baking apples, peeled, cored and cut into ½-inch cubes (3½ to 4 cups chopped; see note)
- Confectioners' sugar (optional), for decorating cake
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and set an oven rack in the middle position. Grease a 9-inch (23-cm) springform or regular cake pan with butter or nonstick cooking spray. If using a regular cake pan, line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and grease again.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
- Using a handheld mixer with beaters or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and rum. Don't worry if the batter looks grainy at this point; that's okay. Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until just combined. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the chopped apples.
- Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and even the top. Sprinkle evenly with 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool on a rack in the pan. Once cool, run a blunt knife around the edges of the cake. If using a springform pan, remove the sides. If using a regular cake pan, carefully invert the cake onto the rack, remove the parchment paper, then gently flip the cake over and place right-side-up on a platter. Using a fine sieve, dust with confectioners' sugar (if using). Cake can be served warm or room temperature, plain or with lightly sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Notes
- When this baking this cake, it's important to use apples suitable for baking. Baking apples hold their shape when cooked, so the chunks of fruit won't turn into applesauce in the oven. Tart-sweet varietals such as Granny Smith, Honey Crisp, Pink Lady, Braeburn, and Jonagold are all great options. Feel free to combine different varieties for a more nuanced flavor.
- Make-Ahead/Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cake is best enjoyed fresh but for up to 2 days. Store at room temperature in a cake dome or covered with foil. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months. After it is completely cooled, wrap it tightly with aluminum foil or freezer wrap. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving.
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Hi! Thank you , what a lovely cake ! If one is without apples do you think well drained tinned peach slices might just work?
Hi Diana, Glad you liked it! I think fresh peaches would work, but canned peaches would be too soft – sorry!
Does this give off an apple taste? Would using apple cider give it more of an apple flavor? Thank you so much for sharing a recipe with such an amazing back story to it 🙂
Yes, it definitely has an apple taste. I’m not sure how much additional apple flavor the cider would provide, but feel free to place the rum with cider if you’d like. Hope you enjoy!
What can I use instead of rum to make a non-alcoholic version of this cake? Any recommendation is most welcome!
Hi Regina, You can replace the rum with apple juice, apple cider, or milk. Hope you enjoy!
Hi, I have used orange juice instead of Rum since it was the only thing I had on hand. It makes the cake a bit more fruity. Sooo good !
This cake is so good! Not too sweet and it is very elegant to be served at all occasions. My family love it.
Never fails, delicious to the last bite
Hi Jenn, thank you for sharing this recipe. It has been a hit this past weekend when I brought it to our friends house. Had to make another cake the next day. I only used 1/3cup of sugar because we like it tart. I used Orange juice instead of rum (forgot to buy some) and I marinated the apples in lemon juice which I do for all apple cakes. I am sure we will make this cake many more times. Absolutely delicious.
I’d like to try this recipe without folding the apples into the batter, but fanning thin slices on top instead. Would the batter lend itself to this approach? I love natural designs like this so I’m hoping it would work. Thanks
Hi Mallory, I’ve never tried it, but I think it should work. If you make it, would you send me pic?? My email address is jennifer@onceuponachef.com. Thanks!
Hi Jenn!
Update. I actually tried this for st paddy’s day and instead of fanning them out I kept the skins on and made a flower pattern with a few reserved chunks of apple skin side up. It came out very pretty with pale green granny smith skins visible as flower/clover like petals and a little rustic which is just my style. Will send a photo to your address and will definitely try the fanning method next time. I also replaced the rum with whiskey since I was irishing this French dessert and it was a big hit with some vanilla custard on the side. Highly recommend!
I love the idea of the green skin for St. Paddy’s day – look forward to seeing the picture! 🙂
So light and delicious! I’ve been reading some of the reviews and seeing what others have tried and it has my wheels turning!! The blueberry and lemoncello sounds superb.
I did not have rum so I subbed Jim Beam Bourbon, and used turbinado sugar for the top. Everyone was a fan!!
La tua torta di mela è delizioso. Ma penso che 4 tazze di mele siano troppo. 2 è abbastanza. Grazie mille!
Did not rise much, if at all. Is that what should be expected?
Hi KJ, this isn’t a high-rising cake. Typically it’s about 1.5 inches deep for me. Was yours flatter than that?
Can this be made a day ahead?
Sure – hope you enjoy!
My husband can’t have gluten. I gave up early trying to a make a GF cake–GF pie crust, yes, but not cake. I saw this recipe and thought what the heck! Try it. I substituted a good GF flour and used almost 4 cups of apples. It was delicious! Yay! Thank you!
I found this to be an impressive looking cake but the taste was underwhelming, and slightly eggy.
I’m confused about the quantity of apples. It says 2 apples and then in parentheses, it says 3 1/2 to 4 cups. Which is it? I cut up two decent size apples and it was a little over two cups.
Hi Barb, there’s a lot of variation in the size of apples. You’ll want a total of 3-1/2 to 4 cups apple cubes. Hope that clarifies!