French Apple Cake
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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 French 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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Is there a good alternative to rum?
I’ve baked this before and it was delicious.
I want to make it for a party but need it to have no alcohol in it
Sure, you can replace it with apple juice, apple cider, or milk. Glad you’ve enjoyed it!
Had the texture of a pound cake. This was a “fresher”, lighter cake that accompanied our lasagna. I added pears and orange zest to the apples with an extra tablespoon (or 2 or 3 🫢😀) of rum. Soooooo delicious! Only one piece left.
Great recipe! Just wondering, how long would I adjust cook time if I doubled up the recipe but put it in the same pan?
Glad you like it! I’d guesstimate it will take about 60 minutes, but keep a close eye on it!
I have made this apple cake with a doubled recipe in a small pan — my suggestions are (1) after the first 15-20 minutes (or whenever when the batter is rising well) reduce the oven heat to 325-330 degrees and (2) add an extra tsp. of baking powder to make sure it rises and stays fluffy 🙂 You may need a foil cover for the last 1/3 of the baking time.
I have used this technique before with other similar cakes and it works well!
Thank you for your two pieces of advice. I will follow them closely as I plan on doubling the
recipe as well.
Can you bake this a day ahead and leave out on counter overnight?
Yep!
Hi! Can’t wait to try this . My son is having an “ around the world picnic” at school. If I made this and replaced the rum with milk, would the flavor be just as good ?
Sure, Ellie, milk would be fine. You can also use apple juice or apple cider. Hope the picnic is fun!
This was honestly one of the best desserts I have ever had. I wanted to make something different for my husband’s birthday, and I happened to come upon this recipe online. I followed it exactly except I substituted gluten free flour (Bob’s Red Mill Gluten-Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour) for the wheat flour, since I am gluten intolerant.
It came out so much better than I expected. I will definitely make this again and explore more of your recipes. Thank you so much for this divine dessert!!!
I substituted 1 cup plus 6 tablespoons of gf oat flour for the regular flour to make it gluten free – it was just fabulous. Just another option.
Everyone loves this cake. Could I use brandy instead of rum?
Sure (and glad the cake is a hit)!
Absolutely gorgeous cake. Only had one apple so used a pear too. This recipe is a keeper.
I tried your French apple cake last year & wrote the recipe down to my favourite recipes.
Somehow, I have forgotten about it since I have been trying many many recipes all year. Today, I tried again and I thought you deserve good review. The best apple cake & I don’t even like apple cake. The only reason I made it because my hubby loves anything to do with apple. I must say, the best and now I enjoy it too. A must try, super easy to make too.
Can I use this recipe to make small muffins ?
Sure, Sylvana, that will work. Enjoy!
This is such a forgiving recipe. I hadn’t paid attention to the directions in terms of mixing the dry and wet ingredients and ended up using one bowl to mix the dry and then wet ingredients. I wasn’t sure how my cake would turn out. To my surprise, it came out exactly as in the picture! The cake smelled so good while it was baking, and it came out nicely and the apple chunks were the right tenderness. I love that it is not too sweet. This is definitely a keeper and will make sure I read the directions a few times (LOL).