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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All I can say is wow! Very easy and so delicious. Absolutely recommend. I used bourbon because that’s what I had on hand, and honey crisp apples. Baked mine in a ruffled ceramic Emile Henry pie dish (coated lightly with nonstick spray) which was so pretty, made transportation a breeze and I didn’t have to fuss with removing cake from a pan (nor figure out a way to nicely display it). Mine took approx 35 minutes to bake, and I rotated my dish halfway through because my oven is crap, came out perfect. Dusted with powdered sugar after cooling then served straight from the pie dish with ease. Everyone loved it, it’s moist and has great flavor. Not too sweet. Apples were perfectly cooked, not mushy. I love that the apples were well distributed, stayed in place and didn’t sink to the bottom. I probably wouldn’t call it a cake because there isn’t a lot of cake-ness, in a good way. I baked and served mine same day, ate it approx 3 hours after removing it from the oven, room temp was delish. I kept one slice refrigerated overnight to have with coffee the next morning and even cold it was incredible!! Not only great for dessert but also an easy brunch item!! I’m already planning to bring this to events over the holidays and try other fruit, too. Thrilled it’s easy to cook & serve out of ceramic bakeware (could use a round dish, or oval, square, rectangle, as long as it’s roughly the same capacity as a 9-inch cake pan). You could easily serve it warm from ceramic bakeware since they retain heat thus take longer to cool. I bet baking in cast iron would also yield great results. I almost made a caramel sauce to drizzle on top but ran out of time. Honestly, on its own with powdered sugar is great. Easy to jazz up if you want, though, or pair with ice cream.
Great cake delicious. Simple and fast to make. . I have an apple tree and I can hardly keep up with the yield this year. Also very happy that the cake is freezer friendly. Thx.
I think 3 tbs of dark rum is a bit much, it comes out a lottt in the flavor. Otherwise this is perfect, thank you
I made the Apple cake I didn’t put Rum in it or any other liquid. The cake was moist and delicious next time I might put Almonds on top
Last year I won first place in a state fair with this recipe tweaked just a bit. This year I won division champion in our county fair. It’s a total winner of a recipe!
I would love to know how you tweaked it 🙂
If I want to double this recipe should I used a 10 inch pan and simply double ingredients?
Hi Wayne, for that size pan, I’d suggest making 1.5 times the recipe. I’m concerned that a 10-inch pan may be a touch small.
Try chopped walnuts before batter layer then bake as stated to add bit of crunch
This cake was a real opening for me! Pure delight of taste and perfect combination of everything that goes in it! I didn’t have rum, so substituted with orange liquor, didn’t add extra sugar on top. Served with mango ice cream. Delicious 😋
Thank you so much for the great recipe, Jenn!
Made these many many times and they are delicious!
My question is, can I pre-make a whole bunch and freeze before baking?
Can I bake it from frozen when I want to?
Thanks!
Hi Peggy, it looks like you intended to leave this question in the comment section of another recipe. Can you clarify which one you’re referring to?
Hi. I meant for French apple cake
can I mix everything together up until baking and freeze? And take it out to bake from frozen when needed?
Oh, sorry I misunderstood the question. No, unfortunately, it won’t work to freeze the batter (but the baked cake freezes nicely).
ahhh ok! Do you know how long it can be kept at room temperature?
Hi Peggy, it’s really moist so it will keep nicely for several days.
Just made this apple cake. It was so so delicious!!! All recommendations for this recipe!