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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I’d like to make this in advance and freeze it, but will it retain the nice crunchy topping after defrosting?
Hi Sona, this freezes nicely but you won’t have that same crisp topping after defrosting. You can try warming it in a 300°F oven for a few minutes- that may bring back a little of the crunch.
I’m half Dutch and there’s this simple apple cake my Oma would make very often that to me embodied European desserts. Simple and not overly sweet. I googled apple cake, and felt disappointed until I found this wonderful gem! I’ve now been making it for years, and wanted to share my gratitude with you. Thank you for bringing me back to something so sweet and innocent.
I make this every Apple season. Very easy, and I usually don’t bake. This year used Jonagold apples and captain Morgan spiced rum. Otherwise followed recipe exactly. Delicious.
This is a very lovely cake, very easy to make and the rum adds a really nice flavour. I don’t have a very sweet tooth and I’m not that fond of apples 🙂 but I loved it and so did my family. I will follow the suggestion of another reviewer and add flaked almonds to the top next time as there will definitely be a next time! I’m also going to look for more of your recipes to try. Thank you.
This cake was simple, not overly sweet, and delicious.
Would this recipe work if I wanted to use a large grater on the apples? I think this would help distribute the apples better and create an even nicer texture, but not sure if it would introduce too much moisture.
Glad you enjoyed it! I don’t recommend grading the apples; as you said, I think it will introduce too much moisture.
I had some red delicious apples that needed to be used and came across this recipe. It came together quickly and smelled delicious while baking. I didn’t have any rum on hand so I substituted homemade apple pie moonshine. The cake is so moist , tasty and a keeper!!
P.S. What if I make the batter ahead of time? Will the apples brown in the batter? Or what if I just make the batter ahead and add the apples right before baking? How long will the batter be good before congealing or going bad?–one day?
Unfortunately, it won’t work to refrigerate the batter as the cake won’t rise well when you go to bake it. If you’d like, you can mix the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet in another and then combine them and proceed with the recipe when you’re ready to bake it.
I made this yesterday. My husband and I enjoyed it (as others mentioned, not too sweet or too rich). Question: I would like to make this one day ahead for a dinner party. Is there a way to warm this right before serving? Is this something you could recommend? thank you for sharing this recipe.
Hi Myra, Glad you both enjoyed it! It’s fine to heat this up a little before serving. I’d place it in a 300°F oven til warm.
I made this for the first time yesterday and it was delicious- I scattered flaked almonds over the top before baking and sprinkled icing sugar on the top when cooled, there’s none left now!
Hello Jenn,
Thanks so much for this wonderful recipe and all the others! I made this recipe multiple times with slight variations! Overall the cake is very tasty and simple to make!
One change I made was actually an accident, which tasted more like a custard. I opted to add almond slivers on top with some sugar but instead of 125 gr flour I accidentally only used 25 grams, and instead of two eggs I used 3 since the eggs were small. The cake was very tasted and of course very moist, lol but I served it with some whipped cream, the guests all liked it.
Perhaps I try next time 75 grams flour. 🤔
Anyhow enjoy your family and keep on posting more yumminess 😊
I often bake goodies for my neighbors. They said this cake was the best thing I’ve ever made for them. I added 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice and 1/2 tsp Chinese five-spice powder to the batter. Rather than chop the apples, I sliced them and arranged them in circles on top of the batter, then sprinkled with palm sugar for extra color.