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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Absolutely fantastic recipe! Easy to make and super delicious! One question: It tasted almost a little too juicy, do you think that means I should have left it in the oven a little longer? Or I might have been somewhat too generous with the rum. In any case, thank you for a great recipe, will definitely make again!
Hi Clare, the cake is definitely moist due to the apples, but if you thought it was a little too wet, it may have been a touch underbaked. And if you used more rum than the recipe called for, that definitely could’ve been a factor.
Made multiple times already and making it again today. I don’t have any rum in the house so I have omitted it. This cake is delicious!
Hi Jenny.. Thank you so much for the easy and awesome recipe. I don’t have apple cider or apple juice to substitute with rum, I used milk instead and it turned out well. Super delicious cake..!! Thank You again..
Glad it turned out nicely with the milk — thanks so much for reporting back — I’m sure other readers will find it helpful as well! 🙂
I don’t have any rum or apple juice in the house either so I’ve been making it without it. Everyone loves this cake! I’m going to try adding a little milk, thanks for the suggestion.
Hi Jenny , thank you so much for your super delicious recipes. I have tried some and they all come out perfect and yummy.
I am just wondering what to substitute for the rum in this French apple cake. Thank you again,
Glad you like the recipes, Afrah! You can use apple juice or apple cider in place of the rum. Hope you enjoy!
When you say apple cider, is it the same as apple cider vinegar? Thanks
No, they are two different things. Apple cider is more like apple juice. Hope that clarifies!
I have tried the apple cake substituting milk for the rum and used all purpose gluten free flour. The cake turned out delicious, moist, tasty and above all easy to assemble 👌…. Thank you so much thumbs up 👍
Hi Jenn,
I’ve tried your French Apple Cake Recipe and have a bunch of questions I’d love answered so I can make another batch this morning?
Very impressed with how well it turned out and even looked just like the photos; that’s the sign of a well written recipe and instructions.
Definitely give it a 5/5!
Can you please advise me on how I can substitute other fruits in place of the apple?
I have two different ideas :
1) Tinned Pineapple
2) Or a mix of Tinned Peaches(Soft of course) and Tinned Pears (Quite hard).
I was thinking of either using the Pineapple, or a mix of both the latter fruits.
I was planning on straining the fruits and not using the juice, but wondered if i could use some juice in place of water or some liquid to add extra flavour (but without making it too soggy?)
If not, I would strain the fruit but wondered if I would need to squeeze the pineapple with a fork to get as much liquid out of it so it also doesn’t make the cake too soggy?
And wondered if I should do something similar for either of the two latter fruits also?
Also, Could I drizzle some of the juice over the cake before putting in in the over, after sprinkling with caster sugar – to add some extra flavour?
The other thought was to lightly ice the cake at the end with plain icing sugar or mix (not sure why the difference?) mixed with a little of the fruit juice for flavour? Any advice on this or is it a bad idea?
Please advise me on what you suggest?
I also have no alcohol for the recipe so I used 1.5 Tablespoons of Maple syrup…. could I double that in future or what would you suggest? I don’t want to make it too strong?
Also, Can I simple double the recipe in the same size pan – will this change the cooking time any more/less than just doubling it? Or should I use a different size pan for a double batch?
I really loved the recipe and look forward to trying more!
Thank you
B.
Hi B, glad you enjoyed this! In answer to your questions — I do think this would work nicely with peaches or pears. I suspect pineapple would work as well but would make sure that (for any of the fruits) you thoroughly drain them so you don’t add more moisture to the recipe and make the cake soggy. I don’t think it would hurt to drizzle a small amount of juice over the batter before putting the cake in the oven, but not sure it would have a big impact.
Regarding adding more maple syrup, while you could add a touch more, I wouldn’t add much so as not to make it too sweet or throw off the ratio of wet to dry ingredients.
I don’t think the cake needs any frosting, but you could do something simple like you mentioned. A cream cheese frosting like this one would also be nice but not sure that it’s necessary.
And regarding doubling the recipe, I think you’ll get the best results with two 9-inch springforms or regular cake pans. If not, you could get away with a 9 x 13-inch pan.
So easy and so delicious! My favorite kind of recipe. I tried turbinado sugar on top, but it caused some craters. Tasted amazing.
Delicious and easy. No dark rum in the house so I substituted calvados. Very good dusted with powdered sugar, and with vanilla or butter pecan ice cream. It gets better after a day or two as apple flavor gets more pronounced.
This cake is awesome! Very tender batter and easy to put together. The HoneyCrisp apples we used were LARGE, which in the end we had 4 ½ cups. The recipe doesn’t give an amount for cups, so I used all 4 ½ cups. There was just a lot of moisture from the apples. Next time we will just measure out 3 cups. Otherwise, really a good cake and we will make again for the upcoming holidays!
I can’t stop making this. I’ve made it about 5 times in the last 2 weeks. and every time it gets rave reviews. Super easy and super good. I used amaretto tonight because that’s what I have on hand. (because I used all the rum in previous cakes. Incredible, easy and delicious. Thanks so much for sharing
Thank you for this amazing recipe! The cake turned out moist and bursting with the flavors of the apples, butter and rum. It’s so easy to make but tastes oh so heavenly!