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. I made this recipe a few weeks ago with a tweak.
I added 2 Tablespoons hung curd. The result was a more airy cake and it was delicious. I’m planning on using a bundt tin or perhaps my tart try. I’m sure everyone at home will love them as much as the previous time. Thank you so much for your recipe.
Excellent!!! 👍
Wow! I wear the “I hate to bake’ crown,
because I just don’t enjoy baking. After enjoying your chai spiced banana bread and this recipe, I feel there’s hope for me.
This cake was absolutely delicious. I’m not sure if the quality of rum had something to do with it, but I ended up using some Appleton Reserve Blend. Didn’t want to, but realized too late that was the only dark rum I had on hand. The rum flavor was…I can’t describe it…. absolutely delish! I can go on and on. I never prepare apples in anything. I usually eat apples raw. That’s right, don’t like apple juice, apple sauce, apple pie – none of that! But this cake was perfect! Jen – THANK YOU!!!
Absolutely incredible. This is the third apple cake recipe I’ve tried in the last month and it’s the winner by a long shot. This cake is stunning, amazing, delicious, perfect. And I’m super picky so I wouldn’t say it was good if it wasn’t! I couldn’t find a small enough bottle of dark rum (didn’t want a huge jug!) so I substituted with milk, a little extra vanilla, and a bit of brown sugar to make up for the molasses flavor I was missing out on from the dark rum. I topped with powdered sugar because I think it’s pretty, but I will skip next time just to maintain more of the crunch from baking with the granulated sugar. I also made a classic vanilla bean créme anglaise (custard sauce) to top this with. Out of this world combination. My husband and daughter were licking their plates. Can’t wait to make this again very soon!
Made it for the first time this Thanksgiving (Canadian), turned out so good. Everybody loved it and also got the request to make it again at Christmas. I doubled the recipe and just omit the Rum. The most fluffy, moist and tasty cake. Thanks for this great recipe.
I made this with GF flour (Bob’s 1:1) and Butter substitute, as well as subbed the rum for apple juice. It was delicious! My children are gf/df due to allergies and are limited in truly tasty dessert options, this was perfect and a great and easy way for me to use fresh picked apples!
I absolutely love this recipe!! I make it all the time. So easy, such nice flavour. Eat it slightly warm with ice cream, cream or custard. Or just with a cup of coffee.
Hi, I absolutely LOVE this cake! I find myself in Maine, with some wild blueberries left over from mid-summer calling me from the freezer. Considering using them in place of the apple? Maybe 1 1/2 cups? Do you think that might work?
Glad you liked it! I wouldn’t suggest blueberries here as they can be tart when baked, which means you’d need to add sugar to the recipe, which would throw things off a bit. I have a blueberry cake you may want to check out.
Thanks Jenn; I went ahead and tried it, and while still tasty, you were right on the money with your advice: not quite sweet enough, and this cake is so good at not being too sweet that apple is the way to go! Still have more blueberries, so on to your cake recipe…
Good to know. 🙂
Hope you enjoy the blueberry recipe!
Wonderful recipe. Have made several times and it has come out perfectly every time. For a non-alcoholic version I used apple juice instead of the rum. Thank you very much; I will make this time and time again.
One of my favourite cakes. I’ve replaced vanilla extract with almond extract and added almond slices on top for variety.