French Apple Cake

All you need are a few simple ingredients to make this delightful French Apple Cake. Brimming with fresh apples, this cake is perfect for any occasion.

Course Dessert

Cuisine French

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 40

Cool Time 20

Total Time 1 20

Servings servings

Calories 300kcal

Author John Kanell

Equipment

Mixing Bowls
9-inch springform cake pan

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour (120g)
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
¾ cup granulated sugar (150g)
½ cup unsalted butter melted and cooled (113g)
¼ cup dark rum (60ml)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 pound large apples peeled, cored, and chopped into ½” cubes, I like Granny Smith or Honeycrisp (2 to 3 apples/450g)
confectioners’ sugar for dusting

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan with butter or baking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs until foamy. Whisk in the sugar, melted butter, rum, and vanilla until well combined. Stir in the flour mixture. Fold in the apples. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Sprinkle the top lightly with additional sugar, if desired.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 20 minutes. Run a knife around the side of the pan, then release the spring and remove the side. Serve the cake warm or at room temperature. Dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving.

Video

Notes

I highly recommend you use a scale to measure your flour for the most accurate results. However, if you don’t have a scale, fluff your flour with a spoon and then spoon it into your cups before leveling it off with a knife. This method is the best way to measure flour without overpacking the measuring cup, leading to a heavy cake.
Do not overmix the batter, or you’ll have a tough cake. Mix everything until just combined, and avoid using a mixer.
The cake goes really well with vanilla ice cream, sweetened whipped cream, or crème fraîche.
You can use different varieties of apples instead of one for more contrast in apple flavors. For example, use half sweet apples and half tart apples.
You can change the size of the diced apples based on what texture you prefer. They’ll retain more of their crunch if you chop the apples into large pieces. Smaller pieces of apples will be more tender.
I highly recommend using a springform pan with a removable bottom to make it easier to remove the cake.
Tap the cake pan on the counter a few times to pop any air bubbles and level out the batter in the pan for an even bake.
For the eggs to easily incorporate evenly into your batter without overmixing, bring them to room temperature beforehand. If you forgot to take your eggs out of the fridge ahead of time, you could quickly bring them to room temperature by placing them in a large bowl and covering them with warm tap water for 5 minutes.

Nutrition