Apple Cake Recipe (A French Classic)
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my full disclosure policy.
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 little boys. My host mother, Valérie, loved to cook and often enlisted my help in the kitchen. Her apple cake recipe, with chunks of tart apples nestled in a tender and buttery rum cake, quickly became one of my all-time favorite desserts. Like many French desserts—think clafoutis, madeleines, or crepes—it’s incredibly simple to prepare.
Pair it with a cup of coffee in the afternoon or serve it for dessert topped with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It’s the kind of cake that works for almost any occasion. It’s especially lovely for fall holidays, when apples are at their peak—think Rosh Hashanah, Thanksgiving, or a cozy weekend gathering. But since apples are available year-round, it’s just as fitting for Easter brunch, Mother’s Day, or anytime you need a dessert that feels special without being fussy.
“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 – Spooned and leveled for accuracy; provides structure without making the cake heavy.
- Baking powder & salt – The baking powder gives the cake lift, while the salt enhances the flavor and balances the sweetness.
- Unsalted butter – At room temperature for proper creaming; creates richness and a tender crumb.
- Granulated sugar – Sweetens the cake and helps create a light texture when creamed with the butter; a little extra sprinkled on top adds a delicate crackly crust.
- Eggs – Add structure, moisture, and richness; best at room temperature so they incorporate smoothly.
- Vanilla extract & dark rum – Add warmth and depth of flavor; the rum subtly enhances the apples without overpowering them.
- Baking apples – Peeled, cored, and cut into ½-inch cubes; choose firm, slightly tart varieties that hold their shape in the oven, such as Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Fuji, Braeburn, or Pink Lady.
- Confectioners’ sugar (optional) – For a simple, elegant finish just before serving.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Mix the dry ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Pro Tip: Using a whisk to thoroughly combine the dry ingredients ensures the baking powder is evenly distributed and the cake rises evenly.
Step 2: Cream the butter, sugar, and eggs. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.
Step 3: Add the flavoring. Beat in the vanilla extract and rum. The mixture may look a little curdled at this stage, which is fine.
Step 4. Combine wet and dry ingredients. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until just combined.
Step 5: Add the apples. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the peeled and chopped apples. Folding in the apples by hand prevents the flour from over-developing gluten, ensuring a tender crumb while also helping the apple chunks stay intact.
Step 6: Fill the pan. Scrape the batter into a greased 9-inch springform pan (or a greased and lined 9-inch cake pan) and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of sugar.
Step 6: Bake and serve. Bake on the center rack of the oven for about 40 minutes until the top is golden and crisp. Serve warm or at 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. The cake can be made up to 2 days ahead. Freeze for longer storage.
Pro Tip: Use a toothpick or cake tester for doneness. Because this cake is so apple-heavy, it should come out clean or with just a few moist crumbs; if you hit a piece of fruit, try a different spot to ensure the batter itself is fully set.
Video Tutorial
More Apple Recipes You May Like
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 medium baking apples, peeled, cored and cut into ½-inch cubes (about 2½ cups; 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 curdled 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.
See more recipes:
Add a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
Since there are many brands of dark rum, I was wondering if you have a brand that you would recommend? Thank you
Hi Diane, For baking, I usually use Myers’s Original Dark Rum. It’s easy to find and adds great depth and warmth to desserts and sauces. Hope that helps!
I love this cake! i double it as its a fairly thin cake. My family really enjoyed this. Very different than my usual Jewish Apple cake. No cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, etc.
thank you
Can sugar be replaced with honey or maple syrup?
Hi Stephanie, I wouldn’t recommend replacing the sugar with honey or maple syrup in this recipe. Both add extra liquid and acidity, which would change the texture and baking time. Honey especially has a stronger flavor and tends to brown more quickly, so it could cause the cake to over-brown before it’s done baking. If you’d like that flavor, you could drizzle a little warm honey or maple syrup over the cake after baking instead—it’d be delicious that way!
Made this a few days ago and I will definitely be making it on a regular. So good and so easy to make!!! I did add a dash of cinnamon to the dry ingredients. Thanks for another good one
Best cake I ever made so I made it twice in two days! We didn’t have rum so skipped that but added one tablespoon of cinnamon instead. Beautiful texture, so moist and apples were perfectly juicy! I tried in a pound loaf tin for 50 mins and it was just as good.
Thanks for this suggestion!
Made this cake a few days ago and it turned out great, used Gala apples. Will make again today using Crimson Crisp. Has anyone added cinnamon/ nutmeg to the batter?
Thanks in advance!
I didn’t add rum as I didn’t have it and not keen on it. I added some cinnamon and a tablespoon of milk. I have made this several times it’s a favourite.
Loved this cake, made twice with Honey Crisp apples. A few people said that it was too moist for them, but an apple with a little lower water content might have yielded a less moist cake, but the flavor was excellent. I gave it four stars because of the commets from others, but I would make it again with the same apples. It has a very clean and simple flavor, and the apples come through nicely.
With a bumper fig crop, I made the recipe again with a few alterations–
1) 2.5 cups figs, cut into eighths and dehydrated about 20% (no apples)
2) 1/4 cup whole wheat flour and 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3) 1/4 tsp anise extract and 3/4 tsp vanilla extract
Baked for 40 minutes.
Delicious! It was still quite moist, so I am glad that the figs were partially dehydrated. Figs were Vern’s Brown Turkey figs, which are large fruits. Smaller figs could be quartered or even just halved for deyhdration. Commercially dried figs would likely be too dry.
You gave it 4 stars because of other people’s comments???!!! That makes no sense. One does not rate a recipe based on other peoples thoughts! 🤔🙄
I made this cake a few days ago and it turned out great even though I used Gala apples. I now have some Honey Crisp and will make again. We really didn’t taste the rum…just an observation. Just wondering…Has anyone added any cinnamon/nutmeg to the batter?
Thanks in advance!
I added some cinnamon it’s works well with the apples
Hello there, I am excited to make this for company on Saturday night! I do have a quick question, when you make it in the spring form pan, do you remove the bottom of the pan before putting it on the serving plate, and, could I bake it in a pie plate instead? I’ve never used a springform pan before. Just a little intimidated by it. Thank you!
Hi Gretchen, if you use a springform pan, you can carefully slide the cake off the base onto a serving plate (but if you feel a little nervous about using a springform pan for the first time, it’s completely fine to keep the cake on the base). And, yes, if you have a deep dish pie plate, that will work. Hope everyone enjoys!
Please could I have the ingredients in pounds and ounces
Hi Pamela, The great majority of my recipes (including this one) include both metric and weight measurements. To view them, scroll down to the recipe and immediately below the recipe title on the right side, you’ll see a small toggle. If you switch it to US customary from metric, you’ll see measurements that will work for you. Hope that helps!
HI! Can you substitute whole wheat flour in place of all-purpose flour? If so, would I have to make any other adjustments to the recipe?
Hi Cathy, I’d suggest starting by using half whole wheat and half all-purpose to make sure you like the texture. If you do like it, the next time you make this, you can up the ratio of whole wheat to white a bit more. Also, you may want to consider white whole wheat as it’s lighter and milder tasting than regular whole wheat flour (yet just as nutritious). I’d love to hear how it turns out!