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 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.
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It is my favorite recipe of apple cake. I am making it for couple of years, and it is always success. Easy, fast, tasty. In addition to apples, I am adding raisins.
Thank you Jennifer for your posts. I am looking forward to new ones.
Sincerely. Elaine.
I noted in the recipe of the french apple cake, it does not show parchment paper…..is that an option…?
Hi Craig, I actually do use parchment here but it’s not necessary if using a springform pan.
Can you substitute gluten free flour for the all purpose flour?
Hi Anne, I haven’t prepared this with gluten-free flour, but a number of readers commented that they have and have been happy with the results. I’d love to hear how it turns out if you try it!
What can you use instead of Rum for an alcohol free version? Thank you
Hi Se, you can replace the rum with apple cider or apple juice. Hope you enjoy!
This cake is out of this world delicious!! So glad I found this recipe; will be making this over & over again for sure. Made it exactly as the recipe states. Yum!!
Tried this cake made by a friend – loved it! But the first time I prepared it the cake turned out flat – didn’t rise at all…. today was going to try again with double portion, when noticed there was a problem with METRIC doses – they are not correct at all!
1 cup shows 125 gr, and 2/3 of the cut shows 130 gr (instead of 85 gr), if possible could you pls check and fix this.
Other than that the recipe is great, will cook it couple of times more to bring to perfection))
Hi Natali, Thanks for your note. I looked at the metric measurements but they look right to me. 1 cup of sugar is 200 g, so 2/3 cup would be about 130 g. This is not a high-rising cake; it should be about 1-1/2 inches tall.
Jenn – I just made and used your metric . They are wrong because your 2/3 of a cup of sugar is 130 grams whilst your 1 cup of flour is 125 grams . This is mathematically impossible as well as annoying
Not sure I understand, Lee Ann. When measuring by volume, one cup of flour weighs 125 g while one cup of sugar weighs 200 g…so this seems correct to me. Check out this chart from King Arthur Flour for metric conversions.
So I did make it correctly ? Hmmmm
The reason they are different is because sugar and flour have different density. Thats is why 1 cup of sugar has different weight the 1 cup of flour. Hope this helps.
Natiali and Lee Ann,
Jenn is correct with her measurements. People who say her measurements are mathematically impossible are misunderstanding the difference between volume measurements (which we use cups and spoons for) vs. weight measurements like grams or ounces. The fact is, a cup of flour weighs less than a cup of sugar, and that’s why in Jenn’s recipe, 2/3 of a cup of sugar, even though it’s smaller in volume, is heavier than a whole cup of flour. It should be. Rather than going back and forth about this verbally, if you’re already cooking with a scale this should be very easy to prove in a matter of seconds. Put a bowl on your scale and set the scale to zero. Put a cup of flour in the bowl and see what it weighs. Dump it out. Put a cup of sugar in and see what it weighs. You’ll see that the weights are not identical, even though the volume is exactly the same: 1 cup of each. Depending on what method you use when you scoop flour (compacting it or fluffing it up), or how accurate your measuring cups are, your weights might be a few grams different from Jenn’s, but that won’t change the fact that you’ll find the sugar is heavier than the flour. It is for exactly this reason that weight measurements are a better way to bake. Because people’s habits are different, a cup of flour scooped by one person could weigh 4 ounces/112 g, where another person’s cup could be 5oz/140g. But if you follow a recipe that calls for 125g, you just use 125g – no room for error.
If I don’t have rum, what can I use in its place?
Hi Joy, Bourbon would be great here if you have that.
Turned out beautifully
does this cake freeze well ?
Yes beautifully!
A delicious, easy recipe! Thanks so much. I’ve used brandy as a replacement for the rum.. great result both times.