Apple Cake Recipe (A French Classic)
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This French apple cake recipe is wonderfully moist, just sweet enough, and packed with apples in every bite.
In my twenties, I worked as an au pair in Paris for a family with three little boys. My host mother, Valérie, loved to cook, and her apple cake—with tart apples baked into a tender, buttery rum cake—quickly became one of my favorite desserts. This recipe is based on hers, and it’s every bit as easy to make as it is delicious.
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 a great cake to make in the fall, when apples are at their peak, and throughout the holiday season.
“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, baking powder, and salt: Measure the flour by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling it off rather than scooping directly from the bag.
- Unsalted butter: Make sure it’s at room temperature so it creams properly with the sugar.
- Granulated sugar: Sweetens the cake, with a little extra sprinkled over the top before baking to create a delicate, crackly crust.
- Eggs: Bring them to room temperature so they blend smoothly into the butter mixture.
- Vanilla extract and dark rum: The rum gives the cake its distinctive flavor and pairs beautifully with the apples without overpowering them.
- Baking apples: Choose firm apples that hold their shape in the oven, such as Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Fuji, Braeburn, or Pink Lady. I like slightly tart varieties best to balance the sweetness of the cake.
- Confectioners’ sugar: Optional, for dusting over the cake before serving.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To Make Apple Cake
Combine the dry ingredients: Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
Make the batter: Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then add the eggs one at a time. Mix in the vanilla and rum, then add the dry ingredients and mix just until combined.
Add the apples: Peel, core, and cut the apples into chunks, then fold them into the batter. The batter will be quite thick and there will be a lot of apples—that’s exactly how it should look.
Bake the cake: Scrape the batter into the prepared springform pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle with sugar, then bake until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan, then remove and dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving.
Video Tutorial
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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 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/Freezing Instructions: The cake is best enjoyed fresh but keeps well 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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Nice cake, but as we don’t drink rum and I had none on hand, I tried substituting almond extract, and I would definitely not include 3 tbsps of it next time, as the almond flavour overwhelmed the cake.
I used 2.5 medium-to-large Fuji apples and that was almost too many as the batter got lost in the apple chunks. I think 2 smaller apples would be just right.
Jenn, would you suggest one tbsp if substituting with something like almond extract (for rum)?
Hi Jenn, I would suggest using apple juice or apple cider instead of the rum. Almond extract is wonderful but only in very small doses — 1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon would be plenty.
THANK YOU Jennifer for sharing your talent in such crystal clear, inspired recipes! I recently moved from France to California and was unsuccessfully struggling with my new housewife fate and poor cooking skills… until I found your marvelous blog which has saved many of our meals and even made people think that I could cook! 🙂
Thank you for the wonderful feedback, Marianne. So glad you are enjoying the recipes!
can I use white rum or brandy if I do not have dark rum?
Hi Olha, Yes, white rum would be fine.
I have made this cake five times in the last month! My husband and family love it. The first time I did not have any rum, and used almond extract instead. I’ve tried it with the rum, and with a little of both the almond and the rum. I have to tell you, the almond extract without the rum and with a couple more small apples made it very moist and even more delicious.
Hi Jenn,
I just had a piece of the French Apple Cake, and it was heavenly. I loved the chunks of apples and the lightness of the cake. So easy to make! It’s going to be my new cake to make for company or take to friends. Love your recipes!
Thank you!
My husband and I made this tonight for a special treat and it exceeded our expectations! We only had Red Delicious apples on hand, and rather than a dark rum, my husband chose a spiced rum. The cake was incredibly moist and so delicious that we weren’t able to decide between homemade ice cream or whipped cream. So we tried the cake served both ways!!
I want to make this for a lunch meeting of 8 person and would like to make it a bit higher (I will 1-1/2 the recipe)in the spring form pan. Will this amount overflow from the pan? and how long do I need to bake it? Thanks.
Hi Willa, I think it will work without overflowing since a springform pan is higher. It will take a little longer to bake but I really can’t say for sure so I’d start checking at the same time.
I decided to make this for Thanksgiving dinner at my parents house. I wanted to try something different and this cake turned out AMAZING!! Everyone loved it! Mostly because it was not super sweet and had lots of apples! My husband wants me to make this one again!
This cake is absolutely delicious. There’s something about alcohol flavoured cakes that makes my older family members so happy… maybe its the alcohol! This cake had the perfect balance of ingredients and looked so lovely served a cake plate.
Do you think chopped walnut or pecans would be a good addition without ruining the overall texture of this cake?
Hi Virginia, I think it could work, but it might be better to add them in the form of a streusel topping.
The cake was delicious without nuts and everyone loves it. So glad I found your website!