French Apple Cake
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With chunks of sweet apples nestled in a tender and buttery rum cake, this French apple cake is the essence of simplicity.
The summer after my junior year in college, what seems like eons ago, I worked as an au pair in Paris for a family with three little boys. My host mother, Valérie, loved to cook and would frequently enlist my help in the kitchen once the kids were in bed. Her French apple cake, with chunks of tart apples nestled in a tender, buttery rum cake, is a longtime favorite of mine. Similar to many homemade French desserts, like clafoutis, madeleines, or crepes, it is the essence of simplicity.
What you’ll need to make French Apple Cake
When this baking this cake or any any dessert with apples, such as apple crisp, apple pie, or apple cobbler, 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.
How To Make French Apple Cake
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 grainy at this point; that’s okay.
Add the dry ingredients.
Mix until just combined.
Add the 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 vanilla ice cream.
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Video Tutorial
French Apple Cake
With chunks of sweet apples nestled in a tender and buttery rum cake, this French apple cake is the essence of simplicity.
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 stick (½ cup) 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 (I like Honeycrisp, Fuji or Granny Smith) (3½ - 4 cups chopped)
- Confectioners' sugar (optional), for decorating cake
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Grease a 9-inch 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.
- Freezer Friendly Instructions: The cake can 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
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- Per serving (8 servings)
- Calories: 279
- Fat: 13g
- Saturated fat: 8g
- Carbohydrates: 35g
- Sugar: 22g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 3g
- Sodium: 66mg
- Cholesterol: 77mg
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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Made it this weekend, probably used a little more apple than than the recipe called for but was delicious. I didn’t have any dark rum but I did have white rum so I used that instead. I will definitely make again, will try with dark rum and also some of the substitutions listed in the comments . Thank you for a great recipe.
Fantastic recipe, thank you! Only thing I changed is to add half a teaspoon sprinkle of cinnamon to the apples before adding it to the batter, as well as mixing some in with the sugar topping. So good!
I made this twice in one week. This is an instant hit; w a cup of tea mid September, or to feed a group. This is a light, not too sweet cake. BRAVO!!
Thank you, Jennie,
It is so delicious and light. It is easy to make this cake. I served it to my long-time friends, and they enjoyed it very much. They asked me to make so much more. They called me “Deaf Chef.”I tried other recipes, such as blueberry lemon pound cake. They all love your recipes.
Thank you once again.
Ted Timler
Canada
You already had my email.
Your directions never include adding the apples.
Hi Lisa, you must’ve just overlooked it — you add them after the batter is mixed (at the bottom of the 3rd paragraph). Hope you enjoy the cake if you make it!
Sooooo delicious! I didn’t have rum, and used fresh local honey instead of sugar, used half butter and half olive oil, and sprinkled with a lavender rubbed with sugar topping. So easy to assemble and baked beautifully.
Can I substitute cognac for rum?
Sure – enjoy!
What about subbing oat flour and/or fine almond flour? Also, what do you think about adding or topping with walnuts?
Hi Leah, I don’t know much about baking with either oat or almond flour. If you want to use either, I’d suggest substituting just a portion (maybe 1/3 cup here) of the all-purpose flour with one of the alternatives. And adding a topping with walnuts would be nice. I’d love to hear how the cake turns out!
THIS WAS WONDERFUL!!! Would be good for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
So moist and buttery, not too sweet just perfect!
Just made this, and it smelled and tasted beautiful. Texture is light and it’s perfect and comforting with a cup of tea. Thank you for your delicious recipes! I will be making this over and over this Fall.
A lovely cake! Light and bright. It was a big hit with my family.
I am wondering if I can make this the day before I am serving it, and how to store the cake. In the refrigerator or on the counter ?
Many thanks
Hi Naomi, It’s very moist and keeps well for several days (and I would store it on the counter).
Jenn, Thank you for this recipe! It was a perfect ending to a delicious Rosh Hashanah dinner we had! It got raves and made me smile!
Delicious!
The cake looks beautiful but I think next time i would make it in an 8″ cake pan so I get a “taller” cake. It was pretty flat, didn’t rise as much as I expected. Haven’t tasted it, so the jury’s out on that…..
I have been looking for this recipe for years. My Mother would buy it at a bakery in town. When it closed I tried to find the owner to get it he had died. Thank you for posting . I know I will use it over and over.
Pat Dew
Louisiana
Have made this quite a few times now and perfect every time.
Have made with gluten free flour, substituted 0.5 cup flour with almond flour, omitted the rum and added 0.5 tsp ground cardamom- all were great.
Oh my. I love this cake. It is perfect with a cup of coffee or tea to serve company. I have a heavily laden apple tree ready to harvest so I have been baking and cooking and saucing apples galore. This is by far my favorite recipe for myself and company
How much rum extract could I use instead of the rum?
I did see that you could use milk or apple juice instead of the rum.
Hi Helen, If you want to use rum extract, I’d substitute 1 teaspoon of extract plus 2-1/2 tablespoons of apple juice or apple cider. Hope you enjoy!
Another stellar recipe that is elegant and easy to make. Thank you.