Packed with apples and a whisper of dark rum, this French Apple Cake brings French-style simplicity into your home kitchen. You’ll want to serve this buttery cake for any occasion, from a quiet afternoon tea time to an elegant brunch with friends.
Despite training as a French pastry chef, I’m drawn to traditional French baking recipes typically passed down through generations in a grandmother’s kitchen. This recipe hits that mark. It’s a classic French cake that embraces apple flavor without the fussy layers or heavy spices that are common in other recipes. Plus, it’s a one-layer springform cake, so you won’t need a full party to finish it.
I love one-layer cakes for that reason (and because they are some of the easiest cakes to make). Try my French Almond Cake and my Almond Flour Chocolate Cake as well.
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Why Make This Recipe
- An elegant cake that is super easy to make
- Simple ingredients, most of which are pantry staples
- Great for brunch, dessert, or afternoon tea
- The perfect way to embrace fall season apples
- No frosting or time-consuming topping required
🥗 Ingredients
- Flour: I use all-purpose flour in this recipe. You could also sub in whole wheat flour for ¼ of the total flour if you’d like.
- Butter: Either unsalted or salted butter will work just fine.
- Apples: I like a combination of fresh apples, and nothing too sweet. Try a Pink Lady, Granny Smith, Honey Crisp, or anything that is at least a little tart.
- Sugar: Both white sugar and brown sugar are used here. The brown sugar adds a little caramel note to the batter.
- Dark Rum: This adds warmth and flavor to the cake. It’s a classic in this French cake, though some recipes replace it with Calvados. For a non-alcoholic version, try adding in some apple cider.
🥣 Step-by-Step Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Butter and flour a 9-inch springform pan.
Peel 2 apples and chop into roughly ¼-inch dice. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together 1 cup all-purpose flour (130g), 1 teaspoon baking powder, and ½ teaspoon kosher salt.
In a larger mixing bowl, combine 7 tablespoons softened butter, ½ cup white sugar (115g), and 3 tablespoons light brown sugar (37g). Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, cream together until light and fluffy.
Add 2 eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly until well combined. Then mix in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 2 tablespoons dark rum.
Stir the flour mixture into the large bowl until the flour is just combined, then fold in the chopped apples. The batter will be very thick, almost like cookie dough.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread it evenly.
Bake for 30 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out almost clean, and the top is nicely browned.
Let the cake cool in the pan for a short while (10–15 mins), then remove the outside ring and finish cooling on a rack or serve slightly warm. Dust with powdered sugar or a dollop of whipped cream to garnish, if desired.
Storage Tips
Store cake in springform pan covered with aluminum foil, or cut into slices and store in an airtight container. Cake will last for 3 days.
For longer storage, keep the cake in the refrigerator, or wrap individual pieces in plastic wrap and foil, then freeze for up to 2 months. Bring back to room temperature to serve.
🧐 Recipe FAQs for French Apple Cake
A French apple cake is a simple cake that often has an almost custard-like texture because of the density of the apples in the batter. It is often flavored with rum and sometimes with Calvados. Unlike traditional apple desserts in the United States, no cinnamon is used in a French apple cake. Both apple chunks and apple slices can be used in the filling.
You can. In that case, I recommend you butter and flour the pan, then line the bottom with a parchment paper circle. (Trace the pan and cut out a circle of parchment paper.) Use a butter knife or a small offset spatula around the edges of the baked cake before turning it over onto a rack. Don’t let it cool completely in the pan, as it will be very difficult to remove at that point. You can also try pouring the batter into a loaf pan, though I have not tried that!
Yes. You can replace the rum with Calvados, which is also traditional in this cake. Or try a different alcohol such as brandy or bourbon. Or you can replace it with something nonalcoholic like apple cider or apple juice with a little apple cider vinegar added to cut the sweetness.
Traditionally French apple cakes include apples in the batter, while German apple cakes have a traditional cake batter that is topped with sliced apples.
👩🍳 Expert Tips
Don’t over-mix once you add the flour; you want the cake to have a tender crumb, not tough.
¼-inch pieces for your apples give you enough structure so the pieces stay distinct, but still tender. You can thinly slice your apples if you prefer, but I like having little chunks of apple to bite into.
Baking time can vary depending on your oven and pan size — start checking at 25 mins if your oven tends to run hot.
Make sure to let the cake rest a little before slicing so that it can settle and firm up. That makes for prettier slices.
When you’re ready to serve, powdered sugar or whipped cream make a pretty topping. You can also serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Other French Apple Recipes
If it’s apple season, you’ll want to try one of these other French recipes that shine in the fall!
If you try this French Apple Cake recipe, I would love to hear from you! Please rate this recipe and leave a comment below—your feedback is invaluable to me.
And please follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook or subscribe to my newsletter. I’d love to inspire you with more delicious, healthy, and seasonal recipes!
📖 Recipe
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Classic French Apple Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 apples
- 1 cup all-purpose flour plus more to flour the pan
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 7 tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- ½ cup white sugar
- 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons dark rum
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350. Butter and flour a 9-inch springform pan.
- Peel apple and chop into roughly ¼-inch dice.
- Whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder in a small bowl.
- In a larger bowl, combine the softened butter, white sugar, and brown sugar. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, cream together until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly until well combined. Then mix in the vanilla extract and rum.
- Stir in the flour mixture until just combined, then fold in the chopped apples.
- The batter will be very thick, almost like cookie dough.
- Pour the batter into the springform pan and spread evenly.
- Bake 25-30 min, until a cake tester or toothpick comes out almost clean, and the top is nicely browned.
- Let the cake cool in the pan for a short while (10–15 mins), then remove the outside ring and finish cooling on a rack or serve slightly warm.
- Dust with powdered sugar or a dollop of whipped cream to garnish, if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Instagram Users: Now that you've made this French Apple Cake recipe, tag me @vanillabeancuisine or #vanillabeancuisine because I’d love to see your results!
More About Molly
Cooking healthy(ish) meals with seasonal ingredients is my passion. Trained as a French pastry chef, I spent over 10 years as a personal chef. Here you'll find well-tested recipes that you and your family will love!
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