Home / Recipes / Dessert / Cakes / French Apple Cake
Published on September 29, 2023 · · By Aysegul Sanford
French Apple Cake is a deliciously sweet rustic cake with chunks of apples coated with batter. What makes it quintessentially French is dark rum, which elevates the flavor to new heights. Easy to make with just a handful of ingredients, it’s an approachable yet classic French apple cake with not one complicated technique in sight. Serve this elegant dessert just as is, or with a scoop of creme fraiche or vanilla ice cream.
Yields: 8 slices
Prep Time: 10 minutes mins
Cook Time: 50 minutes mins
Total: 2 hours hrs
Jump to Recipe
If you have ever wondered what to bake with apples, this easy apple cake will offer the perfect solution. Adapted from the incredible David Lebovitz (who actually adapted it from Dorie Greenspan’s cookbook Around My French Table), it is a great alternative to my other favorite fall-inspired apple dessert, Almond Flour Apple Cake.
And if you have plenty of fresh apples on hand or just want to celebrate apple season, be sure to also check out my Apple Cranberry Cake and Apple Roses.
Table of Contents show
Ingredients
This French apple rum cake requires just a short list of simple ingredients, many of which are probably already in your pantry. We will need:
- Butter: Unsalted butter allows you to control the level of salt in the cake, but salted butter can also be used. If you decide to use salted butter, be sure to omit using salt in the batter.
- Apples: I used a mix of Honeycrisp apples and Granny Smith apples, but you can use any variety of apples. Some other good baking apples include Fuji, Golden Delicious, Braeburn, Jonagold, and Pink Lady.
- All Purpose Flour
- Baking Powder
- Kosher Salt
- Whole Eggs: Use large eggs for the most consistent texture.
- Coconut Sugar: Since we only share desserts made with natural sweeteners, I made this easy fresh apple cake with coconut sugar, but you can use your favorite dry granulated sugar, like regular white sugar or brown sugar.
- Dark Rum: Dark rum transforms it from a regular apple cake to an easy French apple rum cake with a touch more elegance. My favorite rum to use here is Myer’s or Mount Gay.
- Vanilla Extract: If a fresh apple cake with rum is not your cup of tea (or prefer a no-alcohol version), you can skip the rum altogether and use a full tablespoon of vanilla extract in its place.
Optional Add-Ins
If you want to jazz things up a bit, you can add one, two, or all of the following to make this apple cake recipe just the way you want it.
- Ground Spices: Sprinkle in 1-2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon and a dash of fresh nutmeg, or give it a nice warmth with 1 teaspoon of apple pie spice mix.
- Nuts: Toss in some toasted, chopped walnuts, pecans, or slivered almonds for extra crunch.
- Dried Fruit: Give it even more sweetness with raisins or golden raisins.
How to Make an Apple Cake?
For a fast and easy method, I like to bake the apple cake in a springform pan. With that being said, you can use a regular cake pan, just make sure to grease the pan well before adding the batter. Here’s how I like to do it:
- Prep equipment: Place the oven rack in the middle position. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 C). Generously butter an 8-inch** round springform pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper, place it on a sheet pan, and set it aside.
- Melt butter: Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Set it aside to cool while you prepare the rest of the batter.
- Prepare the apples: Remove the core and peel the apples, then cut into 1-inch chunks.
- Mix dry ingredients: In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Whisk wet ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar until thoroughly mixed and glossy. Then, whisk in the rum and vanilla.
- Make apple batter: Add half of the flour mixture into the wet ingredients, followed by half of the melted butter. Alternate once more with the rest of the flour and remaining butter and stir until just combined. Fold in the apple chunks, making sure each one is coated with the batter.
- Bake: Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top with a rubber spatula. Bake for 50 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Cool: Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes, then run a knife around the edges to gently loosen the cake from the pan. Remove the sides of the springform pan or gently remove from the cake pan. Transfer to a cake platter or large plate. Cool for at least 1 hour. Sprinkle it with powdered sugar (if preferred), before serving.
How to Store This Apple Cake?
This easy French apple cake recipe is a great make-ahead cake that you can enjoy throughout the week. While it is best on the day it is made, it keeps fresh if stored properly. Here is how I do it:
- Storage: The apple rum cake will keep fresh for up to 3 days at room temperature, covered on the kitchen counter. Since the cake itself is very moist, it’s best to store it covered with a cake dome, overturned bowl, or with a few toothpicks inserted throughout the top of the cake and then tented with plastic wrap.
- Freezing: Due to the high ratio of liquid coming from the apples, I do not recommend freezing this cake.
How to Serve?
Whether you want to enjoy this apple cake as the French do or give it more of an American spin, some of my favorite ways to serve include:
- Ice Cream: Serve it slightly warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, such as Honey Vanilla Ice Cream or more decadent caramel ice cream.
- Cream / Sugar: Finish it with a dollop of creme fraiche, mascarpone cheese, Maple Whipped Cream, or a simple sprinkle of confectioner’s sugar.
- Sauce: Drizzle it with storebaught caramel sauce, date caramel sauce, or fruit preserves.
- Coffee / Tea: The sweet apple cake goes particularly well with bitter espresso or a mild cup of tea, such as Earl Grey.
- Wine: Serve it as the French would, with a chilled glass of Sauternes (a sweet dessert wine) or an after-dinner beverage, like Calvados or Brandy.
Expert Tips:
While the recipe for this homemade apple cake recipe is pretty straightforward, there are a few things that I’d like to share to ensure the best results. Below are a few lessons I learned while testing the recipe:
- Use room temperature ingredients: When all the ingredients are roughly the same temperature, it makes for a more cohesive batter. In this case, make sure to allow time for the butter to cool down and allow the eggs to come to room temperature.
- Prevent the apples from oxidizing: For some added insurance, you can toss the diced apples with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to prevent browning. The fresh citrus juice adds a nice little tang, too.
- Cubed Apples: As you can see in the pictures, this cake is a bit different than your usual fluffy apple cake recipe. Rather, it is cubed apples covered with cake batter. Due to the high moisture content of the cubed apples, it doesn’t rise as much as you would expect.
- Use the right pan: I used an 8-inch springform cake pan for easy removal. You can also use a 9-inch springform pan, just note that the cake will be thinner. If you do not own a springform pan, a regular 8 or 9-inch cake pan will do, just make sure to thoroughly grease the bottom and sides, and line the bottom of the pan with a circle of parchment paper.
- Pay attention to baking time: Bake times will vary based on your oven. Start checking the cake at the 50-minute mark, and continue to bake in 5-minute increments until golden brown and springy.
- Browning: If you use coconut or brown sugar as your sweetener, the top of the cake will brown more compared to using granulated sugar.
- Cool completely: For best results, cool in the pan for 5 minutes, loosen the sides, and then transfer to a cake plate. It is best if you let it cool for at least an hour.
FAQs
What country did apple cake originate from?
There are many different variations of apple cake throughout the world thanks to regional and religious influences. The first version of French apple cake, tarte tatin, which is technically more like an upside-down version of apple pie, was invented by the Tatin sisters at their hotel Lamotte Beuvron in the 19th century.
What is a substitute for dark rum in apple cake?
Simply replace the dark rum with more vanilla extract. Feel free to use up to one full tablespoon of vanilla extract.
What’s the difference between apple pie and apple cake?
Apple pie is an apple dessert where apples are the filling between two crusts made from shortcrust pastry. Apple cake, on the other hand, is diced apples surrounded by a batter made primarily of butter, flour, and sugar.
Other Baked Goods with Apples You Might Also Like:
Wondering what you can make with fresh apples? Well, you have come to the right place. Here are a few other apple recipes you might also like:
- Apple Almond Flour Muffins
- Vegan Apple Crisp
- Apple Baked Oatmeal
If you try this French Apple Cake, please take a minute to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe. And if you took some pictures, be sure to share them on Instagram using #foolproofeats so I can share them on my stories.
French Apple Cake Recipe
By Aysegul Sanford
Yields: 8 slices
Prep Time: 10 minutes mins
Cook Time: 50 minutes mins
Cooling time: 1 hour hr
Total Time: 2 hours hrs
This French Apple Cake is a simple yet classic fall cake featuring cubed apples folded in batter that is flavored with dark rum. Made with just a few everyday ingredients, it is a French apple dessert that you can make with only 15 minutes of hands-on time.
4.80 from 5 votes
Print Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter plus more for greasing the pan (110gr.)
- 4 large apples ~2 pounds, I used a mix of Honey Crisp and Granny Smith Apples
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour 110 gr.
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅛ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- ¾ cup coconut sugar or brown sugar*
- 2 tablespoons dark rum
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon powdered sugar optional
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 C). Generously butter an 8-inch** round springform pan. Line it with parchment paper, place it on a sheet pan, and set it aside.
Place butter in a small saucepan and heat until fully melted. Let it cool off the heat while you are working on the rest of the ingredients.
Core and peel apples, then cut them into 1-inch chunks. Set them aside.
Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Set it aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar until thoroughly mixed. Whisk in the rum and vanilla.
Whisk half of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, followed by half of the now-cooled melted butter.
Stir in the rest of the flour mixture and butter. Whisk until fully combined.
Fold in the apple chunks and make sure that they are fully coated with the batter.
Transfer the batter to the prepared cake pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Place the cake pan on a sheet pan (we do this to catch any bubbling juices.)
Bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Let it cool for 5 minutes, then run a knife through the edges to loosen the cake from the pan.
Transfer to a cake platter (or a wire rack) and let it cool for at least an hour before serving. If preferred, you can sprinkle it with a small amount of powdered sugar before serving.
Notes
- Yields: This recipe makes an 8-inch cake (8 slices). The nutritional values below are per slice.
- Sugar: You can substitute coconut sugar with an equal amount of brown sugar or granulated sugar. If you use granulated sugar, the surface of the cake will not brown as much.
- Cake pan: A 9-inch springform pan would also work, but the cake will be thinner. If you do not own a springform, you can make this in a cake pan, but make sure to grease it well so that it will come out easily.
- No alcohol version: If you prefer to use no alcohol or just want to skip the rum altogether, use a full tablespoon of vanilla extract in its place.
- Storage: This cake will keep fresh for up to 3 days at room temperature, covered on the kitchen counter. Since the cake itself is very moist, it’s best to store it covered with a cake dome, overturned bowl, or with a few toothpicks inserted throughout the top of the cake and then tented with plastic wrap. Alternatively, you can cut it into slices and store in an airtight container.
- Serving suggestions: A dollop of crème fraîche is possibly the most French way of serving it, but you can also top it off with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
- Cubed Apples: As you can see in the pictures, this cake is a bit different than your usual batter-heavy apple cake recipe. Rather, it is cubed apples covered with cake batter. Please be aware that due to the high moisture content of the cubed apples, it doesn’t rise as much as you would expect.
Nutrition
Calories: 266kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 71mg | Sodium: 124mg | Potassium: 129mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 458IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 1mg
Course: Cake
Cuisine: French
Diet: Vegetarian
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About Aysegul Sanford
Hello Friend! I’m Aysegul but you can call me “Ice.” I’m the cook/recipe-tester/photographer behind this site.
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Reader Interactions
Barbra
I’ve made this cake twice in the last week! My family LOVES it! We are a gluten and dairy free family, so I adjusted this recipe for that. It turned out beautifully, and I love that the star of this cake is apple! It’s not too sweet or greasy, and it’s a perfect balance of cake/apple. I added cinnamon and nutmeg in and I didn’t have dark rum but I had spiced rum! Fabulous!Reply
Aysegul Sanford
This is music to my ears Barbra.
I love the addition of cinnamon and nutmeg.
Thanks for coming by and taking the time to leave a review.
Cheers,
AysegulReply
Karen
Please, I’ve been looking for plates just like what you show here.
May I ask where you got them?
Also, I made this recipe tonight to go with shortcut chocroute recipe we are trying out.
Should be fabulous! Many thanks for sharing your talents!!
Reply
Aysegul Sanford
Hello Karen,
I bought the plate from World Market. I will send you an email with the direct link to it. I hope it is available for purchase now.
Thanks for your sweet words for the recipe.Reply
Dawn
Hi Aysegul, Can I substitute a half cup of apple sauce for a half cup of oil and then only use 1/2 cup of oil?Reply
Aysegul Sanford
Hello Dawn,
To be honest, I have never tried it. However, I see a lot of recipes use applesauce in place of oil so I think it would work.
Please let me know if you end up trying. Thanks for coming by.
Cheers,
IceReply
Evelyn
I started and mixed all ingredients as per your recipe and instructions. But when do the remaining 5 ounces of flour and 7 ounces of sugar come in to play? Confused.
Reply
Aysegul Sanford
Hi Evelyn,
In step 4 you use the 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of flour. And then in step 10 you used the rest of the flour and sugar.
Please let me know if this answers your question or if I can help in any way.
Cheers,
AysegulReply
Mona
I have found a lot of French Apple Cake recipes, however, I am gonna try this one … to be honest, the two different batters or the two batter alternations caught my eye and I hope it’ll turn out nice and creamy … can’t wait 🙂
Reply
Aysegul Sanford
Hi Mona,
This apple cake is truly delicious. I shared this recipe many years ago, but it is one that I make a lot during fall.
I hope you like it as much as we do. Please let me know if I can answer any questions for you.
Cheers!Reply
Raffaella Tate
thank you for your answer i did 3 times and it was perfect now it is not working anymore which is a shame as it is the best ever recipe ever. it is just very compact and dense now so not soft at all but very dense as if all collapsed which is the right temperature for a fan oven? which is the best fan or not?
i did again 5 times changing all possible combinations it seems there is so much liquid and all is just dense and wet
pls if you can help meReply
Raffaella Tate
hi i make this cake and turn out a big dense ans soggy do you know what could be the problem?
rReply
Aysegul Sanford
I am sorry to hear that. Can you please tell me about it a little bit more? Did you follow the recipe to a T? I am not sure how it could turn out both soggy and dense at the same time. This is a recipe that I make often so I am surprised that you had that issue.
If you could kindly give me more information, I will do my best to help.
Thanks.Reply
Aaron
Hi. If you had to substitute dairy milk with another kind, what would you choose? Almond, coconut, hemp, etc.?
Reply
Aysegul Sanford
Hi Aaron,
I am a big fan of unsweetened almond milk. However, I have never tried making this recipe with almond milk.
With that being said, it is definitely worth a try as this cake is literally my favorite breakfast cake.
Let me know how it turns out.
Thanks!Reply
Bethany
My cake ran out of the springform pan all over the baking sheet. It seems like they should have wrapped foil around the springform base. This took a lot of time to make. It’s baking now, my cake is becoming shorter and shorter by the minute. I’m a little ticked off. I even read their reviews of springform pans, they said that every one leaked. But I read that too late, my cake is already baking.
Reply
Aysegul Sanford
Hi Bethany,
I am sorry to hear that you are having trouble with this cake.
I have made it many times in the past and never had the issue of the batter running out of the springform pan to a level where you are left with a shorter cake.
Where did the batter run out of? Did you use at least 1 1/2 pound of apples? Because, in a way, apples carry the batter..
I want to help you, but don’t know how with the information you provided. I would really appreciate it if you could give me more information as to what went wrong..
I hope to hear from you soon.
Aysegul – “Ice”Reply
Bethany
Actually, it ended up being great! I lost maybe 1/2 cup of batter which leaked out… I guess that’s what the foil on the baking sheet is for. So I ended up with a cake and a big cookie.
Anyway, I didn’t have a kitchen scale to weigh the apples. I used three large apples. But the cake was really good! Some of the topping did sink into the cake, so it wasn’t as pretty as yours, but I love the way it turned out.
Thanks for responding!Aysegul Sanford
Bethany,
I am so glad it turned out okay. I was worried that it was going to be disappointing for you.
To tell the truth, none of my batter leaked. I wonder why your batter ended up being more liquid than mine.
Anyhow, again I am so happy to hear that it worked out.
Thank you SO much for letting me know.
Happy holidays and warm hugs from Virgin Gorda!
Ice
Dina
it looks delish!
Reply
Aysegul Sanford
Thank you Dina.. 🙂
Reply
Sherri McNary
Love French Apple Cake! Beautiful pictures!
Reply
Aysegul Sanford
Thank you Sherri! 🙂
Reply
