Name: French Apple Cake
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 9
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 3 cups tart apples (Honeycrisp, Granny Smith etc), chopped (about 3 large apples); 1 cup (226 g) Land O' Lakes salted butter (if outside the U.S.A use unsalted butter), plus more for greasing; 1 cup (212g) white granulated sugar; 3 eggs, at room temperature; 2 teaspoons (10 ml) pure vanilla extract; 2 tablespoons (30 ml) dark rum; 2 cups (280g) all-purpose flour; 2 teaspoons (8 g) baking powder; 1/2 teaspoon (3 g) Kosher salt; Good-Quality Vanilla Ice Cream for serving, or whipped cream; 1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream; 2 tablespoons (14 g) powdered sugar; 1 teaspoon (5 ml) pure vanilla extract

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This French Apple Cake is a delicious combination of a moist interior and a crunchy exterior, loaded with soft tart apples and a hint of dark rum. It’s so easy and yummy it will become your new favorite fall cake recipe.

It’s the perfect cake to make on a lazy Sunday when you are craving fall flavors but don’t feel like putting in the work for an apple pie or apple tart. It’s homey, rustic quality is part of the charm!

It’s the kind of cake you won’t find in bakeries in France, but rather it’s made at home. These homey “grandmother” recipes are some of my favorite French recipes much like Hachis Parmentier, Endive Bechamel and Tomates Farcies.

A slice of apple cake on a plate with a scoop of vanilla ice cream — This cake pairs beautifully with vanilla ice cream or lightly sweetened homemade whipped cream.

Why You’ll Love This Cake

It’s an easy recipe made with basic pantry staples you probably already have on-hand.
It’s moist and delicious inside and crackly and crunchy on the outside.
It’s great served as a dessert with ice cream or whipped cream, but it also works as a brunch cake when served with coffee, an egg bake, or granola parfaits.
It doesn’t need to be “perfect”; the rustic quality is part of its charm, making it an excellent cake for beginners!
When not making cheesecake, it’s another great reason to use your cheesecake pan!

A whole cake on a cake stand with a slice of came on a plate with vanilla ice cream and a fork

Ingredients:

Apples: Tart apples work best for this recipe because they are a great combination against the sweetness of the cake and the sugary topping. Granny Smith or Honeycrisp are good options. If you can’t find these varieties where you live, ask someone in the produce department at your local grocery store. They are always happy to help and will steer you toward a tart baking apple.
Butter: If you live in the States, use salted American butter (Land 0′ Lakes is my favorite for baking); it will provide the best flavor. Outside the U.S., use unsalted butter. Make sure the butter is softened and at room temperature.
Sugar: Use white granulated sugar for the lightest, fluffiest crumb.
Eggs: Be sure your eggs are at room temperature; it will be easier to incorporate them into the butter.
Vanilla Extract: Be sure it’s pure vanilla extract (as opposed to imitation vanilla) for the best flavor.
Dark Rum gives this cake a wonderfully sophisticated flavor. I use just two tablespoons for a”hint” of rum flavor. If you don’t drink alcohol, substitute the rum with 1 1/2 teaspoons of rum extract. You can also use the rum extract for my Cannele recipe, another French recipe to try!
All-Purpose Flour: is all you need. No need to spring for any expensive cake flour.
Baking Powder: for a nice rise.
Salt: I use kosher salt for the best flavor.

A bottle of dark rum on a table with shot glasses filled with rum. — A hint of dark rum gives this cake a delicious, sophisticated flavor. It’s also a great match against the tart apples!

Step#1: Prepping the Apples

I like to use an apple slicer to ensure that my apple chunks are roughly the same size.
This will allow them to bake at the same rate, preventing some apples from being tender and others being hard.
The apple slicer also makes prepping 3 cups of chopped apples a lot easier and faster!

Tart apples being cut with an apple slicer and chopped on a cutting board — An apple slicer will ensure that your chopped apples are roughly the same size, allowing them to bake at the same rate.

Step#2: Making the Batter

Beat the butter and sugar well until nice and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes. This will give your cake a light and fluffy texture. Scrape down the bowl often to ensure they are combining well.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating in between each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed.
You’ll add the extract and rum and then the dry ingredients.
Stir in the apples with a spatula.
Then, transfer the batter to the prepared cheesecake pan and top it with the sugar.

A cheesecake pan filled with apple cake batter and topped with sugar — Adding sugar to the top right before baking will create a yummy, crackly top.

Step#3: Cooling the Cake

This cake is fragile because its interior is so soft and moist. Allow it to cool for at least 30 minutes before releasing the spring on the pan. That will give it time to set up and become less fragile.
It’s also important to run a sharp knife around the perimeter of the cake before releasing the spring. This will loosen any sugar or crumbs that have baked on the pan. This will prevent your cake from sticking to the ring and pulling apart once the ring is released.
You can keep the cake at room temperature, covered loosely with foil, until it’s ready to serve.

A cake with crackly topping in a cheesecake pan with a stack of plates and a cake server in the background — If you are not serving it right away, keep the cake in its tin and cover it loosely with a sheet of foil at room temperature.

Serving and Storing:

You can serve this cake at room temperature or keep it in its tin, covered with a sheet of foil, until ready to serve. Then, warm it in a 300F (150C) oven for 15 minutes. This is a nice touch if serving it with ice cream.
Or serve it with lightly sweetened homemade whipped cream (see recipe below).
This cake will stay fresh for 2-3 days, wrapped in foil at room temperature.
Or wrap individual slices in wax paper and foil and freeze for up to a month. Then remove the paper and foil, wrap gently in a paper towel, and microwave on high at 30-second increments until warmed through.