This isn’t your grandmother’s slab of apple pie pretending to be cake. French apple cake with sliced apples is a study in restraint—just enough batter to glue together delicate, overlapping layers of fruit. It bakes into something that looks humble but cuts like golden silk, the apples melting into custard at the core and caramelizing at the edges. It’s the kind of thing you’d stumble into a café for in the Marais, dusted with powdered sugar and served with nothing more than a shrug.
Recommended Tools (Affiliate Equipment List)
- 1 Pound Loaf Pan
- Mandoline slicer (for even, thin apple slices)
- Digital kitchen scale
- Silicone spatula
- Cooling rack
French Apple Cake Ingredients
- 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- ¾ cup (150g) sugar
- 1 stick (115g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 3 tablespoon dark rum or Calvados
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3–4 medium apples, I like Honeycrsip peeled, cored, sliced thinly (use a mandoline if possible)
Optional: powdered sugar for dusting
Step by Step Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 1 pound loaf pan. You can also line with parchment making a cradle
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, beat eggs and sugar until pale and thick.
4. Mix in melted butter, rum, and vanilla.
5. Fold in dry ingredients until just combined.
6. Add the thin apple slices, turning gently to coat each piece in batter. The batter will barely cover them—that’s correct.
7. Arrange mixture into the pan, pressing lightly to settle apples evenly.
8. Bake 45–55 minutes, until golden brown and set in the center.
9. Cool 10 minutes before removing the springform ring. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
Storage Tips
- Counter: Covered, 1–2 days (best day-of).
- Fridge: Up to 5 days, rewarm slices gently.
- Freezer: Wrap in parchment and foil, freeze up to 2 months.
Related Dinner Itinerary: French Comfort with Elegance with this French-inspired dinner for 6–8 guests:
- Starter: French onion soup with melted Gruyère
- Main: Pan-seared duck breast with cherry sauce
- Side: Haricots verts almondine
- Dessert (the star): French Apple Cake, served with crème fraîche
French Apple Cake: Rustic Elegance
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 Cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 stick butter unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 3 tablespoon dark rum or Calvados
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 4 apples peeled, cored, sliced very thinly (use a mandoline if possible)
Instructions
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9-inch springform pan.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, beat eggs and sugar until pale and thick.
- Mix in melted butter, rum, and vanilla.
- Fold in dry ingredients until just combined.
- Add the thin apple slices, turning gently to coat each piece in batter. The batter will barely cover them—that’s correct.
- Arrange mixture into the pan, pressing lightly to settle apples evenly.
- Bake 45–55 minutes, until golden brown and set in the center.
- Cool 10 minutes before removing the springform ring. Dust with powdered sugar before serving.
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