When it comes to French baking it’s all about the simplicity in ingredients yet nothing less than sophistication. That’s why the French Apple Cake not only uses the simplest of ingredients but it also has rum for that slight elegance of taste to each and every delectable bite.
If you don’t have rum on hand then you can do either one of two things: 1) increase the amount of vanilla extract by double/triple or 2) make that extra trip to the store and buy a bottle of rum. Better go for choice #2 though because without the rum this French Apple Cake wouldn’t be as unique, and it certainly wouldn’t be authentic French!
It tastes perfect with just a dust of confectioners’ sugar, but if you want a little something special with it you can certainly add a dollop of crème fraîche , whipped cream or even a scoop of your favorite vanilla ice cream. It’s delicious warm and also at room temperature but my personal favorite is when it’s chilled for at least an hour in the refrigerator before serving.
Adapted from Once Upon A Chef and David Lebovitz (who adapted the recipe from Dorie Greenspan’s book, Around My French Table) with slight changes to make this the perfect French Apple Cake recipe.
French Apple Cake
A delicious and sophisticated version of an apple cake. The addition of rum gives this cake a unique and authentic French taste.
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (spooned into measuring cup and leveled off)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 large apples (fuji or granny smith, or a mix)
- 2 large eggs
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 3 tablespoons dark rum
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
- 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Step 2 Melt butter in a small pot over very low heat. Let it completely cool to room temperature.
- Step 3 Grease a 9-inch springform pan.
- Step 4 In a small bowl whisk flour, baking powder and salt together. Set aside. *(It is very important to spoon the flour into the measuring cup. If you pack the flour into your measuring cup you may have too much flour which will result in a dry and crumbly texture).
- Step 5 With 2 apples: peel, quarter and core. Dice into small chunks. Place in a small bowl and set aside. These apple chunks will be later added to the batter.
- Step 6 With 1 apple: peel, quarter and core. Thinly slice. Place in a small bowl and set aside. These will later be placed on top of cake to make a decorative visual.
- Step 7 In a large bowl, beat the eggs until foamy. Then whisk in the sugar, rum, and vanilla extract. Whisk in half of the flour mixture, then gently stir in half of the melted butter. Stir in the remaining flour mixture, then the rest of the butter. Do not overmix.
- Step 8 Fold apple chunks into batter until they’re well coated. Scrape butter into prepared cake pan. Smooth and level out the top. Place thinly sliced apples on top of the cake, fanning out the slices in a circle on the outer edges.
- Step 9 Bake cake for about 40 minutes. Cake is ready when top is slightly golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool before releasing it out of the springform pan.
- Step 10 Dust with confectioners’ sugar and let it cool further in the refrigerator (at least an hour) until ready to serve. Serve as is…or with a dollop of crème fraîche, whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream
- Step 11 To make homemade whipped cream: Whisk 1 cup of heavy cream until it becomes fluffy and thick. Then add 3 tablespoons of sugar and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract and whip again until your desired texture.