This French Apple Cake is a family favorite. I love apples and honestly never get tired of them since there are so many varieties to choose from.
I usually stick with pink lady or honey crisp. Giulia loves the granny smith and the golden delicious. Adrian always goes for the Jazz variety.
Apples from the market
Needless to say we end up with a basket full of apples. For a quick bite we slice them up and grab a spoon of peanut butter but on occasions we bake them into a French Apple Cake for a weekend treat.
What’s nice about this recipe is that you can make it with ingredients easily on hand. It’s also been interesting to me that I apparently always have dark rum on hand.
If you like to bake I would suggest getting a bottle of Dark Meyers Rum and put it right next to the Grand Mainer for adding that special kick to your desserts.
This cake is authentically French there is no cinnamon to be found. But I will tell you the rum really makes this French Apple Cake pop so don’t skip out on that one!
French Apple Cake in spring pan
French Apple Cake Recipe
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 35
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Category: Desserts
Ingredients
What you will need
- 1 ½ cup (204g) flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 4 to 6 regular size apples (a mix of varieties of what you have on hand)
- Note: If you want the ratio to be apples to cake then use 6 apples, if you want it to be more cake to apples then use 4 apples.
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 ½ cup (250g) sugar
- 4 tablespoons dark rum
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 12 tablespoons (1.5 sticks) (170g) butter, salted or unsalted, melted and cooled to room temperature
Instructions
Steps to Prepare & Bake
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC) and adjust the oven rack to the center of the oven.
- Heavily butter an 8- or 9-inch spring form pan.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Peel and core the apples, and slice them into wedges.
- In a large bowl, beat the eggs until foamy then whisk in the sugar, then rum and vanilla.
- Whisk in half of the flour mixture, and then gently stir in half of the melted butter
- Stir in the remaining flour mixture, then the rest of the butter.
- Fold in the apple slices until they’re well-coated with the batter.
- With a spatula scrape the batter into the prepared spring form pan and smooth out the top so it is even.
- Bake the cake for 35 minute to 1 hour (This will vary depending on your oven).
Notes
Test it out by inserting a toothpick into the center to check if it comes out clean. Let the cake cool for 5 minutes, and then run a knife around the edge to slowly to loosen the cake from the pan before you spring it out. Next carefully remove the sides of the cake pan, making sure no apples are stuck to it. This cake is truly wonderful and I am sure you will love it.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
Serving: I like to serve this cake a la mode. (warm cake with a scoop of ice cream).
75 Comments
Rick Smith
March 10, 2013 at 7:24 pmLooks great! I wonder about substituting Sweet Vermouth for the Dark Rum?
Carrie Pacini
June 16, 2013 at 10:10 amI think the Sweet Vermouth would work too.
Carol Benew
June 16, 2013 at 9:31 am“Sometimes
I will heat the cake up and serve it a la mode.” What does that mean??
A la mode means ‘fashionably’. That makes no sense to me.
Carrie Pacini
June 16, 2013 at 10:11 amHi Carol, in the United States “a la mode'” means to serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. I’ve updated the recipe so it’s clear. Thanks for asking about it.
Pat
August 20, 2013 at 5:39 pmWfhat can be substituted for the alcohol?
Carrie Pacini
August 20, 2013 at 5:41 pmI would just use more vanilla in place of the dark rum.
Gail
January 15, 2017 at 11:58 amI used some eggnog instead of the dark rum (which I didn’t have.) It was a hit. I also added a bit cinnamon to the apples before adding them to the batter and into the egg-sugar mixture before mixing it with the flour. It was very subtle.
Carrie Pacini
January 15, 2017 at 3:02 pmIt Sounds Great!
sarah
August 31, 2013 at 3:53 pmThere is also rum extract…I have used that when baking before. But a little goes a long way, as usual with extracts, so be careful or its will overwhelm the entire thing.
Carrie Pacini
September 3, 2013 at 9:59 amThanks Sarah for that insight!
Stephanie Waibel
August 28, 2015 at 8:07 pmCan you say how much rum e tract to use?
Carrie Pacini
September 3, 2015 at 2:10 pmHi Stephanie, Not sure if you already figured this out but I would try 3 Tablespoons of a Rum Extract for the cake.
kkk-k-k-elly
November 22, 2015 at 9:56 pmjust use rum. G-G-G-Golly!
Zelda
September 8, 2013 at 6:44 pmI made this tonight for dessert. The taste was great however the recipes calls for 6 large apples and i used 5 and it was too much.Not a good ratio of cake to apple. I will try it again tomorrow with less
Carrie Pacini
September 9, 2013 at 7:24 amHey Zelda, the cake batter will be less. It’s there to coat the apples and then bakes up around them into this cake. I like to load mine with apples but you can definitely use less. I will add a line in the recipe about the range of apples. Also I’ve noticed how large the apples are in the stores lately. I will make a note to just use the regular size apples because the large ones are jumbo size and way too big for this recipe.
Eve
October 10, 2013 at 1:59 amThank you! Made this tonight and it’s amazing! I didn’t have the rum so I added half a teaspoon of maple extract. Easy recipe, my only issue was the bake time was quite a bit over a hour. Other than that it was Perfect, will be making again. Whole family loved it. Thanks again.
Carrie Pacini
October 10, 2013 at 3:26 pmPerfect, I know the bake times can vary from oven to oven and also the weather can make a big difference too!
Eve
November 28, 2013 at 2:19 amI never think of the weather! I really should though, I live in Washington state. I’m actually making this again for thanksgiving tomorrow. Thanks again for the great recipe!
Emma
November 26, 2013 at 2:09 pmI made this last night and it was totally the hit of the dinner party. I used six apples and it was great, definitely wouldn’t go less, would very much consider going up to seven. Yum!
Carrie Pacini
November 28, 2013 at 10:05 amHi Emma, I am so glad it was a hit!
Jenny
December 25, 2013 at 8:44 pmI added in another 1/2 cup of almond flour and it made the cake less moist, plus taste better!
Carrie Pacini
January 2, 2014 at 10:34 amGreat idea Jenny! I use that trick in my blackberry tart to soak up the moisture from the fruit.
reneá
January 2, 2014 at 6:50 pmCan’t wait to taste this cake! It’s in the oven now, was out of rum so I used Drambuie(scotch with spiced honey), figured I’d give e it a shot!
Carrie Pacini
January 3, 2014 at 4:08 pmHey Renea, I’m interested to see how it went with the Drambuie!
Lena
January 6, 2014 at 1:20 amCarrie, thank you for a simple, mouthwatering recipe! I didn’t change anything, and the cake came out perfectly delicious. I’ll be making it again for sure!
Carrie Pacini
January 8, 2014 at 8:07 amThanks Lena!
Ashley
February 9, 2014 at 4:53 pmConsidering making this for a dinner party–in advance. Any insight on how well it freezes? If so, how to reheat it? Or if not to freeze, how to store until the evening if baked ahead in the morning?
Carrie Pacini
February 9, 2014 at 5:00 pmI’ve made the French Apple Cake the day before and warmed it up the next day. I stored it in the refrigerator. I don’t have any insight to how it freezes but the day before worked out great! I hope this helps you for your dinner party.
Lee R
June 30, 2018 at 12:14 pmDoes it freeze well?
Carrie Pacini
July 12, 2018 at 7:16 amHi Lee, I have not tired to freeze the French Apple Cake but I have made it the day before and it warmed up nicely :)
Lígia Dias
March 23, 2014 at 4:47 pmHi Carrie!
Thank you so much for the recipe :)
I didn’t put the rum (I didn’t have any) but it came out really ‘yumi’! A recipe to keep and repeat ;)
Best wishes
Carrie Pacini
March 24, 2014 at 7:51 pmHi Ligia! Glad you enjoyed the French Apple Cake!
June Trumper
April 25, 2014 at 8:23 amMade this for the second time today, really delicious, and the rum makes all the difference. I used six apples this time, and there is still room for more, so size does matter ! Will be making this recipe a lot. Thanks.
Carrie Pacini
April 25, 2014 at 9:16 amHi June, so glad you like it. The rum does take it up a notch :)
Alison
June 18, 2014 at 9:37 pmI’ve made this cake several times over the past year or so, and it is a HUGE hit with my friends. Whenever there’s a potluck, birthday party, or other occasion, I always get requests for apple cake! In fact, I’m making a couple for a friend’s wedding this weekend. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Chloe Crabtree
August 13, 2014 at 7:22 amThis sounds AND looks delicious! I have added this to my recipe file! I plan on sharing this on Celebrate and Decorate on Monday. Visitors will have to click over to your blog to get the recipe, I hope it helps them discover your wonderful blog!
Carrie Pacini
August 13, 2014 at 7:27 amThanks Chloe for the kind words!
Cheryl S.
September 8, 2014 at 9:19 pmHi Carrie: Greetz from Nova Scotia, Canada. I just made this cake. I used 5 apples and it took just under an hour to bake, I used Kraken Black spiced rum (that was all that was in my Dad’s liquor stash). I had a handful of chopped pecans hanging around and I threw them in. The cake turned out moist, heavy, a beautiful color, but it just lacked something. Perhaps it was the apples I used, however the apples didn’t turn mushy and the slice I had looked picture-perfect. The cake just lacked flavor. Could it be that I am so used to apples with cinnamon? I don’t know. I will make this cake again and try it with Granny Smith apples. Making the cake was a breeze.
Carrie Pacini
September 9, 2014 at 1:22 pmHi Cheryl, What type of apples did you use? If you are used to cinnamon then add it and let me know how it goes. It’s one of my favorite cakes to make since it’s quick, easy and tasty.
Cheryl S.
September 9, 2014 at 4:42 pmI used Gala apples. They had absolutely no taste. I went down to the Annapolis Valley today and and got some fresh Graevnsteins…I think I will try them in your recipe along with a whisper of cinnamon and a smidge of nutmeg. I really liked the fact that this cake was just so easy to make. Will keep you posted. Thanks for a dynamite recipe.
Carrie Pacini
September 9, 2014 at 5:43 pmI usually use Cripps Pink also known as Pink Lady Apples. I bet the Gravensteins will be good especially if they are fresh!
Sheila
September 19, 2014 at 6:58 pmA truly wonderfully delicious apple cake. This is a keeper.
Carrie Pacini
September 25, 2014 at 5:49 amI think so too Sheila, one of my favorites.
catalina
October 25, 2014 at 4:22 pmHi !
I made the cake today and used orange juice instead of the rum; also added the zest from one lemon and used Granny Smith apples, cut into 1/2 inch chunks. Amazing citrus flavor and the cake is a hit in my book.
Thank you :)
Carrie Pacini
October 29, 2014 at 7:05 pmYUM! Catalina, your combination sounds like a winner to me. Honestly this is one of my favorite cakes that I can pull together quickly. I really love that you experimented with it.
Kathy Johnson
November 23, 2014 at 1:53 pmHas anyone tried adding raspberries? I have been trying to find a delicious apple/raspberry dessert but don’t want to do the traditional crumbles.
Carrie Pacini
November 24, 2014 at 12:03 amHi Kathy, I’ve added all types of berries to this. It turns out wonderful.
Donna
September 10, 2015 at 9:42 pmI would like to add strawberries with the apples Carrie. What would the ratio be?
Carrie Pacini
September 11, 2015 at 6:13 amHi Donna, If I were adding strawberries to this recipe I would probably start with 10 -12 (med to small) strawberries cut in halves. I would fold them into the mix gently. Let me know how it goes. Thanks, Carrie
jeszica
March 31, 2015 at 5:18 amHello,
Made this today and came out perfect! But what are your suggestions for storing leftover cake ?
Carrie Pacini
April 1, 2015 at 4:36 pmI like to store the French Apple Cake in the fridge.
maria haskell
September 25, 2015 at 6:06 amhi carrie,
just looking for a recipe to use up the load of apples i had and found yours! sounds great, so u will be glad to know that it’s in the oven as i write this. i added a bit of vanilla from the pod plus a bit of the extract plus the dark rum… hmmm looks really good. anyway, thanks for inspiring me today.
Carrie Pacini
September 25, 2015 at 6:58 amHi Maria, Sounds great, hope you love it :)
Maria Haskell
September 28, 2015 at 6:12 pmIts the most delicious apple cake I’ve ever tried. I love baking and here in England we are used to the cinnamon thing but this is going to my recipe notebook. It is gorgeous. Thank u again for sharing! Xxx
Carrie Pacini
September 28, 2015 at 10:15 pmThanks Maria for your lovely comment. I so glad you enjoyed the Apple Cake.
SMR
October 12, 2015 at 3:22 amRe: Rum
This is the first recipe for this cake that I’ve seen that calls for rum. Calvados appears to be more common – which makes sense, as it’s both French and made from apples. I have a few friends who swear by applejack (an American version of apple brandy), though I imagine the average French baker would gasp in utter horror to hear such a thing.
I’ve used really strong apple juice (or reduced apple juice) in place of Calvados – or even sparkling apple juice (again, really strong). The point of the brandy is to highlight the apple flavor without making it too sweet, so if I don’t have a good, tart juice available, I just leave it out.
On the other hand, rum is basically distilled molasses, which is drawn out of brown sugar, which goes nicely with apples, so I can see how this recipe could work.
Carrie Pacini
October 13, 2015 at 6:13 amYou can omit the rum and then you have a classic French Apple Cake but honestly I couldn’t help it and ended up adding the rum. I really love how it turned out. I actually just made it with peaches the other day and it was a hit with my guest.
Pilar
October 12, 2015 at 11:15 amHi Carrie, have you tried this using almond flour?
Carrie Pacini
October 13, 2015 at 6:14 amHi Pilar, I haven’t used almond flour for this recipe just all-purpose.
NIDIA SVARE
November 3, 2017 at 9:00 pmI’m made it using bob red mills 1 to 1 gluten free flour and changed nothing else, and you would never be able to tell!! My favorite recipe.
Carrie Pacini
November 5, 2017 at 4:33 pmThat’s great to hear! Thanks for letting me know.
Scott C
October 13, 2015 at 11:53 amCarrie,
After getting tired of making Jewish apple cake, I did a search and found your site and this recipe. I’m so glad I did! The only alteration I made was using spiced rum (that I had on hand) rather than dark rum. It was delicious! Thank you for the recipe. I may never make another Jewish Apple cake again.
Carrie Pacini
October 13, 2015 at 3:00 pmOh Good! I really love this cake too and as I mentioned in the comment this morning I made it with peaches and it was delicious :)
Cathy
October 18, 2015 at 3:54 pmCan I make this ahead and freeze the cake?
Carrie Pacini
October 21, 2015 at 8:40 amHi Cathy, I haven’t tired that with this cake but you can give it a shot!
GIOVANNI PIZZOFERRATO
November 12, 2015 at 1:20 pmHi Carrie, this cake is over the top, Best of the BEST, Thank you, Giovanni.I have a question, could I use, peach or pear or berry medley for the fruit?
Carrie Pacini
November 15, 2015 at 9:23 amHi Giovanni, I recently used peaches and loved how it came out. Just be mindful of fruit that tends to hold water. It could change the profile of the cake a bit but it will still taste great.
Mary
November 15, 2015 at 11:12 pmHi Carrie, thank you so much for this awesome cake recipe, just wanna mention that I used dewars whiskey instead of rum and it is jaw dropping delicious! Not to mention I only had brown sugar in the house so used that instead and had to use safflower oil instead of butter. I reduced the amount of oil to 9 tablespoons… you have saved my family from missing german apple cake in hawaii!!
Carrie Pacini
November 18, 2015 at 3:49 pmHi Mary! That sounds awesome! I will have to try dewars next time :)
Shuba Silvadas
November 9, 2016 at 10:05 amHi Carrie, hello from Malaysia. Tried making your french apple cake and it turned out delicious and disappeared in no time :) Thank you for the recipe. You are right, the rum really made a difference. I found it a bit sweet, but everyone else didnt seem to mind the sweetness. Could i make this with brown sugar? And if i want to make it less sweet, how much sugar should i use for brown as well as white sugar.
Catherine
May 20, 2017 at 5:41 amI just made this cake and it tastes really nice! It was hard to do the skewer test because the apples clean off the skewer on the way out so I didn’t really know when to take it out. It filled a 10″ cake tin and I had it in the oven around 50 mins… next time I won’t fill the tin so much because it was slightly undercooked in the middle but the edges were cooked… I think ’cause I had so much in one tin. It’s still really nice!! I had it with a big dollop of cream. The rum really comes through. Love this recipe.
Gary Levin
July 6, 2018 at 5:47 pmHi , do you have the internal temperature for when it’s done beyond the toothpick test?
Carrie Pacini
July 11, 2018 at 9:19 amHi Gary, I do not… but the toothpick test is what I’ve always used :)
Stephanie Casey
November 13, 2018 at 11:11 pmHi Carrie, I want to make this earlier in the day to serve later. How do you suggest reheating it?
Carrie Pacini
November 14, 2018 at 7:40 amHi Stephanie, you can re-heat it in the oven for 5 to 8 minutes at 325 degrees (keep an eye on it). Just make sure it is at room temp before putting it in the oven.