This is an incredibly easy French apple cake that is great served any time of day. My mum used to make it all the time – she still does. I especially love it served warm with vanilla ice cream or cream. Let’s go!
Nagi's Notes
For years I’ve been loyal to this Spiced Apple Cake. Then JB made his mum’s Apple Cake, and it completely won me over with its simplicity and the way it lets the apples truly shine. It’s unfussy, and just so damn lovely, I completely understand why it’s been a favourite in JB’s family for so long. I feel very honoured that his mother has allowed us to share it with the world. Thank you Madame Alexandre!
French Apple Cake
I have very good memories from my childhood of this Apple Cake (gâteau aux pommes). The area where I grew up was known for its apple trees, we would often come home from the local market with fresh apples just so we could bake one! You’ll find this cake all over France and everyone has their own version. This one is very close to my mum’s recipe, with a few little tweaks from me along the way (sorry, Mum!).
French Apple Cakes are all about letting the main character shine – the apples! They are less sugary and not loaded with cinnamon and other spices that dominate the flavour. Typically, the cake is not very tall, and the crumb is soft and buttery. It’s a rustic cake, simple to make and perfect to serve at an afternoon tea with family or friends.
Ingredients
We only use a few ingredients here with the apples being the stars. You can really use any apples, so this is a great recipe to make when you have a few sitting in the fruit bowl needing to be used up ☺️.
Apples – For best flavour I prefer sweet-tart apples like Pink Lady, Fuji or Jazz; Honey Crisp or Braeburn (US/UK) are also great. Personally, I don’t use Granny Smith here as I find they can be a little too tart, but they will still work if that’s what you have.
Pears will also work great here, as long as they are not overly ripe.
Butter – You need unsalted butter here, softened to room temperature.
Sugar – I use caster sugar / superfine sugar for the cake. You could use regular white sugar / granulated sugar, but I prefer the fine grains of caster sugar for baking, as they dissolve more easily.
Eggs – This cake uses “large eggs” – 50–55 g / 2 oz is the industry standard of sizes sold as “large eggs”. The eggs need to be room temperature else they will not incorporate smoothly into the batter. If your eggs are cold, you can easily bring them to room temp by placing them in a large bowl, covering them with warm (not hot) tap water and leaving for 5 minutes.
Vanilla extract – For best flavour, I like to use natural vanilla extract / pure vanilla extract.
Flour – Just plain flour / all-purpose flour.
Baking powder – Makes the batter rise and the crumb light. If your baking powder has been sitting in the pantry for a while, it’s best to check that it’s still active (it might be dead, even if it’s within use-by date!). Find out how to check it here.
Salt – Just a small amount, 1/4 teaspoon. This brings out the flavours in the cake.
How To Make French Apple Cake
This traditional French cake is easy-to-make and ideal for even beginner cooks. One thing that may surprise you is the thickness of the batter. It’s quite thick once everything is mixed together, especially after adding all the apples, but this is completely normal. As the cake bakes, the apples release moisture into the batter which creates that beautifully soft and tender texture.
Whisk dry ingredients – Whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium mixing bowl.
Cream butter and sugar – In a larger mixing bowl, using a handheld electric beaters (or in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment), beat the butter for about 1 minute on medium speed until creamy. Add the sugar and beat the mixture for another minute until fluffy and pale yellow.
Add eggs and vanilla – Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla and beat to combine.
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients – Add the flour mixture to the bowl and beat on low speed for about 30 seconds or until you can no longer see any bits of dry flour, then stop beating – don’t overmix.
Add apple – Add the diced apple and stir it evenly into the mixture using a spatula. The batter will be quite thick and not pourable.
Add batter to pan – Scoop the batter into a 23cm/9” lined cake pan, then level the surface.
Bake – Bake on the middle shelf of the oven at 180°C / 350°F (160°C fan-forced) for 35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.
Cool and serve – The top of the cake should be a nice golden brown colour. Let the cake cool for 5 minutes in the pan before turning it out onto a wire rack. Cool for 10 minutes if serving warm or let it cool completely. Dust with icing / powdered sugar (optional) and enjoy!
How to Serve French Apple Cake
My favourite way to serve French Apple Cake is warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side – très bon! But you can also serve it at room temperature. It’s just as good for afternoon tea as it is as the final sweet course to follow a simple French meal like Poulet rôti or Chicken Chasseur.
This cake is very close to my heart. I can’t wait for you to try it and hear what you think. Bon appétit! – JB
FAQ – French Apple Cake
I haven’t tried a gluten free version of this cake, so I can’t say for sure how it will turn out. Because this cake has very little batter and lots of apples, I think it should work quite well with a good quality 1:1 gluten free flour blend, but the texture may be slightly different. If you try it, I’d love to hear how it goes!
You can really use any apples for this cake as they won’t get overly soft. I like to use sweet-tart apples that hold their shape when baked so you still get lovely soft chunks inside the cake. In Australia, Pink Lady, Fuji and Jazz are great. In the US, Honeycrisp and Braeburn work very well too. I personally avoid Granny Smith because they are too tart but feel free to use them.
Absolutely. Pears work beautifully in this cake. Use ripe but still a little firm pears so they don’t fall apart while baking.
Watch How To Make It
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
French Apple Cake
Ingredients
- 3 red apples – I like Pink Lady , peeled and diced into 1.5cm/0.6" cubes (~ 3 1/2 cups) (Note 1 for other varieties)
- 100g(7 tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup caster sugar / superfine sugar (Note 2)
- 3 large eggs , at room temperature (55g/2oz each in shell)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract , natural / pure
- 1 1/3 cups plain flour / all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
For serving:
- Icing sugar / powdered sugar , for dusting
- Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, optional for serving
Instructions
ABBREVIATED RECIPE
- Cream butter then sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time, then vanilla. Beat in dry ingredients, stir through apple. Bake in 23cm/9″ pan at 180°C/350°F (160°C fan) for 30 minutes.
FULL RECIPE
- Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan-forced).
- Cake pan – Butter a 23cm/9" round cake pan and line the base with baking paper / parchment paper. No need to line the sides.
- Dry ingredients – In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
- Cream butter and sugar – Using a handheld beater or stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter for 1 minute on medium until creamed. Add the sugar and beat on medium for 1 minute until fluffy and becomes a paler yellow.
- Eggs and vanilla – Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract.
- Add the flour mixture into the bowl and beat on low until you can no longer see dry flour, then stop beating. You don't want to overmix.
- Apples – Stir through the diced apples using a spatula. The batter will be quite thick, it's not pourable.
- Bake – Spread the batter evenly into the prepared cake pan. Bake for 35 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean (because the batter is quite thick and if your oven runs a bit cool, it could take up to 45 minutes). (Note 3)
- Rest and serve – Let the cake rest for 5 minutes in the pan before removing. Cool for a further 10 minutes then serve warm or let it cool completely on a wire rack. Dust with icing sugar, if desired. If serving warm, it's especially lovely with a scoop of ice cream.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
In Memory Of Dozer
And finally, Dozer ☺️ These photos were taken at the RecipeTin Meals kitchen before a TV shoot while we were both getting ready. As you can see, Dozer is enjoying the full hair and make-up treatment by Kristy Orr who did an amazing job that day! Two good boys getting pampered… though I think one of us was having a really good hair day 🐾🐾🐾
Hello,
Many thanks to you and your for sharing this lovely cake recipe.
Along with some friends tomorrow am visiting a very loved member of our group who is very sick. My friend who is sick loves cake!
My cake looks exactly like yours.After it cooled I sprinkled the icing sugar. All ready to go for tomorrow…. right?
Wrong.
I’ve just returned home and half cake gone! Husband says’ that’s the best cake you’ve ever made!’
So, it’s late now and I’ve enjoyed a slice with a cup of tea.
I’ll be up early to bake another one. Eggs already out of fridge😁
Cheers,
June
ps it is one of the best cakes I’ve made
Thank you for your lovely photos of Dozer! i always look at them first before the recipes even when he was alive too, and thankyou for the delicious French Apple Cake. I have a little Retro coffee van and i made this for the van on the weekend and it disappeared with cream in no time AND with a coffee as well. i will make another one just for myself lol……
Oh my! We LOVE this cake!!! I did try the 8″ cake pan, but it was metal, so I actually overcooked it a bit!!! I didn’t know the glass pie plate would take longer- 10 minutes more than the recipe’s time….most of the “tasters” said it was probably just me (grrrr), so I must take all the blame😔.
The first one was less dry, but that mysterious “wholesome” taste was so evident in both!!! Usually I have cake with my whip cream, but not with this one! One “helpful” person said a teaspoon of cinnamon in my second cake would make it better …… I was sweet, and just smiled. And DIDN’T. Daughter just rolled her eyes!!! That’s not THIS cake!!!
There’s no way I could make this twice and be successful both times, but you did it, Sir. Thank you very much.
We have just had this cake as part of a celebration meal before my eldest son goes back to university. I’d run out of vanilla so added a little almond extract, and swirled some caramel sauce into the batter before baking. Delicious!
Thank you Christine for giving it a go for this special occasion ♥️
Made this gluten free with “ Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Baking flour and Pink Lady apples. Cooked 45 minutes, absolutely delicious, thank you JB
Perfect!! Thank you Gail!
Delicious French Apple Cake recipe winter dessert sorted many thanks.
Could you please recommend a hand held mixer?
Thank you Bronwyn! Ours is a Cuisinart mixer.
So good! Great flavour, the apple really got to shine through. Will be making again for sure!
Thanks for the lovely feedback Naomi 🙂
I made half the quantity in a loaf tin, to use up two tiny apples I had in the fridge for AGES. Delicious, quick and easy. Taking to lunch today 🙂 Thank you for another great recipe!!!
You are so welcome! Good job on baking it in a loaf tin. Thank you Shizue ♥️
Excellent recipe! Can’t wait to buy som vanilla ice cream to eat with it.
Thank you Diana 🙂
Lovely cake, although just 1 or 2 Pink Lady apples would have been more than enough. We put half in the batter and ended up layering the excess on the bottom of the pan, then putting the batter on top. Still a bit too much in the cake itself though.
Thank you for your feedback Philip 🙂
This was absolutely scrumptious …Light & tasty we ate 1/2 the cake between the 2 of us in one sitting!!
It does sound like it’s a winner hehe! Thank you Deeanna!
This French apple cake was delicious and very enjoyable! It also was super easy to make!
Thank you Kimberly!!
I made this gluten free and it was a slam dunk. Everyone loved it, even the kids! Served with dollop cream. I’ll 100% be making this again.
Perfect! You might to bake it more often than you think haha! Thank you Katie!
Absolutely scrumptious! My cake pan was slightly too small so I made 4 muffins with the left over mix. Did not disappoint!
Thank you Maree!!
Beautiful flavour, not too sweet, simple to make. Thank you for sharing another wonderful recipe!
Sounds like it’s a winner! Thank you Carolyn!
A winner for sure. Next time will cook just a bit longer. Although the skewer was clean I think the centre could have done with a bit more cooking. Delicious still.
Thank you for the feedback Lyn 🙂
Hi JB, Thanks for sharing your mom’s recipe. Delicious & gorgeous cake, definitely a keeper! Since I am a diabetic, I substituted with allulose sugar & sweetness was spot on. Didn’t sprinkle icing sugar & just ate it as it is. Hubby loves it too!
I’m so glad you were able to adapt the recipe to your needs! Thank you Susan!
Making it for the 2nd time right now. It’s so good. Kind of reminds me of the apple tea cake you used to get in WW. I think my tin is 18 or 20cm so it’s taking 45/50 mins.
Thanks for the kind words Tina!
I really like the texture of this cake. Relying on the eggs rather than raising agents it is soft and dense rather than light and airy
Definitely a keeper 😍
What a constructive feedback, thanks Frances! ♥️
Thanks JB this is the first one of your recipes I’ve made and it was great! Simple enough to make with the kids and great for an easy dessert
Thank you Natalie!! 🙂