Buttery Cake filled with chunks of apples and baked till perfection. A slice of French apple cake with a cup of tea is heaven just like my french almond cake. Super yummy cake made using a buttery rum flavoured cake batter and fresh apples. Both of them merged together to create this amazing cake. Learn how to make the best apple cake with step by step pictures and video.
Apple Cake
Apples are in season right now. I have no problem enjoying those fresh. But my passion for baking urged me to bake something. I decided to bake a proper apple cake. Tried this simple apple cake which is inspired from my french almond cake. The outcome was so yum, it tasted just divine and guess what the cake is over by now.
And here is a short story about my last weekend. When I put this cake in oven, I opened my fridge drawer and a saw a small pack of shortcrust pastry which was wrapped in plastic wrap. It was not a huge batch because I used most of it few days back. So I decided to make some delicious dessert using that. First I thought of making some cookies using that, then those apples blinked at me, so i made a mini apple galette. It was delicious indeed.
Table of Contents
About Apple Cake
When the weather turns colder and you hold a hot cup of tea or coffee in your hands. All you can think is a slice of apple cake to indulge with your coffee and get into the holiday season coming up. This Apple cake is a basic recipe made using butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla, flour and apples. As a bonus touch this cake has a dash of rum.
This cake has lots of apples which makes you think, there is too much apples for the amount of batter. But trust me, there isn't. Once everything is baked, you get the perfect ratio of cake to apple. Apples make this cake so moist and tasty. Also don't skip the sprinkling of sugar on top. It does give a magic crispy sugary exterior.
Making delicious apple cake is super easy to make and taste absolutely soft and fruity. If you are looking for more apple inspired cake recipes, make sure to check out my Dutch apple cake, Apple cinnamon loaf cake and Apple muffins.
Watch Apple Cake Video
Apple Cake Ingredients
Apples - use fresh, juicy crisp apples in this cake. chop them finely to evenly distribute throughout the cake.
Plain Flour - I used regular plain flour, sift them through a fine mesh sieve to remove any lumps.
Sugar - regular granulated sugar is what I used. But you can use caster or super fine sugar.
Eggs - make sure you add eggs one at a time for even mixing.
Vanilla Extract - this enhances the apple flavour and makes your house smell so good.
Baking Powder - gives the required amount of lift to the batter.
Optional - a dash of cinnamon goes well with apples. Also feel free to skip out the rum used in the cake if that is not your thing.
Which Apples to Use for Apple Cake
Be sure to select baking apples for this recipe. Baking apples hold their shape when baked, so the chunks of fruit won’t turn into applesauce in the oven. Tart-sweet varietals such as Granny Smith, Honey Crisp, Pink Lady, Braeburn, and Jonagold are all good options.
Crisp, juicy apples taste best when making apple cake.
How to Prepare Apples for Cake
- Wash apples really well. Dry them completely using a kitchen towel. Use a peeler to peel your apples.
- Halve apples using a sharp knife. Then cut each halve into quarters.
- Now use your knife to remove the seeds and core your apples.
- Now you can chop them as you prefer. I like to chop them fairly small so it distributes evenly throughout the cake.
Apple Cake in 4 Easy Steps
Pre-preparation - includes preparing baking pans for baking, preheating oven, chopping up apples and mixing dry ingredients.
Creaming butter, sugar & eggs - Cream together butter, sugar and vanilla extract. Add in rum and fold gently. Add eggs and mix till combined.
Making cake batter - Transfer the flour mix and fold gently. Add in chopped apples and fold gently.
Baking & Serving - Spoon it into baking pan and sprinkle sugar on top. Bake, cool, slice & serve.
Expert Tips
Choosing Apples - Be sure to select baking apples for this recipe. Baking apples hold their shape when baked, so the chunks of fruit won’t turn into applesauce in the oven. Tart-sweet varietals such as Granny Smith, Honey Crisp, Pink Lady, Braeburn, and Jonagold are all good options.
Creaming butter & sugar - Cream butter and sugar till fluffy and creamy so it makes the cake light and fluffy.
No Over mixing - Don't over mix the batter because over mixing makes the cake tough.
Substitutes - Instead of apples you can use pears too.
How to Make Apple Cake (Stepwise Pictures)
Two Ways to Prepare Cake Pan for Baking Apple Cake
1)You can prepare the cake pan two ways. I am using a 18 cm round cake pan. Greasing it well with oil or melted butter. Sprinkle flour over it and coat on all sides. Once coated, tap the excess flour over a sink. Set aside.
Instead of doing the above step. you can easily line the pan with parchment paper. Take a sheet of parchment paper and fold it in half and again in half. Now fold it in triangle. Invert the cake pan, place the pointed end of the parchment paper in the centre of the pan and fold the parchment paper that comes upto the rim. Use a pair of scissors to cut the excess. Now you can unfold the parchment and line the pan.
2) preheat oven to 180 degree C | 356 degree F. Meanwhile prepare your apples. Peel two crisp apples, halve them, quarter each halves. Remove the seeds and chop them into small pieces. Set aside.
Dry Ingredients
3)Mix the dry ingredients together. In a mixing bowl, take plain flour.
4)Add in salt. Salt enhances the flavour so don’t skip adding it.
5)Add in baking powder. Instead of mixing this in a bowl. You can sift dry ingredients in a sieve.
5)Mix all the ingredients using a spatula or whisk. Set aside. This is your dry ingredients.
Creaming Butter & Sugar
6)In a large mixing bowl add your butter. Make sure butter is unsalted and it is at room temperature. Room temperature butter creams better. I prefer to remove the butter from fridge at least 2 hours before baking.
7)Add in sugar. I used granulated sugar. You can use caster or super fine sugar.
8)Add in pure vanilla extract. I used my homemade vanilla extract which is unbeatable.
9)Now use an electric beater to cream butter with sugar and vanilla. You can use stand mixer or just hand whisk. If you are using an electric beater, cream butter and sugar for at least 3 minutes. Make sure you scrape the sides of bowl in-between for even mixing.
10)Now add in eggs. Add one egg at a time. After adding one egg, use your hand beater to combine the egg with the creamed butter and sugar.
11)Make sure your eggs are at room temperature. Room temp eggs mix evenly with your butter and sugar. Fridge cold eggs will sieve up the butter and makes your mixture curdle.
12)Once one egg is mixed in, add in the second egg.
13)Now it is your choice to choose on adding a dash of rum. Rum enhances the flavour which can be skipped too.
14) Now the mixture looks all creamy.
Apple Cake Batter
15)Add in the flour mixture.
16)Use the same beater to mix it into the butter sugar mixture. Use lower speed to do this job. Also don’t over mix the batter.
17)Now switch to spatula. Add in chopped apples in.
18)Use your spatula to gently fold the apples into the batter. Don’t over mix the batter. Mix the batter gently.
Baking Apple Cake
19)Transfer the cake batter into the prepared cake pan. Use an offset spatula to spread the batter evenly in your pan.
20)Now take a tablespoon of granulated sugar and sprinkle evenly over the cake. This step is important for getting perfect crust over the cake.
21)Place your cake pan into the preheated oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. To check whether the cake is baked, insert a tooth pick in the centre of the cake and it should come out clean. If the toothpick has any batter stuck to it. Bake for 5 more minutes.
22)Remove the cake pan from oven and allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Use a butter knife to ease the sides of the cake. Gently un mould the cake on a serving platter. Slice and enjoy warm with a cup of tea or coffee.
More Apple Recipes to Try
📖 Recipe Card
Apple Cake | French Apple Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup Unsalted Butter 110 grams
- ½ cup Sugar 100 grams
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 2 large Eggs
- 2 tbsp Rum optional
- 1 cup All Purpose Flour 120 grams
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- ⅛ tsp Salt
- 2 Apples (peeled and chopped) I used gala variety
- 1½ tbsp Sugar for sprinkling over cake
- My 1 cup measure 240 ml
Instructions
- Prepare a 18 cm cake pan by greasing it well with oil or melted butter. Sprinkle flour over it and coat on all sides. Once coated, tap the excess flour over a sink. Instead of doing this you can line the pan with parchment paper. Also make sure you preheat oven to 180 degree C | 356 degree F.
- Meanwhile prepare your apples. Peel two crisp apples, halve them, quarter each halves. Remove the seeds and chop them into small pieces. Set aside.
- Mix the dry ingredients together. In a mixing bowl, take plain flour. Add in baking powder. Instead of mixing this in a bowl. You can sift dry ingredients in a sieve. Add in salt. Mix all the ingredients using a spatula or whisk. Set aside. This is your dry ingredients.
- In a large mixing bowl add your butter. Make sure butter is unsalted and it is at room temperature. Room temperature butter creams better. I prefer to remove the butter from fridge at least 2 hours before baking.
- Add in sugar. I used granulated sugar. You can use caster or super fine sugar. Add in pure vanilla extract. I used my homemade vanilla extract which is unbeatable.
- Now use an electric beater to cream butter with sugar and vanilla. You can use stand mixer or just hand whisk. If you are using an electric beater, cream butter and sugar for at least 3 minutes. Make sure you scrape the sides of bowl in-between for even mixing.
- Now add in eggs. Add one egg at a time. After adding one egg, use your hand beater to combine the egg with the creamed butter and sugar. Once one egg is mixed in, add in the second egg. Make sure your eggs are at room temperature. Room temp eggs mix evenly with your butter and sugar. Fridge cold eggs will sieve up the butter and makes your mixture curdle.
- Now it is your choice to choose on adding a dash of rum. Rum enhances the flavour which can be skipped too. Now the mixture looks all creamy.
- Add in the flour mixture and use the same beater to mix it into the butter sugar mixture. Use lower speed to do this job. Also don’t over mix the batter.
- Now switch to spatula. Add in chopped apples in. Use your spatula to gently fold the apples into the batter. Don’t over mix the batter. Mix the batter gently.
- Transfer the cake batter into the prepared cake pan. Use an offset spatula to spread the batter evenly in your pan.
- Now take a tablespoon of granulated sugar and sprinkle evenly over the cake. This step is important for getting perfect crust over the cake.
- Place your cake pan into the preheated oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. To check whether the cake is baked, insert a tooth pick in the centre of the cake and it should come out clean. If the toothpick has any batter stuck to it. Bake for 5 more minutes.
- Remove the cake pan from oven and allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Use a butter knife to ease the sides of the cake. Gently un mould the cake on a serving platter. Slice and enjoy warm with a cup of tea or coffee.
Video
Notes
- Cream butter and sugar till fluffy and creamy which makes the cake light and fluffy.
- Don't over mix the batter, over mixing makes the cake tough.
- Be sure to select baking apples for this recipe. Baking apples hold their shape when baked, so the chunks of fruit won’t turn into applesauce in the oven. Tart-sweet varietals such as Granny Smith, Honey Crisp, Pink Lady, Braeburn, and Jonagold are all good options.
- Instead of apples you can use pears too.
Nutrition
If you have any questions not covered in this post and if you need help, leave me a comment or mail me @[email protected] and I’ll help as soon as I can.
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Avni
Aarthi can v bake dis cake without eggs
It luks so tempting
Thanks dear
Avni
Diva
You can replace egg with ripe mashed banana, I added 2 small bananas for 2 eggs, and it came out amazing.
Aarthi
@Avnisorry eggs are must for this
Anonymous
Can we bake it in pressure cooker
sonali
hi Arthi
i wanted to know whether we can replace maida with either whole wheat or ragi flour or combination?
pl suggest cause recipe looks yummmmm
Jackie
How can i
Double this recipe?
Aarthi
There is an option in the recipe written part for doubling it. Kindly use that feature.
Aarthi
@sonalii can use whole wheat flour, but it will make the cake a little dense. You can use half maida and half whole wheat flour
Aarthi
@Anonymousyes u can make this in pressure cooker too
Anonymous
awesomeee...i tried t yesterday and it tasted great...but i never used rum...i am so curious as to how the cake will taste with the addition of rum...
Moni
I tried this recipe twice. The taste was good but both times,the top layer was quite burnt out, and not like yours. I had to scrape it off before eating. What am I doing wrong?
Victoria
Could be your oven.
Moni
I tried this recipe twice. The taste was good but both times,the top layer was quite burnt out, and not like yours. I had to scrape it off before eating. What am I doing wrong?
Aarthi
@Monimay the the tin is placed too close to the top coil
Anonymous
I baked this recipe twice too. Each time, the top layer cracked.
Aarthi
@Anonymousi think the pan which u used is small. use a 18 cm round cake pan
akanksha sharma
Hi, aarthi, which oven do you use for baking, as I planning to buy one, can you please suggest which model is best for baking. Tia.
Aarthi
@akanksha sharmacheck this
https://www.yummytummyaarthi.com/2014/03/meet-my-ovens-ovens-which-i-use-best.html
JPaik
My first baked apple cake. Super easy and very yummy. I choose this among so many apple cake recipes because amount of sugar. My husband hates sugary stuff so this is perfect!
still sweet enough. Love this and will check your other recipes. Thank you!!!!!
Arya kris
I tried this one out, and came really well. Thanks Arthur 😄
Ashwini
Hey Aarthi! I tried this recipe.. it came out so well. N loved the taste of the cake. Thanks for providing such awesome recipes. The best part about your recipes is that it's simple. Keep it going.
Sam
Recently made the cake, delicious, thanks.
Sam
Just made the cake, deliscious, thanks.
Eric
Love your recipe. Our family has had a family handed down recipe called "Raw Apple Cake". Very similar to yours, but we grate the apples and then add them to the wet ingredients and the flavor(s) infuses with the apples better. As you can tell I love to cook. I will try yours. Thanks
L. Jackson
Can I use a bunt pan for this cake?
Will
Made it today with my granddaughters.
It is amazing!
Kathy
I made this today and it's so moist and delicious! This recipe is definitely a keeper...I plan on making this many more times. Scrumptious...num num num...
Kamelia
Hello can i use oil not butter ?
Aarthi
yes u can. but butter gives richer cake
Celina
Tried this recipe. It was easy to follow and it came out absolutely scrumptious. The cake is a light texture and not too sweet. I seasoned my apples with cinnamon before I folded them in. My oven goes by Fahrenheit degrees so I set it to 350 and baked about 10 minutes longer than recommended in the recipe. I would try it again.
Satish
Followed the recipe to the letter... Awesome flavour and texture. My wife loved it... Thank you..
Deepika
Urgent Clarification Aarthi, thinking of baking this now. Can I use Jaggery instead of Sugar ?..
Aarthi
Not so sure, you can try though
Deepika
Tried it with wheat flour and jaggery.. turned out to be very nice !
Thanks for the nice
Soraya Garcia
I dont think 180 is the right oven temperature.
Aarthi
yes it is right.
A Butler
180 degrees centigrade is 356 degrees Fahrenheit - so 350 degrees would be right. Hope this helps.
Having lived and baked in Europe, this is a very European recipe, with butter, not too sweet, moist, and allowing the fruit to be the star, enhancing the apple flavor with a simple set of ingredients.
Dianne
Hi what can i use instead of vanilla as i can't use it, i have almond essence, maple syrup, or salted caramel flavoring, or would you suggest an alternative.
Tillie T
Hi Dianne. I substituted the vanilla for almond extract because I like the almond flavor with fruit desserts and it was divine.
Aarthi
glad you tried and liked it.
Vanessa
Thanks for sharing! I am excited to try this. I'm glad you included all the pictures!
GingerM
Would this cake freeze well?
Ingrid
I didn't get the sugar on til after it baked a while so top never got browned. It is very good!!! Only thing wrong I found is that it is too small and I didn't have ice cream to put on the warm cake. LOL Can I double recipe?
Aarthi
yes u can
Karen
I thought the French Apple Cake is wonderful. It is not a very sweet dessert. I like it the way it was but people that like really sweet desserts may want to make a vanilla or Caramel sauce to drizzle over it before serving.
disha
Aarti can use microwave?
Carol Figueira
Tried and tested! Definitely a keeper.
Thanks Aarti.
Margo
This cake is delicious and is very European tasting-- not too sweet, just right. I substituted 2 T of Salvador, an apple-based brandy and it was wonderful. Will definitely make this again. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
suzanne Smith
i've made this cake 3 times now and we love it. i made mine in a springform pan 8x8 and it came out so easy also made a rum sauce.= to put over it. delicious! Next I will try the ricota cake. thank you for your recipes/
Jan
I am making this right now, and it smells yummy. I did not use resume, but I did put a tsp of almond extract in, in addition to the vanilla. The batter tasted good. Hope the cake is as good!
Bern
Made cake, it very good. I added a dash of cinnamon and nutmeg, baked for 30 minuets.
Will make again.
MiMi
Hubby is allergic to cinnamon so I was pretty excited to finally find an apple recipe with a moderate amount of sugar and no cinnamon!! Made it, loved it. Making it again today, I think I will add a little bit more apple and see how it comes out. I love recipes that are chock-full of fresh fruits or veggies! This recipe is a "keeper" in our house.
Mia
Try lemon rind since hubby is allergic to cinnamon. The flavour is divine
Tawee
Did u use maavu apples for this recipe ? Or the crispy ones
Tawee
Did you use maavu apples for this recipe
Sam
Can I prepare the pan of cake a day in advance and then bake it straight out of the fridge? I want to serve this warm when guests arrive.
Renu
This was an absolute disaster,first time I tried without baking soda like the above recipe n it was real hard inspite of the eggs used,total waste of ingredients and time,pl excuse for being direct.
jayne weber
This looks like a tasty recipe but your website has entirely too many ads-really slows things down.
DEbbie Martin
I made this and added chopped walnuts and sprinkled cinnamon on top. I also used stevia in place of sugar. It was magnificent. Will be making this again. Thank you for a great recipe.
Terri
This cake was very easy to make, and it turned out to have great flavor and texture. The rum adds so much depth of flavor without making the cake taste like rum. I used golden delicious apples and really liked the way it came out! Thanks for the recipe!
Bonnie
How can I save your recipe and print it out?
Thanks Bonnie
Deb
Hello,
I've made this cake several times, twice using butter and the rest using oil. I must say I like it with the oil much better, because I could taste the apples much better. The butter overwhelmed the apples. That being said, I will be making this cake for the rest of my life. It is sooo good! Thanks so much for sharing your recipe!
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tricia
Is an 18 cm pan an 8" round size??
Fiona
I made this today and it is DELICIOUS! I will definitely be making it again.
Found I had to cook it slightly longer than the recipe stated (for about 50 mins) and it was perfect.
Many thanks for sharing the recipe.
Marie
This cake was very delicious, I used a loaf pan in which was perfect .
Nia
I made this cake and added cinnamon & nutmeg as well as lemon rind. It was delicious!
Kavita
Can I skip eggs or what shoul I put instead of egg
Gail Spyres
Kavita, it suggested to use 2 small bananas in place of eggs. Hope this helps you to enjoy the cake. Good Luck
Elizabeth
I made it today and is super delicious!!! Thanks
Norma
I had made this cake twice, one time for my family and the other one for a friend. My friend said it was delicious. I love this cake it is easy to make and it tastes wonderful.. I am not a fan of apple pie, but this cake is better than the pie. Thank you for the recipe.
Yvonne Hutson
I did make this cake twice. It was very delicious. I want to know if you can freeze this cake. Being a single person, I do not wish to eat this cake in one sitting.
Diane Dewhirst
I made this recipe, along with Dorie Greenspan's French Apple Cake recipe. I gave samples to 2 friends, one of whom is French, from Paris.I asked them to critique both recipes. We all agreed that this recipe had very tasty cake, but not enough apples. My French friend said that it is a very moist cake, and that I could have cooked it longer to make it more browned on top. Dori Greenspan's recipe had too much apple to cake ratio. I then redid the recipe, using this one, but added an extra apple.... WINNER! My French friend gave me 5 stars!!!
I have discovered that melting butter for a cake recipe results in a denser cake.In this recipe, I feel that creaming the butter made for a lighter cake, which i prefer.
Gemma
I tried this recipe. This pie is absolutely delicious! The top is very crusty. However inside of the pie is very moist and delicious. I will bake it again without doubts. 🔥❤
Emma
French apple pie is a light dessert with a minimum of dough and a maximum of filling. It doesn't have that many calories, although it is very appetizing. This cake will appeal not only to lovers of apple baking.
ELIZABETH
Easy and very, very tasty. I made a couple of minor changes--didn't have rum so threw in a bit of brandy instead; my apples were small, so I used three. What I like about this particularly is that the apples are soft but not mushy--I can still taste a very little crunchy bite tot hem. So lovely. And the top crust is just beautiful.
Mary
I had to make this recipe for 40 people and a bash for Gluten free. The only thing I did different for the Gluten free was the flour I added. Everything else was the same. I also added into my recipe, lemon zest since I didn't add rum. I topped with with Almond Streusel because I wanted the extra crunch and almond flavor. I know it throws off the recipe because is supposed to be French and I would most likely get kicked out of France for messing with their recipe. But I just had to. I couldn't wait to taste it so I ate a piece of the Gluten free and it taste out of this world. I would lower the sugar content a bit because I can already see me eating everything by myself if I could. I love the text, the flavor and the presentation. Is perfect for my event and I will be serving the pieces with whip cream. I can't wait to see the look on their faces when they take the first bite.
larisa
delicious and easy to make.
Linda
This cake turned out exactly as stated. It was easy and absolutely delicious. I had so many compliments. It was very moist and tasty. I’ll definitely keep it as a company favorite.
Kathleen
This is my go-to for company whether for evening or with coffee for breakfast. I am asked for the recipe repeatedly. The amount of apples to batter is perfect and not too sweet. I have the recipe memorized! I cannot imagine it getting less than 5 stars.