French Apple Cake

This French Apple Cake is buttery, soft and absolutely loaded with apples — honestly, it is almost a baked apple salad in the best possible way.

There is just enough batter to hold all those apples together, which gives the cake its soft, almost custardy texture.

Traditionally, I like adding a little dark rum because it gives the cake a warm, caramel-like flavor. But if you don't cook with alcohol, don't worry — I have also included an easy no-rum version below.

This is the kind of simple cake I love in fall and winter. It feels cozy enough for an afternoon coffee, but pretty enough to serve for Thanksgiving, Christmas or a holiday brunch.

If you love apple desserts, you should also try my Air Fryer Apple Turnovers or serve this with a mug of Instant Pot Apple Cider.

This is such a perfect cake for fall. It celebrates apples in all their warm, soft, gooey glory — and if you love baked apples, you are going to love this one.

Serve it with a generous dusting of powdered sugar and it instantly feels a little whimsical, a little fancy, without actually requiring any fancy cake decorating.

You can make this French Apple Cake without rum too. Replace the rum with an equal amount of apple juice, a little honey, or about 1 teaspoon of rum flavoring depending on the flavor you want.

If you want another cozy apple cake, try my Apple Cinnamon Cake with Caramel Glaze. That one is completely over the top in the best possible way.

For the traditional version, I use just a few tablespoons of rum. It gives the cake a subtle warmth and depth of flavor rather than making it taste strongly of alcohol. If you want to avoid alcohol altogether, use the no-rum option above.

This cake is almost more tart than cake. In fact, while making it I told myself it was really a baked apple salad with a little butter and rum. Lol.

There are more apples than cake batter, and when you first mix everything together you may be slightly confused — stumped even — because the batter barely seems to cover the apples.

But wait for it.

As it bakes, the batter hugs all those apple slices and somehow turns into the most gorgeous cake.

The apple slices create a beautiful rustic top, and once you dust it generously with powdered sugar, it looks almost like a freshly snowed-on field.

Absolute party crasher.

Why You'll Love This French Apple Cake

Loaded with apples
There are almost more apples than batter, which gives the cake its soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture.

Buttery and lightly boozy
A little dark rum adds warmth and depth without making the cake taste strongly alcoholic.

Easy no-rum option
You can easily make this cake without rum, and I have included the substitutions below.

Simple, rustic and unfussy
No elaborate frosting or decorating required. A dusting of powdered sugar is really all it needs.

Perfect for fall and holidays
This works just as well with afternoon coffee as it does on a Thanksgiving or Christmas dessert table.

Ingredients for French Apple Cake

Here is what you will need to make this delicious Apple cake

• White Flour / All Purpose Flour / Maida
• Baking powder
• Apples
• Eggs
• Sugar
• Rum or Apple Juice
• Vanilla extract
• Butter
• Caster Sugar to dust

Flour

Use regular all purpose flour here.

I have been wanting to give this cake a try with this genius gluten free all purpose flour blend! Will come back soon with a proper recipe with this!

Baking Powder

This will make the cake rise and fluffy. Make sure it isn't too old and definitely not expired.

Apples

I like using apples that hold their shape while baking and have a good balance of sweetness and acidity.

Granny Smith apples are a great choice because their tartness balances the buttery cake.

Honeycrisp also works beautifully and adds more sweetness.

You can use one variety or mix two kinds of apples for a little more depth of flavor.

How you cut the apples also changes the texture of the finished cake.

Thinly sliced apples become softer and almost melt into the batter.

Chunkier pieces stay firmer and give you a more obvious bite of apple.

I personally like the apples quite thin because they create that soft, almost custardy texture that makes this cake so good.

Rum

Usually this cake has some rum in it. You can use Dark or light. I prefer dark rum for baking.

If you are making this cake for children or just don't want alcohol in it, you can replace the rum with honey/ maple Syrup or a Fruit juice.

Rum — and How to Make It Without Rum

I usually make this cake with dark rum because it adds a lovely warm, slightly caramel-like flavor that works beautifully with apples.

You can also use light rum if that is what you have, but the flavor will be a little milder.

The cake only uses a small amount of rum, so the flavor is subtle rather than overpowering.

If you are avoiding alcohol altogether, use the no-rum option below instead.

How to make Apple Cake

As with any cake making, we will be following the 2 bowl method of mixing the wet and dry ingredients separately.

So here we go

Step 1: Prep

Measure all the ingredients. This step is important in baking.

You can either use a weighing scale to get the exact measurements in grams. Or you can use standard sized measuring cups and spoons to measure all the ingredients.

If using cups, add the flour to the cup loosely and use a knife to level it off.

Cut the apples into slices or ½ inch chunks. I prefer slices because of the gorgeous top of the cake.

Preheat the oven to 180 C or 365 F.

Prepare the baking pan by

• Lining it with parchment paper. I usually line the bottom and the sides.
• or Buttering the sides with butter or oil.

I have used a 9 inch cake pan. If you have a springform pan on you, then use that.

Step 2: Mix Wet Ingredients

Melt the Butter.

In a large bowl, add the eggs. Beat them till they are foamy and pale.

Add the Sugar, Melted Butter, Rum & Vanilla essence.

Mix it up using a whisk till the sugar has dissolved a bit.

Step 3: Mix Dry ingredients

Add & Mix the dry ingredients - Flour and baking powder.

Some baking powders can be lumpy. If that's the case, sieve the whole dry mixture over the wet mixture.

Step 4:Make the Batter

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients bowl. Mix it till you don't see any dry flour.

To that, add the sliced apples. The apples might seem like a lot but that's the charm of this cake.

Make sure all apples are coated with the batter.

Step 5: Bake

Add the batter to the prepared baking pan.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes till the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean or with crumbs.

Step 6: Cool

Remove the cake from the oven. Let it cool for 3-5 minutes before you place it upside down on a cooling rack.

Remove the parchment paper.

If you want to sprinkle sugar on it, let it cool completely before you do that. Otherwise the sugar will melt and not give you that gorgeous look you are after.

Serve when slightly warm.

Don't Worry — It Really Is a Lot of Apples

When you first mix the apples into the batter, it can look like there is far too much apple and nowhere near enough cake batter.

That is exactly how it should look.

This recipe uses a lot of apples compared with the amount of flour, and that is what gives the cake its soft, moist texture.

The batter is really there to hold the apples together rather than bury them.

So if you're looking at the bowl thinking, “Surely this cannot be right?” — it probably is.

French Apple Cake Without Rum

Yes, you can absolutely make this French Apple Cake without rum.

For a no-rum version, replace the rum with apple juice or another substitute you already use in the recipe.

Apple juice works especially well because it keeps the flavor profile very natural and still complements the apples in the cake.

The finished cake will taste slightly different from the rum version, but the texture stays soft, buttery and packed with apples.

If you are making this for children, guests who avoid alcohol or simply don't keep rum at home, the no-rum version works very well.

Tips and Tricks

Preheating - Always..Always preheat the oven before cooking. Exactly like you heat the skillet before frying an egg.

Different Apples - Use different apples to give this delicious french apple cake a multi dimensional taste.

Cut the Apples - Cut the apples into thin slices so that you get a melt in your mouth experience while eating the cake.Also, you get a gorgeous, one of a kind looking cake!

Add Spices - Rum and Cinnamon, what could be better! Add a teaspoon of Cinnamon to give a warm twist to this cake.

How to Serve French Apple Cake

I love this cake slightly warm or at room temperature with a dusting of powdered sugar.

For dessert, you can serve it with vanilla ice cream or softly whipped cream.

It is also surprisingly good the next morning with coffee — which makes it a lovely option for a holiday brunch as well.

If you are putting together a Christmas dessert table, you may also like my Dark Chocolate Babka or Lemon Cranberry Pound Cake.

Can I Make French Apple Cake Ahead of Time?

Yes. In fact, this cake is very good made a day ahead.

Let it cool completely, cover it well and keep it at room temperature if you are serving it the next day.

The apples keep the cake moist, and the flavor settles beautifully overnight.

If you prefer it warm, gently reheat individual slices before serving.

This makes it especially useful for Thanksgiving or Christmas because you can bake dessert the day before and have one less thing to worry about on the day.

How to Store French Apple Cake

Once completely cool, store the cake covered at room temperature for about a day.

For longer storage, keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

You can serve it cold, bring it back to room temperature or warm individual slices gently before serving

Leftovers and Freezing

This cake freezes very well. You can freeze is whole or in wedges.You can wrap it up in cling film and once in aluminum foil and freeze it for 3-4 months.

It will last for 6-7 days in the refrigerator.

If you make this delicious apple cake, do leave me a note! I would love to hear your thoughts!

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