French Apple Cake

ByAdmin

Growing up, I spent my summers in France where I passed much of my time in the kitchen with my stepmom. Every summer, I fell more and more in love with French cooking and one of the things I fell hardest for was the simple and rustic cakes that are a staple in French baking. A far cry from the fancy pastries you find in glass cases all over the country, these cakes are often mixed up in one bowl, made up of a single layer, and unadorned with frosting or glazes. They’re everyday cakes, snacking cakes for the afternoon goûter or a sweet treat, and this French Apple Cake showcases everything I love about them.

This cake is made up of a very simple batter that’s flavored with rum and vanilla and folded around plenty of roughly chopped apples that get tender and sweet in the oven. It may seem like you have too many apples, but don’t worry, it will all work out just fine. A good baking apple like braeburn or honeycrisp or gala works well here – you don’t want them to go completely to mush as they bake.

A springform pan works best for this if you plan to display it at all before serving, but if you’re going really casual with it, a regular baking pan is just fine, you’ll just probably have to slice and serve from the pan itself rather than removing it. (The large amount of apple in the cake makes it a hard cake to invert and remove from the pan.)

All it needs after coming out of the oven is a dusting of sugar, and it doesn’t really need that at all. It’s one of those sweets that shines in its simplicity – it’s rustic yet dignified, easy to make, and wouldn’t go amiss as a quick breakfast or an afternoon snack.

Ingredients

  • 3 medium Honeycrisp or Fuji apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1/4 cup light butter, melted
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 tablespoon dark rum (optional)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • Powdered sweetener, for dusting (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly spray an 8-inch round cake pan with nonstick cooking spray.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, applesauce, melted light butter, almond milk, vanilla, and rum.
  3. Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Stir just until combined.
  4. Fold in the sliced apples, making sure they are well coated with the batter.
  5. Pour the mixture into the prepared cake pan and spread evenly.
  6. Bake for 40–50 minutes, or until the top is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
  7. Let the cake cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing.
  8. Dust lightly with powdered sweetener before serving, if desired.

⭐ Estimated WW Points

About 3–4 Points per slice if cut into 10 servings.

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