French Apple Cake
French Apple Cake you will ever have. Moist, tender, layers with sweet apples in every bite. Buttery, flaky golden edges, dusted with powdered sugar. It's traditional French baking - simplified.
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour, fluffed and scooped may substitute with bread flour
- 2 large eggs
- 2 medium honey crisp apples thinly sliced
- 3/4 cup granulated white sugar do not reduce
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/2 cup softened butter
- 3 Tablespoons sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- pinch of sea salt
For the topping:
- 2 Tablespoons sliced almonds
- 2 Tablespoons granulated white sugar
- 1/4 cup apple slices
Click between "US Customary" or "Metric" button above to switch between conversions. For precise results, it's recommended to weigh your dry ingredients using a digital scale in grams as measuring in cups can have uncertainties.
Instructions
Before you start
- Most of the time, this recipe doesn't turn out because of too much flour! Measure flour by weight in grams instead of cups. If you don't have a scale, fluff the flour with a fork in its bag or container, then spoon it into the measuring cup before leveling off with a flat edge.
Preheat the oven
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare a 8"x8" square pan or round pan lined with parchment paper. Let excess parchment paper fall over the edges. This cake is delicate and the extra paper helps remove it without breaking the cake.
- Wash, peel and use a mandolin to slice the apples into thin slices - use the thinnest setting. Thin enough to see through! The thinner, the better. Thicker apples take longer to bake the texture will not resemble a true invisible apple cake. Reserve about 1/4 cup aside for the topping.2 medium honey crisp apples
Combine the wet ingredients
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, softened butter and sugar for 1-2 minutes until combined. This helps incorporate air into the batter. Add milk, vanilla extract and sour cream. Mix together until smooth and combined.Note: You may substitute the softened butter with 1/2 cup of neutral oil.2 large eggs, 1/2 cup softened butter, 3/4 cup granulated white sugar, 3 Tablespoons sour cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/4 cup milk
Combine the dry ingredients
- In a large bowl, sift in flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon to a bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside.Note: For this recipe, 1½ cups flour = 180 grams. See metric measurements in the ingredient card above using the metric conversion feature.1½ cups all-purpose flour, fluffed and scooped, 1 teaspoon baking powder, pinch of sea salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until no more flour is visible. If you see some pockets of flour, give it a whisk but do not over mix.
Transfer to the pan
- Prepare an 8"x8" square pan or 8" round pan with parchment paper. Spread half of the batter on the bottom of the prepared pan. Then, layer the thinly sliced apples and spread the remainder of the batter on top. This cake is mostly made of apples that soften when baked into a delightful and caramelized, soft texture.
- Arrange the set aside apples on top and sprinkle with sliced almonds and sugar.2 Tablespoons sliced almonds, 2 Tablespoons granulated white sugar, 1/4 cup apple slices
Bake
- Bake for 50-60 minutes until puffy and golden or the center of the cake comes out clean when inserted with a toothpick. Do not overbake.
- Use the edges of the parchment paper to remove from the pan. It's a very soft cake. Cool completely before slicing. If you slice too soon, the apples may fall apart. Garnish with powdered sugar.
Notes
- I used an 8"x8" square baking pan for my French Apple Cake. My favorite brand is USA Pans. (Shop my affiliate link here)
- My French Apple Cake batter is fairly thick but easily spreadable. This is expected and normal. If you'd like to thin it out to make it easier for you to spread, add a few splashes of milk but be mindful, this is not your typical "cake". It is mostly made of apples that soften when baked into a delightful and caramelized, soft texture.
Nutrition
Calories: 163kcalCarbohydrates: 34gProtein: 3gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 47mgSodium: 75mgPotassium: 131mgFiber: 2gSugar: 30gVitamin A: 121IUVitamin C: 4mgCalcium: 59mgIron: 0.5mg
The provided nutritional value above is an estimate per serving. 100% accuracy is not guarenteed. Please see Nutrition Information Disclaimer in our Privacy Policy.
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