Apple Cake Recipe (The French Classic)

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour (Spoon into measuring cup and level off.)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 0.25 tsp salt
• 0.5 cup unsalted butter (1 stick; at room temperature.)
• 0.75 cup granulated sugar (⅔ cup in the batter plus 1 tablespoon for sprinkling over the cake; addition combined for scaling.)
• 2 eggs (Large.)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp dark rum
• 2.5 cup baking apples (Medium; peeled, cored, and cut into ½-inch cubes (about 2½ cups). Tart-sweet varieties suggested include Granny Smith, Honey Crisp, Pink Lady, Braeburn, or Jonagold; varieties may be combined.)
• confectioners' sugar (Optional, for decorating; amount not specified.)
• butter or nonstick cooking spray (For greasing the cake pan; amount not specified. If using butter, grease again after lining a regular cake pan with parchment.)
• parchment paper (For lining the bottom of a regular cake pan; amount not specified.)

Steps

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and place a rack in the middle position. Grease a 9-inch (23-cm) springform or regular cake pan with butter or nonstick cooking spray. If using a regular cake pan, line its bottom with parchment paper and grease again.

2. 2

   In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

3. 3

   Using a handheld mixer with beaters or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and ⅔ cup granulated sugar for about 3 minutes, until light and fluffy.

4. 4

   Add the eggs one at a time, beating well and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.

5. 5

   Beat in the vanilla extract and dark rum. The batter may look curdled; that is okay.

6. 6

   Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed just until combined.

7. 7

   Fold the chopped apples into the batter with a rubber spatula. The batter will be quite thick and contain many apple pieces.

8. 8

   Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle evenly with 1 tablespoon granulated sugar.

9. 9

   Bake for about 40 minutes, until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

10. 10

    Let the cake cool in the pan on a rack.

11. 11

    Once cool, run a blunt knife around the cake's edges. If using a springform pan, remove the sides. If using a regular pan, carefully invert the cake onto the rack, remove the parchment paper, then gently flip it right-side-up onto a platter.

12. 12

    If desired, dust the cake with confectioners' sugar using a fine sieve. Serve warm or at room temperature, plain or with lightly sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Notes

Use apples suitable for baking so the chunks hold their shape; tart-sweet varieties such as Granny Smith, Honey Crisp, Pink Lady, Braeburn, and Jonagold are recommended. The source suggests optional whipped cream or vanilla ice cream for serving but does not provide recipes or quantities for them.

Nutrition per serving

• dessert
• cake
• baked
• French
• fall
• vegetarian