French Apple Cake

French Apple Cake

This easy recipe is by David Lebovitz. This cake requires only a few ingredients you’re sure to have in your pantry and can be mixed by hand, so no special equipment needed either! There is just enough batter to hold the apples together, giving the finished bake an almost pudding-like texture. The cake has a delightful rustic look and can be enjoyed warm or cold.

Ingredients:

4 large apples*

2 large eggs, at room temperature

¾ cup (150 grams) sugar

¾ teaspoon baking powder

A pinch of salt

3 tablespoons dark rum/brandy*

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

¾ cup (110 grams) all-purpose flour

8 tablespoons (1 Stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled plus extra to grease the pan

Baking pan: 8 or 9 inch Round Cake pan

1. Adjust the oven rack to the center of your oven and preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Heavily butter the base and sides of your baking pan. Line the pan with parchment paper and butter again.

3. Melt the butter: cut the stick of butter into rough slices and microwave covered for about 30 seconds. If the butter is not fully melted, stir and microwave for 5 seconds at a time until completely melted. Set aside to cool.

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

5. In a large bowl beat the eggs till frothy and then add the sugar, mixing until fully dissolved. Stir in the vanilla extract and the brandy.

6. Prep the apples: peel, core and dice the apples to about 1-inch pieces. You will need about 4 cups of diced apple.

7. To the egg mixture, whisk in about half the flour mix. Gently stir in half the melted butter. Stir in the remaining flour followed by the rest of the melted butter. The batter will be quite thick.

8. Add the apples to the batter and stir until all the apples are well coated.

9. Scrape all the batter into the prepared cake pan as evenly as possible- there will seem to be more apple than batter. Smooth the surface of the batter with a spatula.

10. Bake the cake for 50 minutes to an hour, until the top is golden brown and a knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Start checking on the cake at about 45 minutes, as the exact time can vary from oven to oven. Place the cake pan on a baking rack and allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. The cake should start to pull away from the sides of the pan.

11. To plate the cake: the cake will be plated top-side up. Take a plate and line it with parchment paper or buttered foil (this ensures the top does not stick to the plate). Hold it over the cake pan and gently flip the cake over. Place the serving plate over the bottom of the cake and gently flip over again. Remove the plate and parchment paper/ foil. Allow to cool and decorate as desired. Here I have used whipped cream and caramelized pecans to decorate the cake.

Serving suggestions:

The cake can be served by itself, or with a dusting of powdered sugar.

For dessert, serve warm with vanilla ice cream or lightly sweetened whipped cream.