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French Apple Cake

July 6, 2026 Desserts Cakes Loading rating…
Original recipe by Jennifer Segal, Once Upon a Chef. View the original recipe →
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Another favorite of mine, and a great use for honeycrisp apples specifically. We always have them around because my kids love them, but with how expensive fruit is, I went looking for the "banana bread" equivalent of an apple recipe — something that only needs a few apples so none go to waste. I'm horrible at pie crust, so I was after an alternative, and this recipe fit perfectly. It's exceedingly easy for how good the result is.

Original Recipe

Ingredients

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3 tablespoons dark rum
  • 2 medium baking apples, peeled, cored, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 2 1/2 cups)
  • Confectioners' sugar (optional), for decorating

Directions

  1. Get the oven going at 350°F, and butter a 9-inch springform pan (or a regular cake pan lined with parchment on the bottom).
  2. In a small bowl, whisk the flour together with the baking powder and salt, then set it aside.
  3. Beat the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy, roughly 3 minutes, then add the eggs one at a time, mixing well and scraping down the bowl between each addition.
  4. Mix in the vanilla and rum — the batter may look a little curdled at this point, which is normal.
  5. On low speed, mix in the dry ingredients just until no streaks of flour remain.
  6. Gently fold the cubed apples in by hand with a spatula.
  7. Scrape the batter into the pan, smooth the top, and scatter a tablespoon of sugar over it.
  8. Bake for around 40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean and the top turns golden. Let it cool in the pan on a rack before unmolding, then finish with a dusting of confectioners' sugar if you like.

My Notes

If you let it cool completely and come to room temperature, this cake freezes really well — which makes it a great way to use up a few apples before they go to waste without committing to a whole pie. It makes a great dessert or breakfast cake. My family loves it fresh out of the oven, or with a slice thrown in the microwave for a few seconds and served warm with a scoop of ice cream.

applecakeeasyfreezer-friendlybreakfast

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