listen, I was just thinking about this apple cake I made a few weeks ago and honestly I need to tell you about it.
so I went to Paris like two years ago. just for a few days with my sister. and we found this tiny bakery near our airbnb that had the most incredible apple cake in the window. we bought a slice to share and then immediately went back and bought the whole thing lol.
I’ve been chasing that taste ever since.
tried so many recipes. some were too dry. some were weird and cakey in the wrong way. one was basically just apples with some batter holding on for dear life.
but this one. this one is it.
my grandmother used to bake a lot and she always said the French keep things simple. not a million ingredients. just good ones, done right. she never actually went to France but whatever she knew what she was talking about.
okay so here’s the thing about this cake — it’s rustic. mine definitely doesn’t look like a bakery cake. it’s a little uneven. the apples kind of do their own thing on top. but it tastes like you’re sitting in that little Parisian cafe and honestly that’s all I care about.
it’s simple and doesn’t require weird ingredients
the apples get soft and almost caramelized on top
it’s not too sweet which I love
you can make it look fancy with almost no effort
your kitchen smells like heaven for about two hours
Contents
ingredients with notes
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| apples | about 3-4 medium | I like honeycrisp or granny smith, use what you have |
| all purpose flour | roughly 1 cup | don’t pack it down |
| sugar | maybe 3/4 cup | plus extra for the top |
| eggs | 3 large | room temperature helps |
| butter | about half a cup, melted | unsalted is better but I’ve used salted |
| milk | a few tablespoons | just to loosen the batter |
| vanilla extract | a good splash | the real stuff if you have it |
| baking powder | 1 teaspoon or so | |
| pinch of salt | ||
| lemon juice | squeeze of half a lemon | keeps the apples from browning |
How to make it
prep your apples first. peel them and slice them pretty thin. like maybe a quarter inch? I dunno I just eyeball it. toss them with a little lemon juice so they don’t turn brown while you do everything else. set them aside.
make the batter. okay so whisk your eggs and sugar together until it’s kinda pale and fluffy. takes maybe 2-3 minutes by hand. I use a regular whisk because I’m too lazy to get the mixer out. add the melted butter and vanilla and mix that in.
add the dry stuff. dump in your flour, baking powder, and salt. stir it gently. it’ll be thick — that’s okay. add a splash of milk to loosen it up. you want it to be like… thick pancake batter? that’s the vibe.
fold in some apples. take about half your apple slices and fold them right into the batter. be gentle. don’t overmix or things get tough.
get it in the pan. grease a 9 inch round pan. I use butter and a little flour because I’m paranoid about sticking. pour the batter in and spread it out. then take the rest of your apple slices and arrange them on top in circles or whatever pattern you want. I try to make it look pretty but honestly mine never looks like the photos. whatever.
sprinkle sugar on top. this is important. it makes the top get all golden and slightly crunchy. don’t skip it.
bake it. put it in the oven at about 350 for maybe 45 minutes to an hour. seriously it depends on your oven. mine runs hot so I check around 40 minutes. you want a toothpick to come out mostly clean. the top should be golden and the apples should look soft and caramelized.
let it cool. this is hard because it smells so good. but give it at least 15-20 minutes or it’ll fall apart when you cut it. trust me.
Tips and variations
- add a little cinnamon to the batter if you want it more spiced — like maybe half a teaspoon
- you can use pears instead of apples and it’s equally good
- sprinkle some sliced almonds on top before baking for extra texture
- serve it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and it’s basically a dessert for fancy dinners
storage
so I’m going to be honest — I found a container of mystery cake in my fridge last month and had no idea what it was. ate it anyway. it was fine.
but ideally you want to wrap this up and keep it at room temperature for about 2 days or in the fridge for maybe 5 days. it actually gets better the next day because the apples kind of soak into the cake more.
you can freeze it too. just wrap it really well. I’ve left it in there for a couple months and it was still good after I thawed it.
nutrition facts
these are super rough estimates since I never measure precisely
| Per Slice (about 8 slices) | Amount |
|---|---|
| Calories | around 280 |
| Protein | about 4g |
| Fat | roughly 12g |
| Carbs | maybe 40g |
| Sugar | about 25g |
questions people ask
can I use a different kind of apple?
yeah use whatever you have honestly. the tarter ones like granny smith hold their shape better. sweeter ones like fuji get softer. I’ve used both and they’re both good in different ways.
my cake is too dense what did I do wrong?
you probably overmixed the batter. or maybe too much flour. next time measure a little more loosely and stop mixing as soon as everything is combined. also make sure your baking powder isn’t expired — I made that mistake once and ugh.
can I make this without eggs?
I haven’t tried it but I’ve heard people use flax eggs or applesauce as a substitute. it might change the texture a little. if you try it let me know how it goes.
does it have to be a round pan?
no you can use a square pan or even a rectangular one. just adjust your baking time since the thickness will be different. I usually watch it more carefully when I switch pans.
