Coucou tout le monde! Welcome back to Mised Out.
We had our first snow fall of the season today. Snow graced the bare tree branches and it was a beautiful way to start the day. After a slower than normal morning walk with the lab (she sure does love exploring in the snow!), I was cold and a bit wet. A hot coffee and warm apple cake seemed just the thing to shake off the winter chill.
Apples are the most popular fruit in France. They are grown throughout the country, but eating apples are typically from the south and west of the country. Apples from the north of often used to make cider, which is a wholly different post! The most popular apples in France are the Golden Delicious and the Granny Smith. Although the recipe below calls for Granny Smith apples, Goldens work equally well – so use what you have on hand.
In a country that produces over 1;.7 million tons of apples a year, you would expect to find a lot of apple cake recipes. And, you’d be right! This one is my personal favorite. It reminds me of cakes I’ve had in Paris, and the thing I love the most is the contrast between the crispy exterior of the cake and the creamy interior. If you love apples, this cake is definitely for you. The apple taste comes through in every forkful.
A couple of things to keep in mind when making this French apple cake recipe. First, apples have a high water content even after baking. This means that you’ll want to refrigerate the cake after it’s cooled from the oven so that it doesn’t spoil quickly. The other tip I’d suggest is not to dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving. It makes for a pretty plate, no doubt, but the cake is sweet enough that you don’t need the extra sugar. If you do decide to dust, go for it! Just be sure to do so right before serving. Again, apples have a high water content and the confectioners’ sugar will melt if it sits on the cake too long.
And now chers lecteurs, without further adieu, let us bake cake – French apple cake!
French Apple Cake
Equipment
- 1 springform pan
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs apples each peeled, cored, cut into 8 wedges, and slice ⅛ inch thick crosswise
- 1 tbsp Calvados
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1 C flour plus 2 tbsp
- 1 C granulated sugar plus 1 tbsp
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 large egg plus 2 large yolks
- 1 C vegetable oil
- 1 C whole milk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Adjust the oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Spring 9-inch springform pan with vegetable oil spray. Place prepared pan on rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Place apple slices in glass pie plate, cover, and microwave until apples are pliable and slightly translucent, about 3 minutes. Toss apple slices with Calvados and lemon juice and let cool for 15 minutes.
- Whisk 1 cup flour, 1 cup granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt together in bowl. Whisk egg, oil, milk, and vanilla together in second bowl until smooth. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and whisk until just combined. Transfer 1 cup batter to separate bowl and set aside.
- Add egg yolks to remaining batter and whisk to combine. Using rubber spatula, gently fold in cooked apples. Transfer batter to prepared pan; using offset spatula, spread batter evenly to to pan edges, gently pressing on apples to create even, compact layer, and smooth surface.
- Whisk remaining 2 tablespoons flour into reserved batter. Pour over batter in pan and spread batter evenly to pan edges and smooth surface. Sprinkle remaining 1 tablespoon granulated sugar evenly over cake.
- Bake until center of cake is set, toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, and top is golden brown, about 1 ¼ hours, rotating pan halfway through baking. Transfer pan to wire rack; let cool for 5 minutes. Run thin knife around sides of pan and let cool completely, 2 to 4 hours. Dust lightly with confectioners' sugar, cut into wedges, and serve.