Our French Apple Cake is an authentic easy and moist French family recipe from my grandmother's side, who hailed from Normandy.
If you like homemade apple cake recipes with fresh apples, check out the German apple cake too!
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🍏 Why this French apple cake?
Can you remember the last time when you had a bit of a cake and it transported you to another time and space?
A succulent, scrumptious, tempting, delicious, mouthwatering, and absolutely necessary piece of goodness, namely this French apple cake with Calvados.
You will understand what I mean after 5 minutes of baking time, when the cake aroma is wrapping you around the finger, clouding your senses turning you into an utter french apple cake food slave.
And trust me you will be willingly letting yourself go for this all-time favorite cake.
The moist apple cake recipe is, of course, a family recipe and has been frequently made in my house.
My husband loves it, everybody loves it.
I call it the best apple cake recipe in the world!
In fact, it's one of those cakes which you can make for any celebration or occasion.
Imagine presenting this cake to your friends for afternoon coffee/tea time or sell it at your kids' school function!
Otherwise, of course, I tend to just bake the french apple cake recipe for fun, in the middle of the week and sometimes (I solemnly confess!), in the middle of the night.
📕 What is Calvados?
Calvados is a French apple brandy, commonly available in France and partially in Europe.
You might be able to get calvados in specialized stores or hypermarkets anywhere else in the world.
The true French Normandy apple cake recipe here needs some calvados on top of the cake before being baked.
How to substitute Calvados?
If you don't have any Calvados at hand you can also substitute with apple brandy or you can also use apple juice [
Otherwise just skip it.
🥣 How to make it?
To prepare this apple cake is rather easy.
Just follow these easy steps.
For the full recipe with ingredients and detailed directions see recipe card further below.
Step 1
Prepare batter with the flour and other ingredients.
Cut your apples small and add the apples to the batter.
Step 2
Butter your mold, fill in the apple batter.
I like to use quality silicon molds .
Step 3
Sprinkle sugar and calvados over the cake.
Bake the cake golden.
More French Cake Recipes
Dear Reader, do you have a cake recipe from your grandmother, which you treasure?
📖 Recipe
French Apple Cake Recipe
Ingredients
For the cake batter:
- 3.5 ounces All-purpose Flour sieved
- 3.5 ounces Sugar
- 1 stick Butter melted
- 3 Eggs
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder not baking soda!!
- pinch Salt
- 1.1 pound Apples ~4 Apples
and...
- Butter soft, to grease the mold
- 2 Tablespoons Calvados or apple brandy or apple juice
- 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 Fahrenheit/ 180 Celsius.
- In a bowl, add and combine to a smooth batter the all-purpose sieved flour, sugar, butter, eggs, baking powder and salt.3.5 ounces All-purpose Flour, 3.5 ounces Sugar, 1 stick Butter, 3 Eggs, 1 Teaspoon Baking Powder, pinch Salt
- Peel and discard the core of the apples. Cut them into smaller pieces and mix them into the cake batter.1.1 pound Apples
- Butter your mold well, pour the batter into the prepared mold and spread evenly. Pour 2 Tablespoons of Calvados over the cake batter and finish by sprinkling the brown sugar over the cake.Butter, 2 Tablespoons Calvados, 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
- Bake for about 30 minutes at 350 Fahrenheit/ 180 Celsius until golden brown on top. Test with a knife, if the cake is baked, by poking into the center. If it's gooey keep for 5 more minutes to bake. The knife should come back clean.
- Best served and enjoyed with a scoop of Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Notes
- You can substitute calvados with apple brandy or apple juice. Or skip it (but you will miss some flavors)
Equipment
- 9 inch round baking mold, can be silicon can be a pan.
