French Apple Cake is something that my french grandmother and french mother would make during the apple harvesting time, every Saturday. It’s a much favored classic in my home, stuffed with apple and true french flavors.
Learn how to make my family’s french apple cake from scratch with the step by step instructions further below!
Can you remember the last time when you had a bite of a cake and it transported you in another time and space?
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 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 french apple cake is of course a family recipe and has been frequently made in my house. My husband loves it, everybody loves it.
In fact it’s one of those cakes which you can make for any celebrations or occasions. Imagine presenting this cake to your friends for afternoon coffee/tea time or sell it at your kids school function!
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Otherwise of course I tend to just bake the french apple cake for fun, in the middle of the week and sometimes (I solemnly confess!), in the middle of the night.
Calvados is a french apple brandy, commonly available in France and partially in Europe. You might be able to get calvados in a specialized stores or hypermarkets anywhere else in the world.
For example we can buy calvados in Goa. Otherwise check out Amazon or substitute calvados in this recipe with other apple brandy {see below for suggestions}.
I crave the french apple cake at different times, sometimes during the day as a lovely dessert with vanilla ice cream. Because the cake is so popular with everybody, I am rather glad that this is one of those quick and easy cake recipes.
You will thank me for this recipe later, it will save you time and the delicious sweetness of the cake will convince your in laws – or your difficult neighbors – to like you (if not love you and your gorgeous baking skills!)
How to make the french apple cake?
Just prepare the batter with the egg, flour and other ingredients as listed, then cut your fresh apples small, toss the apples into the batter and mix well.
Butter your mold, fill in the apple batter. I like to use quality silicon molds to make my life easier.
The true French apple cake here needs some calvados on top of the cake before being baked. If you don’t have any calvados at hand you can also substitute with apple brandy or you can also use apple juice [non alcohol version]. Otherwise just skip it, if you are really tight in time.
Calvados gives the french apple cake the extra flavor edge and lends the cake a certain moistness as well.
French Apple Cake Recipe below:
French Apple Cake Recipe with Calvados
Ingredients
For the cake batter:
- 100 grams All-purpose sieved Flour or 3.5 oz
- 100 grams Sugar or 3.5 oz
- 100 grams melted Butter or 3.5 oz
- 3 Eggs
- 1/2 packet or 3.5-4 grams Baking Powder or about 3/4 Teaspoon
- pinch Salt
- 500 grams or 4 Apples or 17.6 oz
and...
- soft butter to grease the mold
- 2 Tablespoons Calvados or other Apple Brandy
- 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 Celsius.
- In a bowl, add and combine to a smooth batter the all-purpose sieved flour, sugar, butter, eggs, baking powder and salt.
- Peel and discard the core of the apples. Cut them into smaller pieces and mix them into the cake batter.
- 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.
- Bake for about 30 minutes at 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.
- Best served and enjoyed with a scoop of Vanilla ice cream.
More Apple Recipes
- Apple Tart
- Mini Apple Strudel
- Apple Flaxseed Muffin with Lemon Glaze
- Spiced Apple Compot Müsli Yogurt
- Carrot Apple Ginger Juice
More french Cakes and Tarts
- Plain Madeleine
- Madeleines with Orange Blossom Water
- Blueberry Tart with Custard
- Gateau au yaourt – Yogurt Cake
- Mirabelle Tart
- Rhubarb Tart
- Cherry Clafoutis
Dear Reader, do you have a cake recipe from your grandmother, which you treasure?
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Oh Helene, this is simply beautiful! I love apple cake, and this one has really captured my fancy xxx
This cake must taste heavenly!
Cheers,
Rosa
The cake looks amazing! I must get a bottle of apple brandy to try this too.
You know, I don’t eat apples straight up but I adore them in baked goods! Love, love this cake Helene! It looks wonderful!
You know….I had to look up what Calvados is! And now that I know, I can totally see how a couple of tbsp makes all the difference. Love! (Love the pics too…) Pinning!
this looks delicious, my daughter just loves apple desserts. im making this on weekend, thnx for sharing
I love Calvados! Never cooked with it, though. Really like the idea of this cake — definitely something we need to try. Thanks!
What a perfect pairing. Cant wait to try your recipe out sometime!
Oh Helene, nothing would make me happier than this French apple cake. Well, maybe some whipped cream but that’s it! 🙂
I made a french apple cake maybe 2 years ago from Dorie Greenspans book. On the day I made it I was all out of apples so used pears and it was equally as delicious! Although I have to say mine didn’t look as pretty as yours. This is beautiful!
Such a classic, simple cake. I always think I should bake in the middle of the night when I can’t sleep but I never do. I’ll have to try it with this!
“Succulent, scrumptious, tempting, delicious, mouthwatering and absolutely necessary piece of goodness”…I’m sold!!! This does look exactly as you described it. I’ve got to give this a try! Thanks for sharing this Helene!
This looks and sounds amazing! I love using brandy in my cooking, but I’ve never used apple brandy in a cake. What a fabulous idea!
Double apple cake? That sounds, and looks amazing. I can’t wait to try.
double? what do you mean?
I didnt know about calvados in traditional french apple cake. Would love to give this family recipe of yours a try. Thanks for sharing
Looks like a lovely cake, I will have to give it a go!
This apple cake sounds heavenly! I just got back from apple orchard picking with my friends and we’ve been browsing pinterest for new recipes to make, yum!
I just made an apple cake recipe from Lorraine Elliot and it was wonderful, but I do love all things French, so I will put this one on the list to try in the future.
I have a couple of recipes that were passed down from my Mother’s mother, cherry cake (you might recall that I guest blogged that cake on Charles’ blog many years ago) and donkey ear cookies! I only have recipes from my Father’s sister-in-law and I don’t know if they are treasured family recipes.
Tried this delicious and easy cake this afternoon..the whole family loved it!! I used mixture of apples and pears from my garden…didn’t have any calvados so had to make do with cognac n some rum 😉 also used coconut sugar instead of brown sugar. Thanks for this yummy recipe Helene!
I made it and it was to sweet, halve of the sugar would be better.
Oh this recipe looks divine. I’d love to share it on my own recipe blog after I try it of course! 😉 . You have done a great job making this look easy and your photography is beautiful.
This cake looks divine! I’ll admit, I can be a bit intimidated by French cuisine … but I love that this recipe only takes 40 minutes from start to finish and looks relatively easy!
Ohhhh man. This looks so damn yummy. I actually want to try it next month for a fancy dinner. I imagine this will be my new go-to!
OMg I love sweets esp baked goods and apples! How did u know?! Lol
Oh my goodness! This is really looks delicious! Mouth-watering! I’ll have to try this fantastic French Apple Cake Recipe.
What a delicious apple cake recipe! I am used to this type of cake but with pears instead of apples. The add of Calvados is a really nice touch as well, I can imagine it gives so much flavor.
this looks so delicious and yumm, I would love to try this someday
This looks devine! I am saving for later!!
This cake must taste heavenly! and but i love must about is the texture it has.
Wow! We love Apple, this French Apple Cake looks so yummy and tempting. I would love to try this, and I’m sure my family would love this.
This is good, we love app and this recipe looks so delicious and yummy. I will probably try it soon. Thank you so much for sharing it though because it will be selfish to not thank you!
French apple cake… I have never heard of it before but it sure looks good. Cant wait to try your recipe out sometime!
Mouth watering recipe indeed. And must be high in nutrition value too. Feeling like tasting it just now but of course not possible.
I would love to munch on this apple cake while reading a good book! I’m no baker though, so I might ask someone else to bake it for me 🙂
http://www.thebookblvd.net
I love apple strudel and while you said yours is a french apple cake, I’m not sure if this is the same! My future father-in-law might be happy to try it as he’s a cake lover
Oh no it’s not the same, that’s an apple cake and apple strudel is a pastry stuffed with a special apple breadcrumbs filling. 🙂 This apple cake is french, apple strudel is Austrian. You can find my apple strudel recipe here.