I recently ran across this recipe for French Apple Cake on David Lebovitz’s blog the other day and it intrigued me. I liked the idea of the cake batter wrapped around the tasty apple pieces. I started to add cinnamon because I always add cinnamon to apple recipes as I love that combination so much as most Americans do. Instead I let the rum be the star of this recipe and it really shines. I waited until the next day to cut it because I made it late at night so the flavors could meld together. The only thing I wish I had done was to bake it a little longer, the tester came out clean so I assumbed it was done and it was slightly underbaked. I also used Splenda in place of the sugar and it worked just fine. Serve with a little sweetened whipped cream on the side. Yum!

 

French Apple Cake

Yield: One 9-inch (23 cm) cake

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minute to 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients:

3/4 cup (110g) flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
4 large apples (a mix of varieties)
2 large eggs, at room temperature
3/4 cup (150g) sugar
3 tablespoons dark rum
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 tablespoons (115g) butter, salted or unsalted, melted and cooled to room temperature

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC) and adjust the oven rack to the center of the oven.

2. Heavily butter an 8- or 9-inch (20-23cm) springform pan and place it on a baking sheet.

3. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

4. Peel and core the apples, then dice them into 1-inch (3cm) pieces.

5. In a large bowl, beat the eggs until foamy then whisk in the sugar, then rum and vanilla. Whisk in half of the flour mixture, then gently stir in half of the melted butter

6. Stir in the remaining flour mixture, then the rest of the butter.

7. Fold in the apple cubes until they’re well-coated with the batter and scrape them into the prepared cake pan and smooth the top a little with a spatula.

8. Bake the cake for 50 minute to 1 hour, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool for 5 minutes, then run a knife around the edge to loosen the cake from the pan and carefully remove the sides of the cake pan, making sure no apples are stuck to it.

Serving: Serve wedges of the cake just by itself, or with crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream.

Storage: The cake will keep for up to three days covered. Since the top is very moist, it’s best to store it under a cake dome or overturned bowl.

Adapted from Around My French Table by Dorie Greenspan and David Lebovitz