French Apple Cake
This simple French apple cake uses fresh apples and a simple vanilla cake base for the most beautiful, easy dessert.
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 341kcal
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour *If gluten free, use 1:1 baking flour
- 1 tablespoon aluminum-free baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup whole milk
- ¼ cup mascarpone cheese
- ½ cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter at room temperature
- ¾ cup white sugar
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 large honeycrisp apple, peeled
- Optional: powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar for topping
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare your 9 inch cake pan by lightly greasing it all over (I use the butter wrapper), and placing a parchment round inside at the bottom. Take a small spoonful of flour and shake the pan around to thoroughly coat the inside. Dump out any excess flour and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, add the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the mascarpone cheese and milk until combined. In a large bowl, mixed softened butter until light and creamy (you can do this by hand or with a mixer). Add the granulated cane sugar and mix until thoroughly combined. Then add 1 large egg and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extra - I mix this in by hand with a spatula until well combined and smooth.
- Alternating flour mixture and milk/mascarpone mixture, add them in small increments, stirring after each addition until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan, tapping it a few times on your counter to get it smooth and level.
- Thinly slice the peeled apple into half moon pieces, leaving out the core. Place sliced apples in a layered pattern on top of the cake batter, then slide extra apples in between each slice. Make sure the fruit doesn't touch the side of the pan. Sprinkle top with cinnamon sugar (if using).
- Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The cake should be a lovely golden brown on top. Allow it to cool at least 30 minutes then slide a knife along the sides of the pan. The cake should release easily. Place it on a serving platter and serve slightly warm or at room temperature. Dust with powdered sugar just before serving, if desired.
Notes
- For cinnamon sugar, mix 1 tablespoon of white sugar with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.
- I suggest Bob's Red Mill 1:1 flour for gluten free. For dairy free, see post for adjustments others have used.
Nutrition
Calories: 341kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 174mg | Potassium: 229mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 547IU | Calcium: 120mg | Iron: 1mg