Printable Recipe
French Apple Cake
A French apple cake made with fresh apples, browned butter, crème fraîche, vanilla, and bourbon, baked in a 9-inch pan until golden and set.
Prep time
15 min
Cook time
1 hr 10 min
Total time
1 hr 25 min
Ingredients
12
Steps
14
Filed under: dessert, cake, baking, french, vanilla, citrus.
Source channel: Kitchen in the Shire
Key ingredients
large apples, peeled and sliced, lemon juice, flour, baking powder, sugar.
Ingredients
- 2 large apples, peeled and sliced
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 150 g flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 100 g sugar
- 50 g turbinado sugar
- 100 g browned butter
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon bourbon
- 50 g crème fraîche
Method
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter a 9-inch pan and line the bottom with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
- Peel and thinly slice apples, then coat with lemon juice and set aside.
- Brown the butter until golden, then let it settle and cool slightly.
- In a mixer, combine browned butter and sugar, mixing on low for under 2 minutes.
- Add eggs one at a time, mixing 25-30 seconds after each addition.
- Mix in vanilla extract, bourbon, and crème fraîche until combined.
- Reduce mixer speed to low, then add the flour mixture gradually, folding until just combined.
- Gently fold in the sliced apples until evenly coated.
- Pour batter into prepared pan, spreading evenly.
- Sprinkle the top with a tablespoon of white sugar and two tablespoons of turbinado sugar for crunch.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes, checking after 30 minutes, until the top is deeply golden and the center is set.
- Let the cake sit for 15-20 minutes, then flip it out of the pan onto a cooling rack.
- Allow to cool slightly before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature, optionally with crème fraîche.