French Apple Cake

One apple a day, keeps the doctor away!  Be it a fact or friction, my family can never get enough of apples. We love Fuji apples, juicy and crisp. We also like Royal Gala apples, sweet with pleasant flavor and texture. When there are extra apples at home, the first thing that comes to my mind is always French apple cake.  Just like any classic French dessert, the apple cake looks elegant, and tastes incredibly delicious!

The recipe asks for mixed types of apples. I used 2 large Fuji apples, and 2 medium gala apples. With a few tablespoons of rum, the apple cake smells so nice amid baking. This is a great dessert for your family and guests during holiday.

FRENCH APPLE CAKE
(Recipe adapted from David Lebovitz)

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 (* I used white 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. Line a  9-inch round cake pan with parchment paper. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. Peel and core the apples, then dice them into 1-inch (3cm) pieces.
4. 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
5. Stir in the remaining flour mixture, then the rest of the butter.
6. 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.
7. Bake the cake for 50 minute to 1 hour (*I baked 45 minutes), 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 cake.