This cake is so insanely good, I don’t know how I’ve kept it from you for so long. This French apple cake is light and delicate, and full of apple flavor. Don’t relegate this to a fall recipe, because you can get good Granny Smith apples all year round and this cake deserves to be made frequently!
I first made this almost a year ago when I was preparing a French menu for a dinner party for friends to precede our trip to France last April. As per usual, when entertaining, I do the exact opposite as Ina says to do and almost always cook recipes I’ve never made before. What can I say? I like to live on the edge.
Luckily, this cake turned out better than I could have imagined and it was quickly inhaled by the entire group! I’ve made it several times since, and it always takes me back to that dinner party where the excitement for our trip was palpable.
The unique part of this cake is the batter. The batter is manipulated by dividing it and adding egg yolks to one part to make two layers with completely different textures: one soft and custardy (and full of the apples) and the top is cakey, crisp and sugary. It is a wonderful interplay of textures and comes out of the oven looking beautiful (see above). You can gild the lily with powdered sugar and crème anglaise, or serve as is-either way this is a wonderful cake for entertaining.
I only have one recipes left to share with you from my French dinner party, which consisted of Coquilles St. Jacques, Beef Bourguignon, Gougères, Pommes Anna and this cake. I also made a simple salad with fried goat cheese that may be a future recipe! I’m working on perfecting the Pommes Anna recipe because it is a complete crapshoot on how it turns out every time I make it. I’m hoping to give you a foolproof recipe when I (the fool) finally nail it! Stay tuned.
If you can’t hop a plane to France right now, make this cake and be transported via food. Throw a French dinner party and drink Champagne with friends! That’s what the French would do.
[tasty-recipe id=”35264″]
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