Marie-Helene's Apple Cake (French Apple Cake)

Marie-Helene's Apple Cake (French Apple Cake)

recipe courtesy of Dorie Greenspan's Around My French Table

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powderPinch of salt
4 large apples (use 4 different kinds-I used Honeycrisp, Fuji, Cortland, and Granny Smith)
2 large eggs3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons dark rum
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1. Preheat the oven to 350º and center a rack in the oven. Heavily butter an 8 or 9 inch springform pan (i used a 9 inch). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and put the springform pan on it. Set aside.

2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a small bowl.

3. Peel the apples, cut them in half, and remove the cores. Cut the apples into 1 to 2 inch chunks:

4. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk until foamy. Pour in the sugar and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the rum and vanilla.

(the husband insisted i make you aware of the rum he "allowed" me to use- whatever. it's just rum) Whisk in half of the flour mixture, when it’s incorporated, add half of the melted butter, followed by the remaining flour mixture and butter. Mix in between additions so you have a smooth, thick batter.

5. Fold in the apples with a rubber spatula. Pour batter into prepared pan. Spread with spatula so the batter is somewhat even:

6. Slide the pan in the oven and bake 50-60 minutes (50 min was perfect in my oven), or until the top of the cake is golden brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer to a cooling rack and cool for five minutes.

7. Run a knife around the edges of the cake and remove the side of the spring-form pan (remove the sides slowly & make sure there are no apples stuck to it). Cool cake until slightly warm or at room temperature. If you want to remove the cake from the pan, wait until the cake is completely cooled. Slide a long spatula between the cake and pan, cover the top of the cake with a piece of parchment or wax paper, and invert it onto a rack. Carefully remove the bottom of the pan and turn the cake over onto a serving platter.

You can serve this cake at room temp or warm with whipped cream or a simple vanilla or cinnamon ice cream. I tried it with both- i can't decide which i prefer!

This cake will keep for about 2-3 days at room temp (or in the fridge). It's really moist so it's best not to cover it with plastic wrap- use wax paper or keep in a cake dish.