One thing about me: I’m drawn to a tried-and-true heritage recipe. There’s something endlessly special in knowing generations have talked about it, craved it, and eaten it together. For me personally, there’s a long list of original handwritten recipes passed down from my late momma, Shelly Schnoll, including her famous Mandel Bread and Date Nut Bread.
So in my hunt for the perfect apple cake recipe for Rosh Hashanah, I was drawn to this Classic French Apple Cake from Jennifer Segal of Once Upon a Chef. It was a recipe that was passed down to Jennifer when she was working as an au pair for a family in Paris while in college. Jennifer shares: “My host mother, Valérie, loved to cook and often enlisted my help in the kitchen once the kids were in bed. Her apple cake recipe, with chunks of tart apples nestled in a tender and buttery rum cake, quickly became one of my all-time favorite fall desserts.”
Knowing of its Parisian roots, I had to try it — and oh, I am so glad I did. Simple yet delicious? My love languages! Plus, just as Jennifer promised, it was perfectly buttery and tender. I decided a great addition to the dusting of powdered sugar on top would be an artistic swish of homemade caramel sauce on the plate beneath.
My fellow dinner guests and I were over the moon as we devoured every last bite. In the spirit of continuing to pass it on to the world, I felt moved to share it with you. Try this mouthwatering apple cake recipe to taste it for yourself.
Ingredients
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1 cup all-purpose flour
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1 teaspoon baking powder
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¼ teaspoon salt
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½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
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⅔ cup granulated sugar, plus some for sprinkling over cake
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2 large eggs
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1 teaspoon vanilla extract
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3 tablespoons dark rum (I chose to use 1 tbs because I’m not a fan of alcohol in my desserts and didn’t know how much flavor would bake off)
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2 baking apples, peeled, cored, & cut into ½-inch cubes (3½ to 4 cups chopped)
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Confectioners’ sugar for decorating
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit and set an oven rack in the middle position. Grease a 9-inch springform or regular cake pan with butter or nonstick cooking spray. If using a regular cake pan, line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and grease again.
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In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
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Using a handheld mixer with beaters or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and rum. Don't worry if the batter looks grainy at this point; that's okay. Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until just combined. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the chopped apples.
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Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and even the top. Sprinkle evenly with 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until the cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool on a rack in the pan.
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Once cool, run a blunt knife around the edges of the cake. If using a springform pan, remove the sides. If using a regular cake pan, carefully invert the cake onto the rack, remove the parchment paper, then gently flip the cake over and place right side up on a platter.
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Using a fine sieve, dust with confectioners' sugar. Cake can be served warm or room temperature, plain or with lightly sweetened whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, or a caramel drizzle.
