French Apple Cake with Cardamom & Lemon

This French apple cake features tender chunks of juicy apples nestled in a moist, lightly spiced batter. Cardamom adds subtle warmth while lemon zest lends a bright, citrusy lift. The cake has a delicate soft crumb and a buttery richness that complements the apples. Finished with a light dusting of powdered sugar, this cake is the perfect balance of cozy and sophisticated—a perfect treat for apple season and beyond.

This lovely cake was inspired by a sizable haul of Stayman apples from a recent apple-picking excursion. I knew I wanted to create a rustic dessert that would highlight their flavor without too much fuss. And, I knew cardamom needed to be involved because it’s my favorite spice. I hope you’ll give this simple apple cake a try because it’s definitely a new favorite!

Why You’ll Love this Apple Cake

• It’s packed with fresh apples! Seriously though, it’s mostly apples with just enough batter to coat them and hold everything together.
• It’s really dang delicious. The spice from the cardamom and brightness from the lemon really complements the apples and helps them shine.
• You only need 11 ingredients, most of which are probably hanging out in your pantry or fridge if you like to bake.

What is a French Apple Cake?

A French apple cake is a single layer cake packed with tender apples. It’s buttery, soft, and moist thanks to the large amount of apple chunks folded throughout the batter. It is traditionally void of of the autumnal spices we tend to use here in the US and instead is flavored with rum. My version is flavored with lemon zest, cardamom, and a little apple cider in place of the rum. I sprinkled the top with granulated sugar before baking which give it a beautiful golden color and crunchy texture.

Grab These Ingredients

• Granulated Sugar — sweetens the cake
• Lemon Zest — adds brightness
• Flour — all-purpose works best here (King Arthur is my go-to brand!)
• Baking Powder — leavener (i.e. provides lift during baking)
• Salt — balances all of the flavors
• Ground Cardamom — adds warmth and beautiful flavor
• Eggs — make sure they’re room temperature and use standard large sized eggs
• Melted Butter — lends moisture and a delightful buttery flavor
• Vanilla Extract — adds flavor
• Apple Cider or Apple Juice — adds a bit of moisture to help thin the batter
• Apples — firm baking varieties are best here so use your favorite!
• Powdered Sugar — this is optional as a garnish after baking

Key Steps to Making this French Apple Cake

Gather your ingredients then peel your apples, core them, and dice them into 1/2-inch sized chunks. Set the apples aside for now. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a medium-sized bowl.

Add the sugar and lemon zest to the bowl of a stand mixer. Use your fingers to rub the zest into the sugar until highly fragrant. Add the eggs to the sugar and beat until they gain volume and turn a pale, glossy yellow (below left). Beat in the dry ingredients then fold in the apples.

Pour the batter into a greased springform pan that has been lined with a round of parchment paper. Smooth out the top then sprinkle it with the remaining granulated sugar. Bake until golden and a tester comes out clean.

Tips for Recipe Success

Use room temperature ingredients, especially the eggs and apple cider. It’s much easier to incorporate air into the eggs when they are room temperature. Plus, it will lead to more even baking once the cake hits the heat of the oven.

Use firmer baking apple varieties so they hold their shape in the oven without turning to mush. Here are some great varieties: Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Pink Lady (Cripps Pink), Cortland, Northern Spy, and Stayman (the variety I used).

Don’t skip the step of beating the eggs and sugar! This helps build volume and will affect both the rise and texture of the cake if it’s skipped.

Variations and Substitutions

• For a dairy free version, use an equal amount of vegan butter (not the kind meant for spreading, but the kind that comes in blocks/sticks for baking).
• Use a 1:1 gluten free flour mix in place of the all-purpose flour if you’d like to make this gluten free.
• If you’d like a more traditional French apple cake, use dark rum in place of the apple cider.

Sweet and Savory Apple Recipes to Enjoy

Since apples are in season, they are at peak flavor and texture! Here are a few favorite apple recipes from over the years: Baked Apples with Walnuts and Sage; Mushroom Ravioli with Apples, Parsnips and Sage; and Kale, Apple, and Celery Salad with Maple Dijon Dressing.

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