Fall French Apple Cake

Fall French Apple Cake

This is the cake you want for fall. It's certainly the one I want! For when that quintessential "fall chill" hits you in the mornings and when the sun goes down. For when the air smells a bit different and the light fades faster than it did just a week ago. It takes its inspiration from the classic French apple cake, a lot rustic, soft with custardy pockets of apple and just enough spice to feel seasonal without tipping into “pumpkin pie mode.” I start with our Wild Rye Vanilla Cake Mix — because that’s how I bake at home — then fold in a few crisp apples, a splash of rum, and let the magic happen in the oven. The result? A golden, cozy, and custardy cake that asks us to take a deep breath, enjoy the moment and indulge in the season.

Happy Baking! 

Sarah

Ingredients

  • 1 box Wild Rye Vanilla Cake Mix

  • ¾ cup whole milk 

  • ¾ cup neutral oil (avocado, canola, grapeseed etc.)

  • 3 Tbsp melted butter

  • 3 eggs

  • 1/4 cup dark rum or Calvados

  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon

  • Tiny pinch of nutmeg (optional, but I love it here)

  • 4 medium or 3 large apples (Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, or Granny Smith), peeled, cored, and thinly sliced

  • 1 Tbsp sugar, for topping

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350°F and grease and line a 9x3" or 10x3" springform pan with parchment (standard round cake pans will also do).

  2. Whisk together buttermilk, oil, melted butter, eggs, and rum.

  3. Add Wild Rye Vanilla Mix and the spices. Stir until smooth.

  4. Fold in about two-thirds of the apples. Pour into the pan and smooth the top.

  5. Arrange the rest of the apples over the surface, fan them out a little. Sprinkle with sugar.

  6. Bake 50–60 minutes, until golden and set. The center should be custardy but not wet with cake batter. Trust your toothpick! 

  7. Cool a bit before slicing. Serve just as is with perhaps a dusting of powdered sugar, or with a drizzle of cream (very French).

Why we love it

This is the cake that doesn’t need frosting or fuss to feel quite special — it’s all about the apples and that soft, almost pudding-like crumb. It’s easy enough to bake on a whim, but chic enough to bring to a dinner party. Basically, fall in cake form and endlessly lovable. 

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