FRENCH APPLE CAKE

It’s apple season and our thoughts turn to, what else?  A perfect French apple cake.  No fussy layers or icing, no bread pan loaf cake—but a delicate, apple studded, tea-time confection, with a healthy dose of alcohol!  Use nice crisp, medium sweet apples like honeycrisp, and dark rum with some character.  The old recipe here didn’t even have directions—just a list of ingredients.  Serve with sour cream sweetened with brown sugar.

• 1 cup + 2 tblsp flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 2 crisp apples, chopped finely—about 2 cups
• ½ cup butter, melted then cooled a bit
• 2 eggs
• ¼ cup brown sugar, packed
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• ¼ cup dark rum
• 1 tsp vanilla

Butter a springform pan and line bottom and sides with parchment paper.

Whisk flour and baking powder.  Mix melted butter with brown and white sugar and whisk or beat with hand mixer.  Beat eggs and mix with butter and sugar.  Add rum and vanilla.  Add flour and baking powder and beat to mix well.  Fold in chopped apples.  Pour into prepared pan and sprinkle with white sugar to cover.  Bake at 350’ for 35-40 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes then remove from pan.  Enjoy!!

The Kitchen Hive