Apple Cake with Almonds

Inspired by the almond croissants my husband used to buy for me in college, my Easy Apple Almond Cake is the perfect not-too-sweet dessert. With thinly sliced apples in a moist almond scented cake, you'll feel like you're in France, without paying airfare.

This Almond Apple Cake is very nostalgic for me. I'm not French and I have no adorable story of eating French Apple Cake in a cafe in Paris, but it was an apple clafoutis that we made at the bakery with flavors that reminded me of the almond croissants The Boy used to buy me in college.

And yes, I know there aren't apples in almond croissants, but the color of the clafoutis, with the almonds and a dusting of powdered sugar on top of it, made a connection in my weird little brain. Once that connection was made, I had to create this cake. It became a thing. So, here we are.

❤️ What you'll love about this Apple Cake with Almonds

• Easy - Takes 20 minutes to get into the oven. Less, if you have coffee first!
• Delicious - Buttery taste with a soft crumb.
• Fruity - Layered with slices of tender apples, it's almost impossible to overbake.
• Good anytime - Can be eaten warm from the oven or at room temperature for an after school or late night snack
• Keeps well - Lasts for days on the counter

Ingredients

None of that hard-to-find ingredient nonsense for me! If you don't have any of these ingredients, you can find them easily at the market and get started making your apple cake!

See recipe card below for quantities.

Note: A classic French Apple Cake is traditionally made with rum. We are a no-alcohol family so I don't cook or bake with it at all. I think the generous amount of apples and almond extract make this cake special enough that you won't even miss the rum.

Substitutions

I never want a food sensitivity or lack of an ingredient to keep someone from making one of my recipes. Here are just a few substitutions you can make.

• Flour - I use regular all-purpose flour in this cake, but you can replace ½ cup of it with blanched almond flour or almond meal if you want to add more almond flavor. I would not recommend replacing more of the flour, because the cake will be too dense.
• Buttermilk - Buttermilk gives this cake a tender texture, but if you don't have buttermilk you can substitute with an equal amount of plain yogurt. If you use Greek yogurt, you may need to thin it out with a bit of milk.
• Almonds - Feel free to replace with your choice of nut, or in the case of an allergy, skip the almonds and replace the almond extract with vanilla extract.
• Apples - To be fair, it is an apple cake, but you can replace the fresh apples with an Asian pears or quince if you like. If you're uncomfortable making thin slices of apple, you can use diced apples, but make sure that they are a very small dice so they will become tender during bake time.

Variations

Here are a few ways to play with your apple cake, if you're feeling frisky:

• Spiced - Swap out the almond extract for vanilla and add ½ teaspoon of cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg and ginger to your dry ingredients for a Fall apple harvest vibe.
• Traditional French - If you want a more traditional French Apple Cake, feel free to add up to 2 tablespoons of dark rum to the batter in place of the almond extract.
• Crispy sugar topped - Some French Apple Cake recipes call for all of the apples to be incorporated into the batter and for a generous amount of sugar (about 2 tablspoons) to be sprinkled over top before baking.

Short Recipe Video

Instructions

To make this Apple Cake you will use a traditional butter/sugar creaming method. You can use a stand mixer or hand mixer, whichever you have. I like to bake in a 9-inch cake pan, but a cast iron pan, square baking pan, or a springform pan will all work.

• Start by preheating your oven to 350°F. If you want to serve your cake right out of the pan, spray the interior with non stick spray and set aside.
• If you want to remove your cake from the pan for displaying and serving, use a springform pan, or line your pan with strips of parchment paper or crumple parchment paper up in your hand and press it down into the bottom and sides of your pan, allowing the batter to hold it in place.

Step 1: Whisk flour with baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Step 2: Then, in the bowl of an stand mixer, or with a hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Step 3: Beat in eggs, one at a time, then almond extract, and beat mixture about 2 minutes, or until creamy.

Step 4: With your mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with half of the buttermilk, mixing after each addition. Do not overmix. Some flour streaks should still be visible at the end.

Step 5: Slice apples in half. Use a melon baller, or spoon, to remove the core. Peel with peeler or sharp paring knife.

Step 6: Using a mandoline slicer, or sharp knife, slice apples very thinly, about ⅛ inch thin.

Step 7: Remove bowl from stand mixer and add most of the apple slices to the batter, leaving about ¼ of them to place on the top.

Step 8: Use a silicone or rubber spatula to gently fold the apple slices into the batter. It's okay if some of them break.

Step 9: Transfer the batter to your prepared pan smooth the top with an offset spatula, making sure there is batter in all the edges of the pan.

Step 10: Arrange remaining apple slices on top of batter in concentric circles, gently pressing them in a bit, smoothing the batter afterwards.

Step 11:  Scatter sliced almonds on top of the cake. 

Step 12:  Place in the preheated oven and bake at 350°F for 45 to 50 minutes bake time, or until a cake tester, or a toothpick, comes out clean, the top has browned, and the apples no longer feel firm when pierced with the tester.

Allow to cool in the pan until just warm, then transfer to a rack and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Serve in the pan, or remove from pan and transfer to cake plate. Slice and serve.

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