Okay, the holidays are upon us. You know you can’t do it all no matter how enthusiastic a cook you are. And then there are those people that are not that crazy about pumpkin so this will satisfy those people. If you are not going to make Laura Calder’s Apple Tart, then give Dorie Greenspan’s French Apple Cake a try, only now it is French Apple-Pear Cake. I got this recipe from David Lebovitz. So if it passes the Greenspan/Lebovitz test do you doubt me?
You can make this in one-bowl. I gathered my Mise en Place. When possible I like to measure in my jelly jars. Just place the jelly jar on a scale and weigh the ingredient. Then when I have added the ingredient I can easily put the jars in the dishwasher and it makes for easy cleanup.
Whisk the eggs well until they are pale, and then add sugar, vanilla, and rum. Add half the dry mixture, then the melted butter, and then the remaining dry. Gently fold in the apples or pears until they well are coated.
While watching Dorie being interviewed she said you could mix apples and pears or just use what you have. I love her casualness. I needed to use up the remaining pears from my pear tart I made a few weeks ago. I had a couple small apples from another recipe. So I combined both and was pleased with the outcome.
My only problem was what to call it. Is it the French Apple Cake or French Pear Cake? I settled on French Apple-Pear Cake. This is a remarkable cake and is as good as the fruit you put in it. A dusting of confectioner’s sugar glams it up, but it is not necessary. A scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of crème fraîche is also nice way to go.
- ¾ cup (110g) flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- pinch of salt
- 4 large apples (a mix of varieties)
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- ¾ cup (150g) sugar
- 3 tablespoons dark rum
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 8 tablespoons (115g) butter, salted or unsalted, melted and cooled to room temperature
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC); move oven rack to the center of the oven.
- Butter generously an 8- or 9-inch (20-23cm) springform pan; place it on a baking sheet.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Peel. core, and dice apples into 1-inch (3cm) pieces.
- In a large bowl, beat the eggs until foamy
- Whisk in the sugar, rum and vanilla.
- Whisk in half of the flour mixture,
- Then gently stir in half of the melted butter
- Stir in the remaining flour mixture, then the rest of the butter.
- Fold in the apple until they’re well-coated with the batter.
- Scrape them into the prepared cake pan and smooth the top a little with a spatula.
- Bake the cake for 50 minute to 1 hour, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool for 5 minutes; run a knife around the edge to loosen the cake from the pan; gently remove the sides of the cake pan, making sure no apples are stuck to it.
I am taking this to
They look absolutely delicious! I would love to try them with a cup of warm chocolate!
It is such a simple cake. Thank you for stopping by.
Madonna
The dusting of confectioner’s sugar makes it all the more elegant. I really like your idea of measuring in jelly jars when you are setting up mise-en-place. They take up less space than bowls too.
Happy Thanksgiving.
Sam
The confectioner’s sugar does make it fancy, doesn’t it? Yes, on the jam jars, if the ingredients will fit it makes for a quick clean up. Even though this is a one-bowl recipe I have a terrible habit of forgetting ingredients so I like to pre-measure where I can.
Thanks for stopping by Sam. I hope you and Meakin have a Happy Thanksgiving.
M.
This is a perfect cake as it uses both the fruits that we have in our orchard. Hope you have a lovely Thanksgiving.
Karen, I wish we had access to your orchard. 🙂 I started to say you were lucky, but I know you worked hard for that orchard. I mean I am sure your apples and pears have real flavor. I think you will like this cake.
What a wonderful cake. And with a pedigree like that, I bet it is divine. Happy Thanksgiving to you!
I suspect this is a very old recipe, but I can’t believe how simple. Thanks for stopping by Adri.
The cake looks heavenly, Madonna. I like your jelly jar idea for pre measuring ingredients, too. Now, which of the two desserts you mentioned is your favorite?
Happy Thanksgiving from my kitchen to yours!
This cake is delicious, but if I am having pie, Laura is my go-to now. It is incredible – not because of me, but because Laura did the work for me. My work was in passing along good info.:)
I hope you and yours have a Happy Thanksgiving.
What a simple cake; just the kind that I like to make. And a Greenspan/Lebovitz endorsement is not to be taken lightly. I love French style cakes. Have a happy Thanksgiving Madonna. I am thankful for you and your blog.
Penny, Dorie said there is a whole type of cooking out there she was not aware of. I think she is talking about grand-mère cooking, which is the recipes grandmothers made. They are simple yet delicious. I love the simplicity too.
Happy Thanksgiving Penny.
Your kind words made me tear up. Thank you so much for the kind words. I have so enjoyed making contact with likeminded people like you and all the others that take the time to leave me little notes of encouragement.
Cake looks awesome,beautiful
Thank you Jayanthi.
Apples and pears are not only a pretty but also a very tasty combination.
This cake is a great idea for winter days, I’m going to try it out asap.
Daniela, this works with apples or pears, or a combination. I hope you with give it a try.
Madonna
A very elegant cake and delicious, too!
Thanks Barbara. I did not think so much elegant as homey,like grandmother would whip up.
It is Thanksgiving weekend here. I am not sure if you all celebrate, but if so Happy Thanksgiving and if not have a great weekend.
Madonna
Just a lovely recipe — and I really like the combo of pears and apples in this. The taste of fall! Great recipe, wonderful pictures. Thanks. And Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanks John. I would not have thought to mix them had I not heard Dorie say it was a good thing. Thanks for the positive feedback on my pictures. You always take such nice photos so for you to say nice things really makes me smile.
Wishing you and the Mrs. a happy holiday.
M.
I gave someone a bunch of apples and pears from my garden last summer and they just about keeled over in ecstasy at the taste of the jam that they made, so I know this is a good fruit combination. Thanks so much for sharing at the Make it Monday Party! Hope to see you again next week.
Tamara, the thought of apples and pears from a garden sounds so good to me. Apples from the grocery store have long ago lost their flavor.
Yummy. Looks so scrumptious.
The cake is so easy I hope you will give it a try. Thanks for stopping by.
Is this from Dorie’s new book, Baking Chez Moi? That book looks amazing!
No, but I have that recipe I got from her interview. It is call custardy apple squares. It is almost the same, but the batter is almost a crêpe batter. I will post about it soon. Thanks for stopping by Wini.
I’ll definitely put some pears in mine!
Let me know if you make this with apples or pear – either way it is a great recipe. I love the simplicity of this cake. Thanks for stopping by Julia.
Simple cakes are usually the best ones! When you can always choose natural ingredients instead of buying weird ingredients! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Those weird ingredients has been my downfall. When I went back to the simplicity of cooking real food my health and life got significantly better. Thank you so much for stopping by Lily.
Looks amazing!!! Thank you so much for linking up at Tasty Tuesday! Your recipe has been pinned to the Tasty Tuesday Pinterest board! Please join us again this week!
Yeah!!! Thank you so much.
Wowwww
These look sooooooooooooo GOOD !!
My mouth is watering….
Winnie, this is a good/simple cake, but not as fancy like yours. Thanks for stopping by, I love your comments.
M.
Sounds beautiful. What can I use instead of rum?
brandy or just vanilla.