French Apple Cake: A Gluten-Free Baker’s Dream
When adapting recipes to be gluten-free, my first rule is simple: minimise flour wherever possible. This approach saves time, reduces waste, and keeps costs down – especially since gluten-free flour can be pricey.
Why This Recipe Works
The beauty of this French apple cake lies in its simplicity. Unlike many cakes that rely heavily on flour, this one uses only ½ cup for the entire cake. The structure comes from thinly sliced apples layered together, creating a moist, tender texture without compromising flavour.
Scaling Down for Success
If a recipe calls for numerous ingredients, I often scale it down using apps like Paprika 3, which makes adjustments easy. This reduces the risk of waste if a gluten-free experiment doesn’t turn out as expected.
Cost Consideration
Gluten-free flour is expensive, so choosing recipes that use less flour means fewer costly mistakes. This cake is ideal because it’s naturally light on flour, making it easier to adapt without losing its essence.
Recipe Notes
- Minimal Flour: Only ½ cup for the whole cake.
- Apple Layers: Thin slices create structure and moisture.
- No Heavy Alterations: Keeps the integrity of the original recipe.
- Budget-Friendly: Less flour means less risk and less waste.
Final Thoughts
This French apple cake is elegant, simple, and perfect for anyone looking to bake gluten-free without sacrificing flavour or texture. It’s proof that sometimes less really is more.
Ideas, Advice and Suggestions
Woolworths Free from Gluten All Purpose Flour – A staple in my home that I’ve found to be the best gluten-free wheat flour replacement. It can be substituted with regular all-purpose wheat flour for those who are not adhering to a gluten-free diet.
Castor sugar – Please make sure to use caster sugar, which is a fine sugar, and not confectioners’ sugar, which contains cornstarch.
Baking powder – The recipe contains a significant amount of baking powder, which helps to create a light cake that would otherwise be dense due to the quantity of apples.
Vanilla extract or essence – I have tested both options, and they have both performed effectively.
Eggs – In my house, I usually have Large, X-Large, or Jumbo sizes, and all have worked well for me.
Full cream milk – I have only tested this recipe with full cream milk, but I’m confident that other types of milk or milk substitutes could work as well.
Vegetable oil – Sunflower oil, a blended oil, or even olive oil could be suitable.
Apples – You can use any variety of apples, but remember that different types may cook at varying rates. Therefore, when testing the cake for doneness, be sure to check various sections.
Icing sugar to dust – If you’re planning to use icing sugar, sprinkle it on right before serving the cake, as it tends to dissolve and can make the surface sticky.
Butter –You can use medium to high-fat margarine as a substitute; otherwise, the cake may not brown properly.
French Apple Cake
Course: DessertCuisine: FrenchDifficulty: Simple/Time Consuming10
servings30
minutes50
minutes1814
kcal1
hour20
minutesA delightful and easy-to-make gluten-free French Apple Cake, perfect for any occasion!
Ingredients
- Apple Cake
1/2 cup (63g) Woolworths gluten-free flour
1/2 cup (120g) caster sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon fine salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract or essence
2 large eggs, beaten lightly
1/3 cup (80ml) full cream milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 kg / 2 pounds apples
icing sugar to dust – optional
- Topping
1/3 cup (80g) caster sugar
1 large egg, beaten lightly
3 tablespoons (43g) butter, melted
Directions
- Apple Cake
- Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F bake, 170°C/330°F fan.
- To prepare a cake pan, line a solid-bottomed cake tin with parchment paper, or alternatively, use a foil container. This cake contains a significant amount of liquid when baking, which could cause leakage and dry out the cake if not properly contained.
- Peel and core the apples and cut into very thin slices (I halve the apples and use a food processor slicer blade to slice the apples as thinly as possible)
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the vanilla, eggs, oil, and milk and mix till well combined.
- Add the apple slices and using your hands, mix the apple with the batter to coat each individual slice of apple.
- Pour into the prepared pan and bake on the centre shelf for 30 minutes – pop a timer on.
- Topping
- In a small bowl, combine the egg, sugar, and butter and stir to blend, then set aside.
- When the 30 minutes for the cake is up, remove the cake from the oven.
- Pour topping mix over the cake and spread the topping evenly over the apples.
- Bringing everything together
- Return to oven for 20 minutes until some of the apple slices are tinged golden.
- To check for doneness, insert a skewer and look for a slight resistance.
- Remove cake from the oven onto a wire rack.
- Run a knife around the sides of the pan and allow to cool.
- Turn cake out onto a plate and then turn it onto an airing rack so the top of the cake is once again upright.
- Cool. Dust with icing sugar.
- Serve at room temperature.
Notes
- I utilized Fuji apples. You may choose any type of apple you prefer; however, keep in mind that different apples have varying moisture content, which can affect the cooking time.
- Use a food processor to slice the apples as thinly as possible.
This cake contains a significant amount of liquid at the beginning of the baking process, which can lead to leakage and a dry texture if not properly contained during baking.
Origin of the Recipe
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