French Apple Cake with Maple Crème Anglaise, Apple-Butter and Apple rose

A tender apple-forward cake made with rum, vanilla, and chunks of baking apples, served with a silky maple crème anglaise, a rich apple butter quenelle, and an apple rose.

Serving Size: 8

APPLE CAKE

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

• ⅔ cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling

• 2 large eggs

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 3 tablespoons dark rum

• 2 medium baking apples, peeled, cored, and cut into ½-inch cubes (about 2½ cups)

• Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting (optional)

Method

1. Prepare the pan:

   Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9-inch springform pan or cake pan.

   If using a regular cake pan, line the bottom with parchment and grease again.

2. Mix dry ingredients:

   In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

3. Cream butter + sugar:

   With a stand mixer or handheld mixer, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

4. Add eggs + flavorings:

   Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each and scraping the bowl.

   Mix in vanilla and dark rum. (It may look slightly curdled , that’s normal.)

5. Finish the batter:

   Add the dry ingredients and mix on low until just combined.

   Fold in the chopped apples with a spatula.

6. Bake:

   Spread batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

   Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon granulated sugar.

   Bake 40 minutes, or until golden and a toothpick comes out clean.

7. Cool + unmold:

   Cool fully on a rack.

   Run a knife around the edges to release.

   Remove the springform ring or invert from a standard pan and flip right-side up.

   Dust with confectioners’ sugar if desired.

MAPLE CRÈME ANGLAISE

Ingredients

• 1 cup whole milk

• 1 cup heavy cream

• 4 large egg yolks

• ⅓ cup sugar

• 1 tablespoon maple syrup (or more to taste)

• 1 vanilla bean or 1 tsp vanilla bean paste, split and scraped

• Pinch of salt

Method

1. Add milk, cream, and split vanilla bean+ seeds to a saucepan. Heat over medium until steaming ( do not boil). Turn off the heat and let the vanilla steep for 10 minutes min.

2. In a bowl, whisk yolks, sugar, and salt until pale.

3. Temper the eggs: Slowly whisk in the warm dairy. whisking constantly.

4. Return mixture to the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until it coats the back of a spoon.

5. Remove from heat and stir in the maple syrup.

6. Strain through a fine sieve. Chill or keep slightly warm. pair with apple cake

APPLE BUTTER

(Pressure cooker method)

Ingredients

• 4 medium apples, peeled, cored, and diced

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 2–3 tablespoons brown sugar (adjust to sweetness of apples)

• ½ teaspoon cinnamon

• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg

• Pinch of salt

• Splash of apple cider vinegar

Method (Instant Pot)

1. Add everything to the pot:

   Combine apples, butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and lemon juice (if using) directly inside the Instant Pot.

2. Pressure cook:

   Lock the lid and cook on High Pressure for 8–10 minutes.

   Let the pressure naturally release for 5 minutes, then quick release the rest.

3. Blend:

   Transfer the cooked apples and all their juices to a blender.

   Blend until completely smooth and glossy.

4. Reduce (for thickness):

   Pour the purée back into the Instant Pot and set to Sauté (Low).

   Cook, stirring often, 10–15 minutes, until the apple butter darkens and thickens enough to hold a quenelle shape.

5. Chill:

   Transfer to a container and chill until cold.

   When ready to plate, use two spoons to form a smooth quenelle.

APPLE CUT-OUT CAKE TOPPER

Ingredients

• 1 apple (Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, or Fuji)

• Lemon water (½ lemon + 1 cup cold water)

• Small cookie cutters (round, flower, leaf, heart)

Method

1. Slice the apple very thinly on a mandoline (1–2 mm).

2. Place slices immediately in lemon water to prevent browning.

3. Use small cutters to punch shapes out of the thin apple slices.

4. Pat dry on a towel.

5. Layer the shapes across the top of the cooled cake for a clean, modern garnish.

   Form apple rose (optional)

   1. Lay 6–10 slices in a long row, overlapping each slice by about one-third.

   2. Starting from one end, roll the slices tightly to form a spiral.

   3. Once rolled, stand it upright

      it will naturally look like a small rose.

   4. Adjust outer petals by gently fanning the slices outward.

TO SERVE

Slice the cake and plate with:

A spoon or pour of maple crème anglaise

A quenelle of apple butter

Optional extra apple cut-outs on the plate

I love how this cake comes alive when plated: the warm apple crumb, the silkiness of the maple crème anglaise, the depth of the apple butter, and the soft sculptural shape of the apple rose. It’s familiar, seasonal, and quietly beautiful

the kind of dessert that always earns a little pause before the first bite.