Invisible Apple Cake
This Invisible Apple Cake (gâteau invisible aux pommes) is a stunning dessert, originating from France. It’s easy to make, and tastes just like an indulgent apple pie. Layers of thinly sliced sweet apples are tossed in a batter seasoned with a homemade apple pie spice blend. The apples get incredibly tender when baked. Top thick slices of this cake off with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and caramel sauce for a dessert that will truly impress your guests.
If you are looking for a show stopping dessert to make this fall, this is it! The layers upon layers of apples make this dessert look so elegant and it tastes delicious too. A slice of this topped with vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of caramel syrup tastes like you are eating a slice of the best apple pie. Apple pies are meant to be loaded with apples, and this certainly doesn’t skimp on apples.
Invisible apple cake, officially called gâteau invisible aux pommes originates from France. I’ve seen this dessert around and have always wanted to make my own version of it. It looks like it would be complex to make, but honestly, it’s one of the easiest desserts I’ve made. The hardest part is peeling and slicing the apples into thin slices.
The details
The ingredients
- eggs – the “cake” in this invisible apple cake is almost like a custard, rather than a cake. The recipe uses 3 large eggs, so the recipe is a bit heavier on the eggs.
- milk – milk adds richness and tenderness to the invisible apple cake.
- unsalted butter, melted – I love the buttery notes in this. The butter adds delicious flavor to the cake.
- vanilla extract – vanilla extract helps to enhance the flavors in this.
- all-purpose flour – the flour helps with holding the structure of the cake together.
- granulated sugar – this invisible apple cake has the perfect amount of sweetness balanced with the apples.
- baking powder – a hint of baking powder is used to provide some leavening for the batter, making the cake feel a bit lighter.
- salt -salt helps to enhance the flavors in this invisible apple cake.
- ground cinnamon – I made my own blend of apple pie spice for this invisible apple cake. I love the addition of the spices to this cake. It makes it taste like an indulgent apple pie.
- ground ginger
- ground nutmeg
- ground cloves
- ground allspice
- Honey Crisp apples – you want to use a crisp, firm apple for baking, so that it holds its shape when baked and doesn’t just turn to mush. I used Honey Crisp apples to make this, but you can certainly use Braeburn, Cortland, or Pink Lady.
Here’s how to make it
The hardest part of making this invisible apple cake is coring, peeling and slicing the apples. This is the most time consuming as you need to peel, core and slice 5 apples. I used a mandarin slicer to get the apples ultra thin. Make sure you are extremely careful when using this. My mandarin slicer actually has a grip that I use that helps me get the last few slices of apple without my hand getting anywhere near the blade.
After you slice the apples, you’ll want to make the custard like batter. Whisk together the eggs and sugar until lighter in color, then add in the milk, butter and vanilla. Whisk to combine, then add in the flour. It’s okay if your batter has a few lumps in it. You can sift the flour to help with eliminating some of the lumps. Whisk until combined.
Add the apples to the custard like batter and toss to combine. Arrange the apple slices in a greased 9×5 inch loaf pan. The apples don’t have to be perfectly arranged. Pour remaining batter over top, then bake 50-60 minutes. The apples will be ultra tender and delicious after baking.
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Invisible Apple Cake
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 loaf 1x
Description
This Invisible Apple Cake (gâteau invisible aux pommes) is a stunning dessert, originating from France. It’s easy to make, and tastes just like an indulgent apple pie. Layers of thinly sliced sweet apples are tossed in a batter seasoned with a homemade apple pie spice blend. The apples get incredibly tender when baked. Top thick slices of this cake off with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and caramel sauce for a dessert that will truly impress your guests.
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 cup milk
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
- 5 Honey Crisp apples, peeled and cored, then thinly sliced
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 9×5 loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Peel and core apples. Cut apples in half. Using a mandoline slicer, slice apples thinly. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, then add sugar and whisk until lighter in color. Add in milk, butter and vanilla. Whisk to combine. Add in dry ingredients and whisk to combine. Add apples to batter and toss to coat.
4. Arrange apples in loaf pan, flattening out any pieces sticking up. Pour remaining batter over top.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool 1 hour in pan. Slice and serve with vanilla ice cream and caramel. Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 50
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: French
How many apples go into the batter and how many line the bottom of the loaf pan?
Ann,
All of the apples go in the batter to get coated. Then all of the apples go into the loaf pan, layered in there. They don’t have to be perfectly layered. Hope that helps!
-Jolene
I made this today for my family. Cut the sugar down to only 1/4 cup because my husband and I don’t eat a lot of sugar these days and most things are sickeningly sweet. It was delicious. We used to love apple pie, but haven’t eaten it in forever because it just tastes like flavored sugar to us, but this hit the spot. And it wasn’t hard to make at all. I don’t have a mandolin, so I sliced the apples by hand, and while time consuming, wasn’t difficult and after that the rest came together perfectly.
I am sooo happy to hear how much you and your husband loved this! It truly does taste like a delicious apple pie. I’m impressed you sliced the apples by hand! Thank you so much for making my recipe and glad you enjoyed it :).
-Jolene