Gateau Invisible Aux Pommes (French Invisible Apple Cake)

This unique dessert combines the natural sweetness of apples with a delicate, almost “invisible” slices of apple layers, resulting in a treat that’s as beautiful as it is delicious.

What is gateau invisible?

Gâteau invisible Aux Pommes is a French dessert that literally translates to “invisible apple cake” in English. Thinly sliced apples are arranged in a cake pan and covered with a batter that becomes almost invisible when baked. The result is a cake that appears like a custard with layers of almost invisible apples nestled in the custard. It is a popular and visually appealing dessert in French cuisine, known for its delicate and fruity flavors. It’s often served with a dusting of powdered sugar or a drizzle of caramel sauce to enhance its sweetness. In this version I make, I put a crumble topping on top!

Why we love this recipe

1. Loaded with apples
The hardest part is probably slicing lots of apples LOL!, but that’s because this cake is really loaded with apples. It’s a good use of loads of apples especially during the active season. You wouldn’t mind eating thin slices of sweet apples suspended by soft and dense (in a good way) custard, would you?
2. It’s easy
Yes, basically you will have most of the ingredients in your pantry already

Ingredients and substitutions

1. Apples: Choose crisp and sweet apples like Pink Lady, Fuji, Honeycrisp, or any apples with crisp texture. These varieties work wonderfully to infuse the cake with natural sweetness.
2. Eggs: Eggs provide structure and moisture to the cake, ensuring it holds together while remaining light and fluffy.
4. Butter: I use unsalted butter. If you use salted butter, omit the salt calls for in the recipe
3. All-purpose flour: All-purpose flour is typically used to create the cake batter, binding the apple slices together.
4. Brown sugar: You can also use regular sugar. I prefer brown sugar for extra depth of flavor
5. Milk: Milk contributes to the cake’s tender crumb and helps create a smooth batter. I use low-fat milk. You can also use whole milk
6. Vanilla Extract: A dash of vanilla extract elevates the cake’s overall flavor profile.
7. Baking Powder: Baking powder is used as a leavening agent, giving the cake a gentle rise.
8. Spices: I use cinnamon and nutmeg. You can add or skip the spices if you don’t like

How tobake gateau invisible aux pommes

1. Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C) for conventional oven, 330 F (165 C) for convection oven.  use a 7-inch round cake pan. Line the bottom with and side with parchment paper. If you use a loose-bottom pan, line the bottom with parchment paper. You can also use 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 or 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. Line the side and bottom of the pan with parchment overhanging so you can easily lift the cake up to unmold
2. Prepare the crumble topping: Combine flour, sugar, and cinnamon. Gradually drizzle in the melted butter while stirring the flour mixture with a fork at the same time. You don’t want to overmix this mixture. It is supposed to resemble crumbles, not a dough. There should be a mixture of different sizes of crumble. Cover and keep in the fridge while you prepare other things

3. Prepare the cake batter: Whisk flour, salt, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and baking powder to combine and set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine room-temperature eggs with sugar and whisk until sugar dissolves.

4. Add melted butter and whisk again until combined. Add the room-temperature milk and whisk again until combined. The eggs help to emulsify the mixture

5. Sift in the flour mixture and use a whisk to combine. Set the cake batter aside

6. Peel the apples and core. Then thinly slice the apples, about 2 mm in thickness.

7. Add the apple slices into the cake batter and gently mix to make sure the apples are coated in the cake batter evenly

8. Pour half of the cake batter gently into the prepared pan. Use a spatula to press the cake batter down evenly to ensure there won’t be any “holes” inside the batter. If you are really obsessive about it, you can try to have the apples slices stacked up horizontally as neatly as possible.

9. Then pour the rest of the cake batter into the pan and again, gently press with a spatula to make sure the apple slices are packed in without leaving any holes

10. Sprinkle the crumble topping evenly on top of the cake batter

11. Bake the cake: Put the pan in the middle rack of the oven and bake for the next 55-60 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake, comes out clean with a few crumbs are okay, as long as it’s not wet. If it’s still wet, bake for another 5 minutes and check again. If the cake browns too quickly, loosely tent with aluminum foil for the last 10 minutes of baking
12. Let the cake cool down completely in the pan set on top of a cooling rack.

13. Once it has cooled down completely, I highly recommend chilling it in the fridge. It allows the “custard” to set further. We like to serve it cold because it gives that dense texture in a good way. But, if you prefer to serve it without chilling it in the fridge, that’s totally fine too