Invisible Apple Cake (Gâteau Invisible aux Pommes)
Invisible apple cake is a stunning French dessert where thinly sliced apples bake into a custardy, melt-in-your-mouth cake that looks straight out of a Parisian bakery. It’s light, elegant, and surprisingly easy to make with simple ingredients you may already have on hand.
Prep time: PT25M
Cook time: PT65M
Total time: PT90M
Rating
4.63 stars (8 reviews)
Keywords
invisible apple cake
Ingredients
⅓ cup butter or plant butter (plus more for greasing)
½ cup whole milk or unsweetened soy milk or a rich plant milk like oat milk
2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup all-purpose flour or GF flour blend
1 ½ teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
1 zest of small orange
½ teaspoon sea salt
pinch ground nutmeg
3 large eggs (room temperature)
½ cup cane sugar (plus 1 Tablespoon for the top)
4 medium apples (Honeycrisp, Fuji or Pink Lady - I used 2 ¾ pounds of apples)
Optional for serving: Powdered sugar and/or whipped cream
Categories
Dessert
Cuisine
French
Steps
Preheat oven to 375°F and grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan or a 10 x 5. Line with unbleached parchment paper for easier removal.
Melt butter on the stove in a small saucepan over low heat with the milk and vanilla bean paste. Once the butter has melted, set the mixture aside off the heat to cool slightly.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, orange zest, salt and nutmeg. Set the mixture aside.
Using the bowl of a stand mixer, use the whisk attachment to beat ½ cup sugar and eggs together for about 1-2 minutes on medium-high speed (alternatively, you can use a large bowl with a hand mixer) until pale and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Add half of the dry ingredients to the bowl and whisk on low speed until just incorporated. Whisk in the milk mixture slowly. Add the remaining dry ingredients. Mix on low speed until the batter is smooth.
Peel, core and quarter the apples. You can slice them thinly using a mandolin or a very sharp knife (you are aiming for approximately 1/16-inch thick). Fold the apple slices into the batter gently until evenly coated using a rubber spatula. It is helpful to slice and coat one apple at a time to prevent the apples from oxidizing (browning).
Carefully ladle a cupful of batter using a large spoon into the prepared pan. Flatten out the apple slices after each cupful. Repeat until all the apple slices are added. You can arrange the top layer of apples in a more decorative way, if desired, but don’t overthink it. Once completed, tap the pan to remove air. Sprinkle 1 Tablespoon of granulated sugar on top.
Bake for 60-70 minutes until golden.
Allow cake to cool in the pan on top of a wire rack for 1 hour.
Run a knife along the sides of the pan and remove the cake onto the wire rack. Allow to cool for an additional hour.
Optional: Dust the cake with powdered sugar or serve with whipped cream. Cut with a serrated knife for best results. Serve room temp or cold.
Reviews
Amanda on 2026-03-06 (5 stars): Needed something for a 10 person dinner party with varying dietary requirements - I made 2 (one with all your vegan & GF adaptations) and this recipe was the perfect fit for all, it was an absolute hit. Everyone asked for the recipe. So delicious will be a staple in quite a few homes now
Chris j on 2026-01-23 (2 stars): Sorry, more complicated than i need at this time.
Annmarie on 2026-01-18 (5 stars): Amazing cake. The instructions are written very well. This is definitely a do over.
Annmarie Arnes on 2026-01-18 (5 stars): Amazing cake. The instructions are written very well. This is definitely a do over.
Nick on 2025-10-23 (5 stars): Absolutely perfect. (I used cinnamon becsuee I don’t care for nutmeg, but otherwise followed the instructions precisely.)
After 74 minutes, this beauty was exactly 190 F in the center. I had to distract myself for two hours to allow it to cool properly!
The apples are tender and with the sugar, provide the right amount of sweetness. It slices beautifully and happens to be delicious as dessert, as a snack, and as a light breakfast with morning coffee.
Kelly L on 2025-10-22 (5 stars): Well, as my Australian friends would say, "Boy, I really stuffed this one up!" I used my food processor to slice the apples. Except, I used the shredder blade by mistake instead of the slicer. On beautiful apples I'd just bought at the farmer's market. I forged ahead. When done, I put slices of apple on top. 50 minutes later, the batter had risen a bit... and what sat on top looked just like hash browns. I also baked in in my convection oven (habit) which dried out the apples on top. Butter to the rescue! Slicing this stringy thing without completely destroying it was a challenge. My dinner guests that night raved and said it was delicious. Creamy, and not too sweet. When I showed them the picture of how it was supposed to look, they all laughed. Next time I will pay closer attention!