Is it called "Invisible Apple Cake" because layers and layers of paper-thin slices of apple are nearly invisible when they dissolve into barely-there cake batter? Or is it called "Invisible Apple Cake" because you won't even see it when it disappears so fast from the plate because it's that delicious? Both. Shall we?
Explore More
- What is Invisible Apple Cake?
- Is Invisible Apple Cake Healthy?
- Ingredients You Need for Invisible Apple Cake
- What Kind of Apples for Invisible Apple Cake
- How Many Apples in 1 Pound?
- What's the Best Way to Cut Apples for Invisible Apple Cake?
- How to Make Invisible Apple Cake
- Invisible Apple Cake Recipe
- What to Do with a Lot of Apples
What is Invisible Apple Cake?
Invisible Apple Cake is a light, custardy dessert of French origin made with layers of ultra thinly sliced apples held together by just enough batter to bind them together into a cake. Because the apples are so thinly sliced, they disappear into the batter, hence the name, "Invisible." In French, it is called Gâteau Invisible aux Pommes, and sometimes referred to as a "French apple cake" or "layered apple custard cake."
Unlike a traditional apple cake, this version is much more fruit-forward than flour-heavy, highlighting the natural sweetness of fresh apples. Because the apples slices are so thin, they become impossibly tender during the baking process. Combined with the custard-like batter, the cake has a melt-in-your-mouth texture.
Here are some of my favorite fruit cakes:
- Lemon Olive Oil Cake dairy-free and baked in an 8-inch round pan
- Orange Olive Oil Cake, same as above, but deeply infused with orange
- Strawberry Mochi Cake, with the bouncy texture of mochi
- Upside Down Fig and Walnut Cake
Invisible Apple Cake is usually not overly sweet, so it does best served without any additional toppings or accoutrements. However, a light dusting of confectioner's sugar on top is a perfect, simple adornment that will visually highlight the textured layers of apples on top.
Is Invisible Apple Cake Healthy?
Depending on your health requirements, Invisible Apple Cake can be healthier than other sweet options. The bulk of the cake is whole slices of apples, which can provide fiber, and in my particular recipe, I've reduced the amount of added sugar.
Per serving, this Invisible Apple Cake has:
- 225 calories
- 5 g fat
- 2.3 g fiber
- 4.5 g protein
Ingredients You Need for Invisible Apple Cake
Because this Invisible Apple Cake is something I spontaneously decide to make on some random Wednesday afternoon as a way to procrastinate, surprise, surprise, I want to be able to bake it right away without having to go to the grocery store to buy additional ingredients. I almost always have flour in the freezer as well as sugar because it doesn't go bad. Of course, I always have apples and eggs. Here is a list of the ingredients you need
Fresh/refrigerator ingredients:
- Apples, obviously! 2½ pounds, or about 5
- Eggs, 3 large
- Butter, 2 tablespoons
- Milk, ½ cup
Dry/pantry ingredients:
- Flour, 1 cup
- Sugar, ⅓ cup
- Vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon
- Baking powder, 1 teaspoon
- Salt, ½ teaspoon
- optional: cinnamon 1 teaspoon for an American Autumn flavor
Additionally, you can dust the top of the cake with confectioner's sugar
What Kind of Apples for Invisible Apple Cake
The point of this Invisible Apple Cake is the apple, so use the best-tasting (to you) apples. I almost always use Honeycrisp apples because they gently balance sweet and tart and their texture when baked becomes tender rather than mushy.
Cosmic Crisp, Gala apples and Pink Lady apples work well. Just make sure whatever apples you choose, they have a fairly solid texture, not too mealy, grainy, or airy.
How Many Apples in 1 Pound?
Because apples come in different types, sizes, and density, it's generally better to "measure" apples by actual pounds, not by number of apples.
According to the USDA (reference), an "average" apple weighs 5-6 ounces, or about ⅓ of a pound, but what is this? The 1800s? Have you seen apples in grocery stores? They have gotten MUCH bigger, and the average apple based on my own experience weighs more like 8 ounces, or ½-pound.
So 1 pound of apples, or 16 ounces is just about equivalent to:
- 2 large apples
- 3 medium apples
This recipe is fairly forgiving though, so it's ok to come close enough with the amount of apples and it's better to go a little over on the apples!
Pro-tip: larger apples will be easier to peel.
You will more than likely become hyper-fixated/obsessed/addicted to the Invisible Apple Cake, so I highly recommend you just go all in and get a whole bag!
What's the Best Way to Cut Apples for Invisible Apple Cake?
There are a couple of ways to slice apples to make this Invisible Apple Cake. The most important factor is making the slices as paper-thin as possible. First, peel the apples, then:
Use a Mandoline-Easiest Way (for Me)
The easiest way I've found to slice apples is using a mandoline. Cut off one apple "cheek" approximately ¾-inch away from the core. Then holding the cheek on its side, slice on the mandoline. Hold what's remaining of the apple and slice, avoiding the core.
Use a Very Sharp Chef's Knife
You can also use a very sharp chef's knife by cutting off two apple "cheeks" approximately ¾-inch on either side of the core. Then place a half cut side down on cutting board and carefully slice.
Additional Ingredients Notes and Resources, Substitutions
Flour. You can use any form of wheat flour for Invisible Apple Cake. I used this brand of organic, unbleached, all-purpose flour. I have made this cake with half whole wheat flour and as expected, it works perfectly well.
All other fresh herbs and produce from either the Santa Monica Farmers' Market on Wednesday, or Whole Foods Market when I can't find what I need at the farmers' market.
How to Make Invisible Apple Cake
Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper and spray the un-lined ends with baking spray. The paper will help you lift the finished cake out of the pan.
Peel apples and remove the stem, end, and core. Cut the apples in half lengthwise, then slice into uniform paper-thin slices, ideally 1/16-inch, and at most ⅛-inch thick. I use a mandoline for this.
Make Invisible Cake Batter and Bake
In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs and sugar together until light and pale yellow.
Add milk, melted butter, and vanilla extract, and whisk until well-combined.
Sift flour, salt, and baking powder directly over the bowl into the liquid mixture and whisk together until just combined.
Add sliced apples and gently fold into the batter, making sure to separate the slices so they are all evenly coated. Use a soft, flexible spatula, or better yet, use your hands.
Layer the coated apples into the loaf pan, a few slices at a time, arranging them around the edge of the pan with the cut sides on the outermost edges. Doing this by hand will ensure that the apple slices are flat. Save 10-12 slices of the same size to create a uniform overlapping pattern as the last layer on top.
Pour any remaining batter over the apple slices in the loaf pan. Gently press down on the apples and lightly tap the pan to pop out any air bubbles and help the apples settle into place.
Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until top is golden brown and a tester inserted in the center slips in and out easily, 60 to 70 minutes. I bake mine for the full 70 minutes.
Remove cake from oven. Run a small knife with a thin blade along the unlined edges, and cool in pan for about 10 minutes. Carefully remove the cake from the pan using the parchment paper as two handles and place on a wire rack to cool completely for about 1 hour.
DO NOT CUT into the cake until completely cooled or the layer will slip apart.
To Serve Invisible Apple Cake
To serve, use a serrated knife to carefully cut 1-inch wide slice. Instead of pressing down which will squash the apple slices out the side, or using a back-and-forth sawing motion to cut which might pull the layers apart, use a single slicing motion in one direction, remove the knife, and slice again.
Tools and Equipment for Invisible Apple Cake Cake
There isn't any special tool or piece of equipment required for Invisible Apple Cake, and in fact, I highly encourage you to skip hauling out heavy stand mixers, or even a hand mixer for this. However, that doesn't mean there are a couple of things that might make this cake easier than it already is to get from pantry to plate, most importantly a mandoline to slice the apples into uniform, ultra-thin slices.
- Japanese-style mandoline makes lightning fast work of slicing the firmer vegetables. When you start eating a LOT of vegetables, this will be a lifesaver.
- Regular mandoline with storage container if you want something fancier
- Vegetable Y-peeler once I switched to this from the old-school swivel style, I never looked back
- 9x5-inch loaf pan. The recipe here specifies a 9x5-inch loaf pan and it's the one I used because that's the type of pan I have that's the right volume. You can absolutely use a slightly smaller 8x4-inch loaf pan, but it will increase your baking time. You can also use other shaped pans, see below in the FAQ.
- Parchment paper to release the bottom of the cake without ripping off any of the bottom apple slices.
- Glass mixing bowls
- Whisk
- Spatula
- Sifter
Pro Tips, Tricks, and Technique FAQs
How much does one apple weigh, i.e. how many apples are in 1 pound? On average, one "regular" apple is 5-6 ounces, so about 3 small/medium apples per pound. There are about 2 large apples per pound. For this recipe, plan to use 2½ pounds apples, or about 4-5 large apples, and grab an extra one or two just in case. You can never have too many apples laying around your kitchen!
Can You Use a Different Size Loaf Pan to Bake the Cake? Yes! Because this Invisible Apple Cake is generally forgiving, you can use slightly different sized and shaped pans. A slightly smaller 8-inch round cake pan will yield a taller cake, and needs to bake for a longer time. Check the cake at 60 minutes.
Can You Bake the Cake in a Regular Round or Square Cake Pan? Yes! The cake will be shorter, so you will lose some of the visual stunner of the invisible apples when sliced.
Ingredients Substitutions and FAQs
Here are the pro-tips:
- Different Type of Flour? You can use any form of wheat flour for Invisible Apple Cake. This brand of organic, unbleached, all-purpose flour is the one I use. I have made this cake with half whole wheat flour and as expected, it works perfectly well. For gluten-free flours... glad you asked! See next...
- Can You Make it Gluten-free? Yes! Two baking-ready gluten-free flours my gluten-free experts friends have recommended are Measure-for-Measure by King Arthur and Pamela's, both of which you can substitute into recipes 1:1.
- Can You Make it Vegan? If you replace the butter, milk, and eggs with an appropriate plant-based substitute, the cake will be vegan. That being said...I have not personally tried any plant-based substitutes for this cake.
- Can You Substitute Out the Butter? You can absolutely substitute oil in this recipe, it will generally have the same texture, but just taste different.
- Can You Use Other Fruit Besides Apples Yes! Any fruit that has a similar structure and texture to apples works int his cake, especially pears.
Invisible Apple Cake Recipe
Ingredients
- 2½ pounds apples peeled and sliced 1/16-inch thick
- 3 large eggs
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ½ cup milk
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon, optional
Instructions
Preheat Oven and Prep Apples
- Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper and spray the un-lined ends with baking spray. The paper will help you lift the finished cake out of the pan.
- Peel apples and remove the stem, end, and core. Cut the apples in half lengthwise, then slice into uniform paper-thin slices, ideally 1/16-inch, and at most ⅛-inch thick. I use a mandoline for this.
Make Invisible Apple Cake
- In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs and sugar together until light and pale yellow.
- Add milk, melted butter, and vanilla extract, and whisk until well-combined.
- Sift flour, salt, and baking powder directly over the bowl into the liquid mixture and whisk together until just combined.
- Add sliced apples and gently fold into the batter, making sure to separate the slices so they are all evenly coated. Use a soft, flexible spatula, or better yet, use your hands.
- Layer the coated apples into the loaf pan, a few slices at a time, arranging them around the edge of the pan with the cut sides on the outermost edges. Doing this by hand will ensure that the apple slices are flat. Save 10-12 slices of the same size to create a uniform overlapping pattern as the last layer on top.
- Pour any remaining batter over the apple slices in the loaf pan. Gently press down on the apples and lightly tap the pan to pop out any air bubbles and help the apples settle into place.
- Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until top is golden brown and a tester inserted in the center slips in and out easily, 60 to 70 minutes. I bake mine for the full 70 minutes.
- Remove cake from oven. Run a small knife with a thin blade along the unlined edges, and cool in pan for about 10 minutes. Carefully remove the cake from the pan using the parchment paper as two handles and place on a wire rack to cool completely for about 1 hour. DO NOT CUT into the cake until completely cooled or the layer will slip apart.
To Serve Invisible Apple Cake
- To serve, use a serrated knife to carefully cut 1-inch wide slice. Instead of pressing down which will squash the apple slices out the side, or using a back-and-forth sawing motion to cut which might pull the layers apart, use a single slicing motion in one direction, remove the knife, and slice again.
Notes
Nutrition
What to Do with a Lot of Apples
Oh you stopped at the little farm stand on the side of the road and went crazy buying 10 pounds of apples? Here are some of the best fun and unique apple recipes that aren't applesauce and pie:
- Harvest Salad with Apples and Walnuts
- Apple Cabbage Salad with Miso Mustard Dressing
- Korean Potato Salad with Apples
- Apple Kimchi
Food for Afterthoughts
I have a word or two, or 500, about cupcakes.
Cupcakes perplex me. (That's three so far.)
Actually, it's not cupcakes themselves. It's the hype. If we're getting all kinds of accurate here, then it's not that the utter frenzy effected by a small cake smothered in buttercream perplexes me. No, it doesn't confuse me; it fascinates me. Hype over any product fascinates me (which probably explains why I'm in marketing), and every time I am hit with another gnarly wave of cupcake hysteria, I wonder.
Is it over yet? Hasn't it been "over" for almost a year now?!?!
It has. I might go so far as to say that it's been over for more than a year, and yet, specialty cupcakeries like Sprinkles continues to spread their buttercream frosting all over the map. It's not their fault. They are responding to demand from customers who are responding to…what? What is causing customers to demand cupcakes, as if cupcakes were in style like they were going out of style?
It's marketing.
Magic of Marketing
When a product first hits the marketplace, people buy it for what it is. People bought cupcakes because they were cupcakes. People bought cupcakes because they wanted to enjoy eating a small cake in a paper wrapper smothered in sticky sweet frosting. Because people are eating cupcakes, suddenly every stupid savvy business person wants to open a cupcakerie.
Eventually, the marketplace becomes saturated. How many cupcakes can a person really eat? At a certain point, the product becomes over done, over-produced, over out-there, that it becomes a commodity product. This has happened to cupcakes. Cupcakes are a commodity product. Kind of like crude oil. And pork bellies. Except they taste sweeter. It doesn't matter anymore about specific brands on commodity products because there are just too many and they all look and taste exactly the same.
Once a product goes the way of commodity pork bellies, you can't make any real profit, because, well, you can't.
Now the only thing you can do is compete on price and eventually everyone is going to pay a dollar for a Ding Dong. However, savvy business people who now have a commodity product in their warehouses, or at the very least a sizeable investment in an oven, can differentiate in order to win in their category. In the case of food, differentiation comes with marketing.
Life Cycle of the Lifestyle
Marketing is understanding what you are really selling. Marketing is about creating a perceived value for which you can charge more. Marketing is selling your cupcakes for $10 because you aren't really selling cupcakes. You are selling a lifestyle, which is really a bargain at only $10.
It's like bottled water. I hate to burst anyone's precious bottled water bubble, but water is water. The only difference with bottled water is the marketing. It's how the water is packaged. Water is water, but bottled water is a lifestyle. A person buys bottle water because it is a signal to everyone on the Big Blue Bus that she is oohlala enough to drink bottled water, never mind the fact that she's riding the bus.
Cupcakes are now like bottled water because they have exotic flavors, precious decorations, and lovely little boxes.
So basically, Sprinkles used to be pork bellies, but now it's the Voss Water of cupcakes. It's water for God's sake. It's a cupcake for God's sake.
There's my 500+ words on the magic of marketing.
Garrett says
Oh honey, it's always, ALWAYS, about the cupcakes.
Anonymous says
Magnolia is good, but Cupcake Cafe, aka Casa Cupcake, makes the best cupcakes in NYC.
Lindsay says
oh, but, oh--how i love magnolia's cupcakes! i have carried a four-pack on the plane with my carry-on luggage just to have them here with me in l.a. yum!
U says
Not really post-appropriate, but:
Happy Blogging New Year!
duckduckgoose says
Buttercream is just not good on cupcakes. I even tried their red velvet so I could avoid their buttercream last time I was there and theat cupcake still sucked.
mike says
you're a goof. sounds like you're stuck in a dying industry and want others to join you. Ain't happening. Try a little optimism pal. You'll feel better. If that doen't work, HAVE A CUPCAKE!!!