This unique apple cake features dozens of layers of apples that disappear into the cake as it bakes. It’s a creamy, custard-like cake that has a beautiful presentation and is so fun to eat.
Invisible Apple Cake (Gâteau Invisible) has recently become very popular again. The cake originated in France. It features a custard-like batter with dozens of layers of apples sandwiched in between. When baked, the apples seem to to melt and disappear into the cake, which is how it gets its name. I previously shared a version of this cake nearly 6 years ago. With the dessert becoming popular again, I wanted to experiment with reducing the amount of ingredients because I do find the original one to be a little bit time consuming. So here is my 5-ingredient version.
Ingredients
- Apples
- Eggs
- Self-rising flour
- Heavy cream
- Sugar
Apples: This cake uses two pounds of fresh apples. I recommend choosing a sweet variety because the cake is only lightly sweetened. I like Cosmic Crisp, Envy, or Fuji.
Eggs: Eggs are needed to create the custard base for this cake.
Self-rising flour: The original recipe uses just plain all purpose flour but for this version I experimented with self-rising flour. The result is thicker, more sturdy custard and a little more rise in the cake. If you prefer a more delicate custard, I recommend trying my other version which uses just all purpose flour. I like that this version bakes up a little taller and has a more sturdy custard which makes the dessert more cake-like in texture. You also don’t need to refrigerate the cake to let the custard firm up like with the original version. If you don’t have self-rising flour, you can make your own by combining all purpose flour, baking powder and salt.
Heavy cream: We use heavy cream to give the custard more richness.
Sugar: Regular granulated sugar is used to sweeten the cake.
How to Make Invisible Apple Cake
- The apples need to be thinly sliced, between 1/16 to 1/8 inch. I recommend using a mandoline slicer to slice the apples.
- The eggs, heavy cream and sugar are then whisked together until smooth. The flour is then sifted in and then mixed until you have a smooth batter.
- The apples are then folded into the batter, doing your best to make sure every apple slice is coated in the cake batter.
- Scoop the batter into your prepared loaf pan and then it’s ready to bake.
Cake Texture
- This cake features a thicker custard batter than the original. If you prefer a more delicate custard batter, I recommend you stick with the original recipe I shared.
- The cake is not meant to be super sweet. It is only lightly sweetened.
- The cake is more of a custard dessert with many layers of apples. It does not have a traditional cake crumb.
More Apple Cake Recipes
5 Ingredient Invisible Apple Cake
Ingredients
- 2 lb apples peeled, cored and thinly sliced (between 1/16 inch-1/8 inch), see note
- 3 large eggs
- 3/4 cup (6 fl oz/177 ml) heavy cream
- 2/3 cup (132 g) granulated white sugar
- 1 cup (130 g) self rising flour see note before starting
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Grease an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray and line with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, heavy cream, and sugar until evenly combined and no egg streaks remain. Sift the flour in with a fine mesh strainer and whisk until batter is smooth.
- Add the sliced apples to the batter and fold and toss with a spatula to make sure each slice is coated with batter on both sides. Do your best to separate any slices stuck together.
- Use a very large spoon (like a serving spoon) to scoop the apple batter into the prepared loaf pan. Try your best to make the apple slices all face the same way. You do want to spoon in the batter so that you have an even distribution of apple and batter layered into the loaf pan. When you are no longer able to spoon any more batter, use a spatula to scrape the bowl to get every last bit of the leftover cake batter into your loaf pan.
- Bake for 60-70 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until the cake is a medium golden brown on top, lightly puffy and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool to room temperature before serving. If desired, sprinkle the surface with powdered sugar before serving. Store any uneaten cake in the fridge.
Notes
- 2 lbs of apples is measured before they are peeled and cored. I highly recommend using a mandoline slicer to cut the apples because they need to be cut very thin. You want to cut them as thin as you can without breaking the slices.
- I own this mandoline slicer* which I love. I cut myself too many times on the hand-held ones so I like this one so much better and I am also able to cut so much faster as well.
- I also recommend using a sweet apple type (such as Fuji, Cosmic Crisp or Envy) because the cake is not that sweet.
- Self-rising flour amount. There are 2 main kinds of self-rising flour sold in the US. One that is a lower protein (2 grams per 1/4 cup serving) flour and one that has a regular amount of protein (3 grams per 1/4 cup (30g) serving). The amount of protein affects how much liquid is absorbed. For this recipe, I tested it with Gold Medal self-rising flour* (regular amount of protein). Please use a self-rising flour with a regular amount of protein (3 grams per 1/4 cup), or make your own self-rising flour with the recipe below.
- *This product link is an affiliate link. This means I earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
- Homemade self-rising flour: Whisk together 1 cup all purpose flour, 1.5 tsp baking powder and 1/4tsp salt. Make sure your all purpose flour has a regular amount of protein (3 grams per 1/4 cup). Most brands in the US contain this amount but there are some brands with higher protein (4 grams per 1/4 cup) such as King Arthur Flour and Bob's Red Mill.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided are only estimates based on an online nutritional calculator. I am not a certified nutritionist. Please consult a professional nutritionist or doctor for accurate information and any dietary restrictions and concerns you may have.
