French Apple Cake | Gâteau Invisible aux Pommes

A vegan take on the popular French “Gâteau Invisible aux Pommes”, this lusciously rich Apple Custard Cake is the perfect fall dessert to make this holiday season! You will love this decadent cake made of thinly sliced, fresh apples layered in creamy vanilla custard topped with almonds and caramelized sugar.

Vegan Gâteau Invisible aux Pommes

Apple season is in full bloom! And what does one do with plenty of apples around? Turn them into amazing desserts, of course! If you love my Vegan Apple Cake with Cinnamon Streusel and Vegan Apple Pie, this French Apple Cake should be next on your list.

It will only take you 20 minutes to put it all together and have it ready for the oven. No crust or pastry is needed! Simple to make and easy to do, yet fancy enough to impress anyone!

Why is it called an Invisible Apple Cake?

Gâteau invisible aux pommes simply means Invisible Apple Cake. This French dessert is called such because the thin slices of apple become almost indistinguishable from the custard base once baked. It is a delightful fruit cake that has the perfect amount of sweetness and creamy texture in every bite.

This dairy-free and eggless version use coconut milk, soy yogurt, and vanilla pudding for the custard base. It is rich and creamy, yet light on the stomach!

Ingredients Needed

• Apples: use baking apples that hold their shape as they bake. Honey Gold, Gala, Pink Ladies, Golden delicious and Fuji apples are some of the best options! If you prefer a slightly tart invisible apple cake, you can also use Granny Smith.
• Soy yogurt: this gives the custard the right texture. You can use plain or vanilla-flavored yogurt for this recipe.
• Coconut milk: makes the perfect base for a vegan custard! You can also use other dairy-free creams as an alternative.
• Vanilla pudding powder: thickens the custard and adds another boost of vanilla goodness! If you do not have this, you can use cornstarch and ground vanilla or more vanilla extract instead as this is actually the same thing.
• Raw cane sugar: for a deep, earthy sweetness. You can use other any sugar you like though.
• Flour: helps the custard set as it bakes. You can use all-purpose flour, spelt flour or gluten-free flour.
• Baking powder: is the leavening agent for this recipe. It will make the custard cake light and fluffy.
• Vanilla extract: add this only if you are using plain yogurt.
• Turmeric: this is optional and is used to give the custard a light golden color without affecting the taste.
• Toppings: I added finely sliced apples, slivered almonds, and brown sugar on top before baking to give the cake a nice finish! Dust it with powdered sugar before serving.

How to make French Apple Cake “Gâteau Invisible aux Pommes”

As always, I recommend checking out the recipe video and these step-by-step instructions first. Then you’ll find the full recipe with exact measurements in the recipe card below!

Step 1: Make the batter

Start by mixing soy yogurt, coconut milk, vanilla extract, turmeric, vanilla pudding powder and sugar with an electric mixer until creamy. Then sift in flour and baking powder (to prevent lumps) and mix again until combined. Lastly, fold the finely sliced apples into the batter.

Step 2: Bake and chill

Transfer the apple cake batter into a round baking pan (or loaf pan) and press it down gently. Decorate with a few more apple slices if desired. Sprinkle with sliced almonds and brown sugar and bake at 356 °F (180 °C) for about 40-45 minutes, until the top is no longer liquid. Allow to cool and refrigerate overnight to set before serving.

Tips when Making French Invisible Apple Cake

• Peeling the apples is optional. I prefer to keep the peel because it is super healthy! However, if you really want the apples to be “invisible” peeling them is a must.
• Use a mandolin or food processor to slice the apples thinly and evenly quickly. This will lessen your prep time a great deal!
• If the top is browning too much, add a piece of parchment paper on top of the cake to prevent it from burning.
• Chilling the cake overnight is highly recommended. This will allow the custard to firm up before you serve the apple cake. Do not remove it from the pan right after baking or it will collapse and ooze.

Serving and Storing Notes

Serve this cake chilled or warmed. You can drizzle it with dairy-free Caramel sauce or vanilla ice cream before serving to make it extra special! You can store leftover French apple gateau in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Make sure to wrap it tightly or place it in an airtight container.

This Vegan Invisible Apple Cake is:

• Vegan
• Dairy-free
• Gluten-free
• Eggless
• Creamy
• Easy to make
• Crustless
• Low Carb
• Perfect for fall
• Bursting with apple and vanilla flavors!
• Absolutely delicious!
• The perfect apple dessert for any occasion!

More vegan apple pie dessert recipes to try

• Easy One Bowl Apple Cake
• Apple Cake with Cinnamon Streusel
• Easy Apple Carrot Muffins
• Apple Crumble
• Apple Custard Cake
• Mini Apple Pies
• Apple Turnovers
• Apple Stuffed Buns
• Moist Apple Blondies
• Apple Pie Roll-Ups
• Apple Hand Pies
• Chocolate Apple Crumble Cake
• Vegan Apple Pie
• Frangipane Apple Tart

If you try this easy vegan invisible apple cake recipe, feel free to leave me a comment and a star rating! And if you take a photo of your delicious custard cake and share it on Instagram, please tag me @biancazapatka and use the hashtag #biancazapatka because I love seeing your remakes! Happy baking! 🙂

Invisible Apple Cake | Crustless Apple Pie (Vegan)

Author: Bianca Zapatka

This apple custard cake recipe is the vegan version of the popular French "Gateau Invisible aux Pommes" made of thinly sliced apples layered in creamy custard. Perfect for breakfast, dessert or as a snack!

5 von 6 Bewertungen

Print Pin Review

Prep Time 20 mins

Cook Time 45 mins

Total Time 1 hr 5 mins

Course Breakfast, Cake, Dessert

Cuisine French

Servings 12 Servings

You do not have a fitting cake pan at hand right now? Try my Cake Pan Conversion Calculator!

Ingredients

• 14 oz (400 g) soy yogurt plain or vanilla flavored
• 1 cup (240 ml) coconut milk or other dairy-free cream/cooking cream
• 1.5 tsp vanilla extract optional if plain yogurt is used
• 1 pinch of turmeric optional for yellow color
• 1 package vanilla pudding powder or 5 tbsp (40 g) cornstarch + 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ½ cup (100 g) raw cane sugar or regular sugar
• 1 cup (120 g) flour all-purpose, spelt or gluten-free flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3 apples finely sliced

Topping (optional)

• 1 small mini apple finely sliced
• 2 tbsp slivered almonds
• 2 tsp brown sugar
• powdered sugar optional for dusting

Instructions 

*Note: Feel free to check out the recipe video + step-by-step photos above!

• Preheat the oven to 356 °F (180 °C). Grease the sides of a 9-inch (22 cm) round baking pan and line the bottom with parchment paper (or line a square baking pan with parchment paper).
• Put soy yogurt, coconut milk, vanilla extract, turmeric, vanilla pudding powder and sugar in a large bowl and mix with an electric hand mixer until creamy.
• Sift in flour and baking powder and mix again until combined.
• Finely slice the apples and remove the core. Then fold into the batter using a spatula.
• Transfer the batter into the prepared baking pan and press it down gently. Decorate with a few more apple slices if desired. Sprinkle with slivered almonds and brown sugar and bake for about 40-45 minutes, until the top is no longer liquid.
• Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature first. Then place in the refrigerator overnight so that the cake becomes completely firm.
• Dust with powdered sugar if desired. Slice and enjoy!

Notes

• Leftover apple custard cake will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
• More helpful tips and information about this recipe are mentioned in the blog post above!

Nutrition is calculated automatically and should be used as estimate.

Did you make this recipe?Mention @biancazapatka or tag #biancazapatka!

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