Invisible apple cake with spelt and cinnamon

Invisible apple cake made almost entirely of apples: thin apple slices in a little batter of wholemeal spelt flour, eggs and milk, with cinnamon and almonds. Family-friendly desserts with 206 kcal per slice.

At a glance

• Serves 8
• Prep time: 25 min
• Cooking time: 45 min
• Total time: 70 min
• Calories: 206 kcal per serving
• Protein: 6 g
• Fat: 7 g
• Carbs: 27 g

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 40g coconut sugar
• 30g butter
• 150ml milk
• 80g wholemeal spelt flour
• 8 apples
• 1 unwaxed lemon
• 20g flaked almonds
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 pinch of salt

Method

You’ll need: oven · springform tin · chopping board · knife

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C (160 °C fan). Line the base of a 24 cm springform tin with baking paper.
2. Melt the butter. Whisk the eggs and coconut sugar for 2 min until frothy and stir in the butter and milk, then the wholemeal spelt flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
3. Peel the apples, remove the cores and slice them 2 mm thin on a mandoline. Drizzle with lemon juice and fold them into the batter until every slice is coated.
4. Layer the apples flat in the tin, press them down firmly and scatter over the flaked almonds.
5. Bake the cake in the oven at 180 °C for 45 min, until golden brown and set in the middle. After 30 min, cover it with foil if it's getting too dark.
6. Leave the cake to cool in the tin for at least 1 hour, loosen it from the edge and cut it into eight slices.

Good to know

France's gâteau invisible became famous on TikTok as the invisible apple cake: the batter disappears between the layers of apple, and when you cut it, all you see is apple. Every autumn it turns up in the feeds again. This version is baked with wholemeal spelt flour and coconut sugar.

Swaps

Coconut sugar → 2 tbsp maple syrup. Wholemeal spelt flour → buckwheat flour (gluten-free). Apples → half apples, half pears (juicier). Flaked almonds → oats (nut-free).

Cooking tips

A mandoline makes the slices evenly thin – the thinner they are, the more invisible the batter. Only cut the cake once it's cold, and it will hold together.

Storage

Covered, the cake keeps for 3 days in the fridge; cold it's firmer, lukewarm it's juicier.

Allergens

Contains gluten, egg, milk and almonds. Nut-free with oats instead of almonds.

Frequently asked questions

How long does invisible apple cake keep in the fridge?

Covered, the cake keeps for 3 days in the fridge; cold it's firmer, lukewarm it's juicier.