Invisible Apple Cake {gâteau invisible aux pommes}

The invisible apple cake, or gâteau invisible aux pommes, went viral after appearing on a French food blog. I just recently discovered it and realized it would make a great grain-free cake.

It's simple to make, moist, light, and tender, and has a custard texture. The thin slices of apple are held together with a small amount of cake batter and as the cake bakes they seem to "disappear" into it, hence the name.

I use a mandolin to slice the apples however you can use a knife as well. For apples on the sweet side, try Pink Lady or Honey Crisp, or if you prefer a cake with a subtle tanginess, use Granny Smith.

I added vanilla extract to my batter but feel free to adjust the additions here to make it your own. I can see adding a bit of cognac or brandy instead of vanilla extract, or ground cinnamon and other spices.

In my photos, I only had four Pink Lady apples on the smaller side so you can see a bit more cake appearing on the sides but it worked out. If your apples are on the smaller side, add an extra apple to bring the count to five. And make sure to even out the apple slices as you layer them making sure they touch the edges.

As for topping ideas, try baking it with sliced almonds, or once baked brush on some apricot jam or other jam, and serve with ice cream, or whipped cream.

For the size of the cake, I've made the full size and half the size (cutting the ingredients in half). For the full size, I use a 5-inch by 8-inch pan and for the small size I use a 4-inch by 7-inch baking pan. (The photos show my half-size cake) Enjoy!