18 french cake recipes

French apple cake with poached apples topped in a light, flourless almond batter with lemon zest and whipped egg whites. Served lukewarm with custard or cream.

Bread machine French bread: crusty golden loaves with chewy interior, slashed and brushed with egg wash. Two long baguettes from one easy bread machine cycle.

Traditional French baguettes made with just four basic ingredients: flour, water, yeast, and salt. Bake in your bread machine or shape by hand for authentic crusty loaves.

Montmorency cake, a French flourless-style chocolate cake stuffed with kirsch-soaked sour cherries and glazed in dark chocolate. A Black Forest-inspired showpiece for special occasions.

Mango mousse cake with a sponge cake base, fresh mango puree mousse set with gelatin, toasted almonds, raspberry jam, and whipped cream. An impressive layered French-style dessert.

Elegant layered chocolate mousse cake with praline rocher, rum syrup, and a glossy chocolate glaze. A showstopper French dessert.

Flourless fallen souffle cake with a full pound of bittersweet chocolate, butter, and nine eggs. A dense, fudgy French-style chocolate cake with a soft center, dusted in cocoa and powdered sugar.

Scandinavian-style meatball cakes made from ground veal and pork with cream and eggs, served alongside beer rice cooked in French onion soup. A hearty, pub-inspired dinner.

Seared filet mignon steaks served on a crispy layered potato cake with a brandy, mushroom, sour cream, and green olive sauce. A French-inspired steakhouse dinner at home.

French chocolate decadence cake with over a pound of dark chocolate and just one tablespoon each of sugar and flour. Served with whipped cream and raspberry-liqueur sauce.

Pommes Anna with tarragon: thin-sliced Yukon Gold potatoes layered with herb butter, baked tender, then broiled to a crisp golden top. An elegant French potato cake from a handful of ingredients.

Savarin aux fruits, a classic French rum-soaked yeast ring cake. A light, beaten dough is baked, then drenched in flavored syrup until saturated and filled with whipped cream and fresh fruit. An elegant patisserie dessert.

Cranberry nut bundt cake studded with whole tart cranberries, dates, and nuts, then drenched in a hot orange glaze that soaks deep into the warm cake. The Thanksgiving and Christmas dessert that gets better the longer it sits.

Apple dabble cake baked in a tube pan with chopped apples, cinnamon, and nuts, then drenched in a hot brown sugar-butter glaze that soaks in as it cools. A dense, moist apple cake.

A rustic whole wheat cake packed with apple chunks and walnuts, drenched in a warm apple cider glaze spiked with applejack brandy.

A moist bundt cake loaded with cinnamon schnapps-soaked apples and nuts, drenched in a buttery cinnamon glaze while still warm from the oven.