This apple custard cake Parisienne combines a crisp pastry case, a firm spiced apple filling and a silky, aromatic vanilla custard topping. It’s surprisingly simple to make and a pleasure to handle the soft pastry while assembling the cake.

I had too many apples to leave sitting in the fruit bowl and wanted something custardy and cake-like. After checking a few recipes online I adapted quantities to avoid excessive sweetness and to match the apple volume I had available. Measuring the apples first helped me choose the right tin size so the finished cake wasn’t overfilled.

If you’d like to try this version, follow the recipe below.

Apple custard cake Parisienne recipe

Use a greased 20–23 cm springform or similar tin. Preheat the oven to 175°C with a shelf in the middle position.

Ingredients

Base

1 kg dessert apples, peeled, cored and sliced
100 g butter, melted (or vegetable oil)
2 eggs, beaten
100 g caster sugar
250 g plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
1–2 tsp mixed spice

Custard

50–100 g caster sugar to taste (75 g used here)
100 g butter, melted
1 egg, beaten
1 vanilla pod, split and seeds scraped

Method

Line the baking tin with baking parchment, allowing the paper to extend above the rim — this makes it easier to lift the cake out and helps contain the filling.

Prepare the apples by peeling and slicing them. To prevent browning, keep the slices in acidulated water (water with a little lemon). I sliced the fruit away from the core so separate coring wasn’t necessary.

Beat together the melted butter, eggs and sugar. Sift in the flour and baking powder, then mix until you have a soft, slightly squidgy dough. You can use your hands to bring it together.

Press the pastry into the lined tin to form a case, bringing the edges up the sides as you would when shaping clay at school. Make sure the base is even and the sides are sealed to hold the apples.

Fill the pastry case with the apple slices, sprinkling the mixed spice over the layers as you go. Pack the fruit so there are as few gaps as possible, arranging the slices tightly but without crushing them.

Bake the tart for 1 hour and 15 minutes at 175°C.

While the cake bakes, combine the custard ingredients — sugar, melted butter, beaten egg and vanilla seeds — and mix until the vanilla is evenly distributed.

After the initial 1 hour 15 minutes, carefully pour the custard mixture over the top of the hot cake and return it to the oven for about 20 minutes, or until the custard is set and lightly golden.

Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool completely in the tin before slicing. Cooling helps the custard to set fully and makes the slices cleaner.

Serve at room temperature. The cake has a crisp, buttery case, a spiced apple centre and a fragrant vanilla custard topping — rich, comforting and easy to enjoy.

Try it with a light dusting of icing sugar or a dollop of cream or crème fraîche if you like. Let me know how it turns out.