Meera Sodha’s apple cake, in homage to the team at Limmat restaurant in Marseille, France. Photograph: Louise Hagger/The Guardian. Food styling: Emily Kydd. Prop styling: Jennifer Kay. Food styling assistant: Laura Lawrence. Photo assistant: Sophie Bronze. View image in fullscreen Meera Sodha’s apple cake, in homage to the team at Limmat restaurant in Marseille, France. Photograph: Louise Hagger/The Guardian. Food styling: Emily Kydd. Prop styling: Jennifer Kay. Food styling assistant: Laura Lawrence. Photo assistant: Sophie Bronze. Meera Sodha recipes Cake ‘Never had anything like it’: Meera Sodha’s recipe for Marseille-style apple cake With its sweet, caramelised edge and soft, creamy apple centre, you’ll be thinking about this cake for months after the first bite
Meera Sodha Sat 8 Aug 2026 07.00 CEST Share Prefer the Guardian on Google F or better or for worse (definitely for worse), this column is one-way. If we could talk, I’d ask you about the most mindblowing things you’ve eaten in your wild and precious life (feel free to use the comments). This year, for me, it was chef Lili’s apple cake at her restaurant, Limmat in Marseille. I’ve never had anything like it: a cake of pure apple – one and a half kilos – sliced and bound together with a breath of flour, a trickle of cream, a spoonful of sugar, a couple of eggs and a lot of time (in the oven). The result is a caramelised edge and a heavenly, scoopable, custard-like apple centre. Heavenly.
You’ll need a 23cm springform tin and a food processor with a 2mm slicing disc to cut the apples thinly enough. Alternatively, do this by hand with a mandoline or knife, though you’ll need to take your time to make sure the apples are thin enough.
Prep 15 min Cook 2 hr Chill 4 hr+ Makes 1 x 23cm cake , to serve 8-10
1½kg braeburn apples (about 12), peeled, cored and halved 2 large eggs 100ml double cream 130g soft light brown sugar ¾ tsp baking powder 75g plain flour Creme fraiche , or more double cream, to serve
Heat the oven to 180C (160C fan)/350F/gas 4, and line a 23cm springform cake tin with baking paper, making sure there are no gaps for liquid to escape through later.
Using a food processor with a slicing disc, finely slice the apples into 2mm-thick half-moons, then layer them horizontally in the cake tin, making sure there are no big gaps and pressing down each layer as you go.
Break the eggs into a large bowl, add the double cream and sugar, and whisk well. Evenly sprinkle the baking powder and flour on top and whisk again. Slowly pour this batter over the sliced apples, then give the tin a gentle shimmy so it falls into and fills any gaps in the apples, if need be.
Bake for an hour and 40 minutes (if need be, turn the tin around in the oven halfway through), until the cake is evenly golden brown on top and there are lots of browned apple slices showing through. Remove from the oven, leave to cool to room temperature, then chill in the fridge for at least four hours, or overnight.
Unmould the cake from its tin, peel off the paper and place on a serving plate. Slice with a sharp knife and serve with big spoonfuls of creme fraiche alongside.