French Apple Cake

With chunks of sweet apples nestled in a tender and buttery rum cake, this French apple cake is the essence of simplicity. 🧑‍🍳INGREDIENTS: 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off 1 teaspoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon salt 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature ⅔ cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling over cake 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 3 tablespoons dark rum 2 baking apples, peeled, cored and cut into ½-inch cubes (I like Honeycrisp, Fuji or Granny Smith) (3½ - 4 cups chopped) Confectioners' sugar (optional), for decorating cake 🧑‍🍳INSTRUCTIONS: Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Grease a 9-inch springform or regular cake pan with butter or nonstick cooking spray. If using a regular cake pan, line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and grease again. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Using a handheld mixer with beaters or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well and scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Beat in the vanilla and rum. Don't worry if the batter looks grainy at this point; that's okay. Add the flour mixture and mix on low speed until just combined. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the chopped apples