Description
Traditional Irish Apple Cake is a rustic, old-fashioned dessert with tender crumb, warm spices, and plenty of tart apple slices. Serve it slightly warm with custard sauce, cream, or whipped cream.
Ingredients
Scale
For the cake:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 4 cups tart apples (Granny Smith), peeled, cored, and sliced
For the topping:
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- Optional traditional custard sauce:
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 4 large egg yolks
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour a 9-inch round cake pan or springform pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl.
- Rub cold butter into the flour mixture using fingertips or a pastry cutter until it looks like coarse crumbs.
- Stir in 3/4 cup sugar until evenly mixed.
- Beat eggs with milk in a separate bowl. Pour into dry ingredients and stir just until combined. The batter will look thick.
- Fold in sliced apples until evenly distributed.
- Spoon batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.
- Mix 2 tablespoons sugar with 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Sprinkle over the top.
- Bake 50–60 minutes until golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan 10–15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
- Optional custard: Warm milk and cream until steaming. Whisk yolks with 1/3 cup sugar until pale. Slowly whisk warm dairy into yolks, then return to saucepan. Cook on low, stirring constantly, until it coats the back of a spoon. Stir in vanilla and serve with cake.
Notes
- Use tart apples for the best balance against the sweet crumb.
- Slice apples thin so they soften evenly while baking.
- Store covered at room temperature for 2 days or refrigerate up to 5 days. Warm slices briefly before serving.
- If using a springform pan, place it on a sheet pan to catch any butter drips.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Irish
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 24g
- Sodium: 150mg
- Fat: 12g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 48g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 5g
- Cholesterol: 60mg