Authentic Irish Apple Cake: A Delightful Treat. Authentic Irish Apple Cake a delightful treat that is light, moist, tasty and simple to make. The recipe is adapted from “The View from Great Island” a recipe by Sue Moran. The tart apples used in this recipe balance perfectly with the sweetness of the streusel topping. The cake is light, moist and truly delicious.
This Irish apple cake is somewhat similar to an American coffee cake. It’s a great way to use up those extra apples you may have on hand. The traditional way to serve it is with custard or topped with a thick cream.
I like to use green apples in this as they have a tart flavor that balances out the sweetness. Any tart apple you have on hand would work as well.
How to Make the Streusel: Make by rubbing together cold butter, flour, old fashioned quick oats, and sugar. (Try not to over mix). The streusel topping goes prefect with this recipe.
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Irish Apple Cake
Equipment
- 9" cake pan
- electric hand mixer
Ingredients
Cake
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons whole milk or cream
- 1 1/4 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 3 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled and thinly sliced
- confectioner's sugar for dusting
Streusel Topping
- 3/4 cup flour
- 1/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats
- 6 tablespoons unsalted cold butter, cut into pieces
- 1/2 cup sugar
Custard Sauce
- 6 large egg yolks
- 6 tablespoons sugar
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
Instructions
Custard
- Make the custard sauce ahead of time. Bring the milk to a simmer over medium heat. Meanwhile whip the yolks and sugar until well combined. Drizzle a little of the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking all the time. Drizzle a little more, then transfer that back into the pan of hot milk and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the mixture coats the back of a spoon
- Do this slowly, over medium heat, using a spoon or spatula to scrape the bottom and sides of the pan as it heats. The mixture will become velvety and thickened, but it will not be as thick as pudding as you still want to be able to drizzle it. It will continue to thicken as it cools So don't overcook or it can curdle. Stir in the vanilla..
- Pour the custard through a sieve (to catch any stray lumps) into a heat proof bowl and place a piece of plastic wrap onto the surface so it won't form a skin as it cools. Put in the refrigerator until completely chilled..
Streusel
- To make the streusel topping, blend the bits of butter into the flour, sugar and oats until the butter is incorporated and the mixture has a course crumbly texture. Put in the refrigerator while mixing the cake.
Cake
- Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time.
- Whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon , and salt. Fold the dry ingredients into the butter/sugar mixture, along with the milk or cream.
- Spoon the batter into your prepared pan, and smooth out evenly. Top with the sliced apples, and then the streusel topping. Note: no need to arrange the apples perfectly, but try and get them in an even layer.
- Bake for about 50-60 miutes, until the top is lightly browned and a toothpick comes out without wet batter clinging to it.
- Let cool a bit in the pan before removing. Dust with a little confection's sugar. Before serving drizzle each piece with a little custard sauce and serve.
