When it comes to making food to help you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day the first dish that comes to your mind probably isn’t Irish Apple Cake. Instead, you may be more inclined to make corned beef and cabbage, Shepherd’s pie or even Irish beef stew.
However, if you are looking for something to serve as a dessert to celebrate the holiday, I highly suggest this mini cake recipe. It is an authentic Irish recipe that is simple and easy to make, yet it is so delicious!
The best way to describe the taste and texture would be if you pictured a coffee cake and a classic Dutch apple pie getting thrown together into one simple dessert. Sliced apples are scattered in the dense cake batter and then the entire top of the cake is sprinkled with an easy homemade streusel topping.
The cake is often enjoyed on its own as a dessert, snack or breakfast item. However, it can also be served with a dollop of whipped cream, a drizzle of warm caramel sauce, or even a scoop of vanilla ice cream to make it even more delicious.
However, another classic way to serve the dessert is by pouring a custard sauce over the top. The creamy sauce pairs perfectly with the sweet cake and tart apples and it also provides a nice texture contrast on top of the crunchy crumble topping.
Best of all this classic dessert can be served warm or at room temperature. This means that you can make it ahead of time and serve it after you eat your Corned Beef and Cabbage dinner.
Although, don’t limit to making this cake only on St. Patrick’s Day. It is a great recipe to make whenever the craving hits you for a warm and comforting dessert.
3 Parts To Making Irish Apple Cake
1. Cake Batter – A simple cake batter is used to make the structure of the cake somewhat firm, yet still light and airy so that it doesn’t crumble when you take a bite.
The batter is seasoned with the warm spices of cinnamon and ginger. The two spices pair perfectly with the chopped apples that are also tossed in the batter. Once the batter is prepared it is then put in a small baking dish lined with parchment paper.
2. Crumble Topping – As mentioned above, no good Irish Apple Cake would be complete without a Streusel or crumble topping. The simple combination of flour, sugar, oats, and butter makes for a tasty crunchy addition to the top of the cake.
3. Custard Sauce – Before serving top off the Irish apple cake with a simple and easy to make homemade custard sauce. Although you could choose to add whipped cream or ice cream instead, the flavor of the custard is far superior to the other toppings of choice!
What Type of Apple To Use
Although you could use just about any variety of baking apple to make Irish apple cake, there is one apple that stands out above the rest. Just like when making Apple Crisp, Granny Smith apples are preferred for baking in cakes and other desserts for several reasons:
- Tartness: Granny Smith apples are known for their crisp texture and tart flavor. The tartness adds a bright and refreshing contrast to the sweetness of the cake batter or other dessert components.
- Firmness: These apples tend to hold their shape well when baked, making them suitable for recipes where you want distinct apple pieces or slices in the finished product. The firmness prevents the apples from turning into mush during the baking process.
- Moisture content: Granny Smith apples have a lower moisture content compared to some other apple varieties. This is beneficial in baking because it helps maintain the structure and texture of the cake without making it overly wet.
- Balanced sweetness: The tartness of Granny Smith apples helps balance the sweetness of the cake, creating a more complex and enjoyable flavor profile.
Other apple varieties, such as Honeycrisp, Gala, Braeburn, or Fuji can also be used in baking recipes with good results.
Irish Apple Cake Recipe
*A printable recipe card is located at the bottom of this article which contains the specific measurements, temperatures and cook times. However, continue reading below to learn about more helpful tips about this specific recipe.
INGREDIENTS
Cake Ingredients
- 1 Granny Smith apple
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1⁄2 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1⁄4 cup granulated sugar
- 1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1⁄4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1⁄4 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
Crumble Topping Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons rolled oats
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 2 1⁄2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
Custard Sauce Ingredients (optional for drizzling on top of the Irish Apple Cake)
- 3 large egg yolks, room temperature
- 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 3⁄4 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
INSTRUCTIONS
Crumble Topping
In a small mixing bowl, add the flour, oats, sugars, and cubed butter. Use a pastry cutter, two forks, or your fingers to cut the butter into the dry mixture until small pebbles form. Set aside.
Cake Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and place the oven rack to the middle position. Then grease and lightly flour the cake pan. Cut two 3-inch strips of parchment paper long enough to hang over the sides of the pan, and then place them in the cake pan in a criss cross pattern with the edges over hanging the dish. Grease and lightly flour the paper or use non-sticking baking spray with flour.
Peel, core, and slice the apple into thin slices. Cut the apple slices into 3-4 smaller sections. Set aside.
In a small bowl, add the egg and milk and whisk until well incorporated.
In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and ginger and whisk to combine. Place the cold cubed butter in the bowl and use a pastry cutter, two forks, or your fingers to cut the butter into the flour mixture until small pebbles form.
Add the prepared apples into the flour mixture and toss until well coated.
Pour the wet ingredients over the top of the dry ingredients with the apples and stir until no visible flour remains in the Irish Apple Cake batter.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth out evenly. Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the top of the batter.
Bake Time
Place the cake in the preheated oven and bake for 40 – 45 minutes, or until the top of the cake is golden brown. Test for doneness with a toothpick or cake tester. It is done when it comes out mostly clean (a few moist crumbs are okay) in several spots.
Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool on a wire cooling rack for 10 minutes. Then carefully lift up on the parchment paper to remove the cake out of the pan. Place on the cooling rack to cool completely.
Custard Sauce Instructions
In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks, sugar and vanilla until pale yellow, about 2 minutes. Set aside.
In a medium saucepan, heat the milk until the edges start to simmer.
Slowly pour about 1⁄4 cup of the hot milk into the bowl with the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Then pour the egg mixture into the saucepan while you whisking constantly.
Continue cooking the custard over medium-low heat until the custard thickens, about 4 minutes. Be sure to whisk or stir constantly so the mixture doesn’t burn on the bottom of the pot.
Custard is ready when it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Transfer the custard to a serving bowl.
Slice the cake and drizzle the custard sauce on top to serve.
Store the cake at room temperature in a covered container for up to 4 days (it won’t last that long)!
Enjoy! Mary
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Enjoy! Mary
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Irish Apple Cake
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Classic Irish Apple Cake made in a mini cake pan (or small baking dish). The perfect dessert recipe to celebrate St. Patrick's Day or to enjoy any day of the week!
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 Granny Smith apple
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes
Crumble Topping
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons rolled oats
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
- 2 1⁄2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes
Custard Sauce (optional for serving)
- 3 large egg yolks, room temperature
- 3 Tablespoons granulated sugar
- 3⁄4 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Crumb Topping
- In a small mixing bowl, add the flour, oats, sugars, and cubed butter. Use a pastry cutter, two forks, or your fingers to cut the butter into the dry mixture until small pebbles form. Set aside.
Apple Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and place the oven rack to the middle position. Then grease and lightly flour a 1.5 quart round baking dish/cake pan. Cut two 3-inch strips of parchment paper long enough to hang over the sides of the pan, and lay in a cross in the cake pan. Grease and lightly flour the paper or use non-sticking baking spray with flour.
- Peel, core, and slice the apple into thin slices. Cut the apple slices into 3-4 smaller sections. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, add the egg and milk and whisk until well incorporated.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and ginger and whisk to combine. Place the cold cubed butter in the bow. and use a pastry cutter, two forks, or your fingers to cut the butter into the flour mixture until small pebbles form.
- Add the prepared apples into the flour mixture and and toss to coat.
- Pour the wet ingredients over the top of the dry ingredients with the apples and stir until no visible flour remains.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and smooth out evenly. Sprinkle the crumb topping evenly over the top of the batter.
- Place the cake in the preheated oven and bake for 40 - 45 minutes, or until the top of the cake is golden brown and the cake has pulled away from the sides of the pan. Test for doneness with a toothpick or cake tester. It is done when it comes out mostly clean (a few moist crumbs are okay) in several spots. You will also the cake has pulled away from the sides of the pan.
- Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool on a wire cooling rack for 10 minutes. Then carefully lift up on the parchment paper to remove the cake out of the pan. Place on the colling rack to cool completely.
Custard Sauce
- In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks, sugar and vanilla until pale yellow, about 2 minutes. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, heat the milk until the edges start to simmer.
- Slowly pour about 1⁄4 cup of the hot milk into the bowl with the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Then pour the egg mixture into the saucepan while you whisking constantly.
- Continue cooking the custard over medium-low heat until the custard thickens, about 4 minutes. Be sure to whisk or stir constantly so the mixture doesn’t burn on the bottom of the pot. Custard is ready when it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Transfer the custard to a serving bowl.
- Slice the cake and drizzle the custard sauce on top to serve.
Notes
- You can use a small springform pan instead of a 6 inch cake pan. Omit the parchment paper but be sure to grease the bottom and sides.
Recipe provided by iCookfortwo.com
Nutrition Information
Yield 6
Amount Per ServingCalories 315Total Fat 18gSaturated Fat 10gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 7gCholesterol 191mgSodium 108mgCarbohydrates 32gFiber 1gSugar 24gProtein 7g
Nutritional Information is to be used as a general guideline only . Nutritional calculations will vary from the types and brands of the products used.
