Description
Hearty Irish apple cake celebrates traditional baking from the Emerald Isle with rustic charm. Warm spices and sweet apples create a comforting dessert you can savor alongside afternoon tea or as a delightful ending to any meal.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and thinly sliced (1 lb or 454 g)
- 1 ¼ cups (156 g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (94 g) all-purpose flour (for streusel)
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 6 tbsps (85 g) unsalted cold butter, cut into small pieces
- 2 large eggs
- 6 large egg yolks
- 1 ½ cups (355 ml) whole milk (or half-and-half or cream)
- 3 tbsps (45 ml) whole milk or cream
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar (for cake)
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar (for streusel)
- 6 tbsps (75 g) granulated sugar (for custard)
- ¼ cup (25 g) old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 ½ tsps vanilla extract
- Confectioner’s sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Custard Preparation: Warm milk gently in a saucepan near simmering point while whisking egg yolks and sugar into a silky, pale blend.
- Sauce Integration: Gradually stream hot milk into egg mixture, stirring consistently to prevent curdling, then return to saucepan and cook over medium heat until sauce thickens and coats a spoon’s back.
- Custard Refinement: Remove from heat, incorporate vanilla extract, strain through fine-mesh sieve, cover with plastic wrap directly on surface, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.
- Streusel Construction: Combine cold butter with flour, sugar, and oats, working mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs, then refrigerate until needed.
- Cake Foundation: Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, then add eggs individually, mixing thoroughly after each incorporation.
- Dry Ingredient Combination: Sift flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt together, then gently fold into butter mixture, alternating with milk or cream until just combined.
- Cake Assembly: Preheat oven to 350°F, grease springform pan, transfer batter evenly, arrange apple slices across top, and generously sprinkle prepared streusel over apple layer.
- Baking Process: Bake for 50-60 minutes until golden brown and toothpick inserted in center emerges clean, then cool slightly in pan.
- Presentation: Remove from pan, dust with confectioner’s sugar, slice, and serve alongside chilled custard sauce.
Notes
- Prevent Curdling Carefully: Slowly add hot milk to egg mixture while continuously stirring to prevent egg yolks from scrambling.
- Achieve Perfect Streusel Texture: Use cold butter and work quickly to create coarse, crumbly streusel that provides delightful crunch.
- Select Apples Wisely: Choose firm, tart baking apples like Granny Smith or Braeburn that maintain shape and provide balanced flavor contrast.
- Monitor Baking Closely: Check cake at 50-minute mark to prevent over-browning, using toothpick test to confirm perfect doneness.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 50-60 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Irish
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 9
- Calories: 380
- Sugar: 32 g
- Sodium: 210 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 12 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 43 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 120 mg