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Easy Irish Apple Cake With Custard Sauce

This traditional and authentic cake is the perfect dessert recipe to make for St Patrick’s Day or if you have a ton of apples to use up. It is crusty on the outside, dense and still soft on the inside served with a warm custard sauce. 

I first made this recipe as a regular apple cake and soon came to learn about its roots from Ireland. Only to find out that it is made through the apple harvest season but now you can find it all year long however during occasions like St Patrick’s Day it is more popularly seen in cafes, restaurants and bakeries. There are a few points that make this cake an Irish apple cake instead of a regular apple cake and we will discuss them through this blog. 

This cake is like a large fluffy biscuit/scone/quick bread/cake that has the perfect combination of sweetness and tartness from the apples. Also it has the perfect amount of crust to soft and dense cake like ratio. Add the warm vanilla spiced custard into the mix and you’ve got yourself a winning tea cake that is elegant, delicious with tea or coffee, simple to make, tastes even better the next day and you only need a handful of ingredients. 

It is no secret that I love making Irish inspired recipes during St Patricks Day, I have made the baileys pannacotta which is such a simple treat if you don’t have an oven. Or if you need a savory snack then the potato pancakes are your best friend. My favorite bread recipe includes the Irish farl which basically a no yeast stove top bread recipe that is PERFECT with butter and sea salt. ALSO, my chocolate Irish stout loaf cake is fluffy but the top has a delicious stout chocolate ganache. Saying this brings me to a classic Irish coffee which is so yummy, a little strong thought but if you MUST, this Irish Apple Cake is the best one to celebrate the season. 

What is Irish Apple Cake?

Irish apple cake is also known as Kerry Apple Cake in many parts of Ireland. It is a dense cake made by rubbing flour and butter together, after which diced apples and white sugar is added into the dry mixture. The batter comes together with the addition of eggs and milk. A little cinnamon, nutmeg and salt help season this dessert once baked. The top is crust as it is baked with a little granulated sugar on the top. Commonly it is served with warm custard but you can also serve it with cream if you like. It is enjoyed warm or cold.

What ingredients do you need to make this Irish Apple Cake?

Irish apple cake –

To make the cake we need all purpose flour, butter, granny smith apples, white sugar, eggs, milk, baking powder, salt, cinnamon powder, nutmeg and granulated sugar (for the top). I have also used a little cornflour in this recipe to make the cake even more soft once baked. The nutmeg is optional but I love the flavor of freshly grated nutmeg in the cake. 

Custard –

I have made a simple custard sauce with eggs, vanilla, corn flour, sugar, milk, water and cream. It is not a traditional recipe, in fact I make it over the stove directly. It is less fussy but we don’t need a thick custard with this cake we need a runny custard sauce hence I use a little water to keep the consistency runny. 

What substitutes can you use to make this Irish Apple Cake?

Gluten free –

You can use a gluten free flour like Bob’s red mill to make this cake. It is  delicious substitute and honestly you do not taste the difference. 

Vegan –

You can substitute the butter for a plant based vegan butter spread and use full fat free yogurt or flax seed eggs as an egg substitute. I must admit the flaxseed eggs might alter the flavor of the cake once baked. Also, I have noticed when using greek yogurt it can make the cake a little sticky and moist which is not a bad thing but if you don’t like that texture then you can bake for a couple of minutes longer. 

Custard –

Like I mentioned you don’t need to serve it with custard and double cream is good enough but if you don’t want to make your custard from scratch you can use a box custard mix, ideally I would recommend adding more liquid to keep it runny and a sauce consistency. 

What equipment do you need to make this Irish Apple Cake?

To make the cake we need a large mixing bowl, rubber spatula, 9 inch cake tin (I used an angle food cake tin so the center would be hollow). To make the custard I have used a sauce pot and whisk. You can strain it if you feel there are any lumps in it. 

How to make Irish Apple Cake?

Preheat the oven to 180℃, spray or brush a 9 inch cake tin with oil and set aside. In a large mixing bowl add the flour, corn flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and stir together. Add the butter and rub between your fingers until it resembled damp sand. Add the apples, sugar and stir together. Add the eggs, milk, vanilla and using a rubber spatula mix together until combined. Transfer to the lined tin and bake for 40-45 minutes. While this is happening make the custard by adding the eggs, sugar, vanilla, cornflour and milk in a sauce pot, whisk together until smooth. Place it on the stove on low to medium heat and start whisking – do not leave the stove and whisk constantly as the custard will start thickening fast. After 3-5 minutes it will get thick, take it off the heat and add the water and heavy cream, whisk until combined. You know the cake is done when it has risen, the top is crusty and golden, a tooth ick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a platter and serve with the custard.

Serving & storing this Irish Apple Cake?

If you have a bundt tin bake it in that so you can fill the hollow center with the warm custard. I like serving this cake warm with the custard warm as well. I would recommend using heavy cream or vanilla ice cream as a substitute but it is better with a sauce. The leftovers can be stored in air tight containers in the fridge for 1 week, at room temperature for 2 days. I wouldn’t recommend storing it in the freezer as it can dry out. 

Looking for more recipes to make for St. Patricks Day?

Now that we have covered how to make this Irish Apple Cake, you can have a look at the video on my socials but let’s get to it. Don’t forget to follow along for more baking recipe inspiration. 

If you try this recipe out, don’t forget to share it with me on instagram so I can see how it turned out. I’d love nothing more than to chat with you on your cooking/baking.  

Easy Irish Apple Cake With Custard Sauce

This traditional and authentic cake is the perfect dessert recipe to make for St Patrick’s Day or if you have a ton of apples to use up. It is crusty on the outside, dense and still soft on the inside served with a warm custard sauce.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Course Bread, Breakfast, Brunch, Cake, Celebration, Dessert, Sweet tooth
Cuisine Irish
Servings 10 people

Equipment

  • Mixing bowl
  • Rubber spatula
  • 9 inch tin/ bundt tin
  • Sauce pot
  • Whisk

Ingredients
  

Cake -

  • 2 3/4 cups flour
  • 4 tbsp corn flour
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
  • 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
  • 170 gm Butter
  • 4 apples peeled & diced
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 4 tbsp granulated sugar

Custard -

  • 1 whole egg
  • 4 tbsp sugar
  • 2 tbsp corn flour
  • 1 tbsp vanilla
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 180℃, spray or brush a 9 inch cake tin with oil and set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl add the flour, corn flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and stir together. Add the butter and rub between your fingers until it resembled damp sand.
  • Add the apples, sugar and stir together. Add the eggs, milk, vanilla and using a rubber spatula mix together until combined.
  • Transfer to the lined tin and bake for 40-45 minutes.
  • While this is happening make the custard by adding the eggs, sugar, vanilla, cornflour and milk in a sauce pot, whisk together until smooth. Place it on the stove on low to medium heat and start whisking - do not leave the stove and whisk constantly as the custard will start thickening fast. After 3-5 minutes it will get thick, take it off the heat and add the water and heavy cream, whisk until combined.
  • You know the cake is done when it has risen, the top is crusty and golden, a tooth ick inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer to a platter and serve with the custard.

Notes

  • If you have a bundt tin bake it in that so you can fill the hollow center with the warm custard.
  • I like adding a 1 tbsp of Irish whiskey in my custard once it is done for a little kick but also for a delicuis flavor. 

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