Easy Irish Apple Cake With Custard Sauce
This authentic and traditional cake recipe is great for St. Patrick's Day or when you need to use up a lot of apples. It's dense and soft on the inside, and the outside is crusty. It's served with warm custard sauce.
At first, I made this dish as I would any other apple cake, but soon I learned that it comes from Ireland. I thought it was only made during apple harvest time, but now you can find it all year. On holidays like St. Patrick's Day, it's more common to see it in bakeries, bars, and restaurants. We will talk about the few things that make this cake an Irish apple cake instead of a regular apple cake in this blog.
With the apples, this cake is the right balance of sweet and sour. It's like a big, fluffy biscuit, scone, quick bread, or cake. It also has just the right amount of crust to soft, thick cake-like texture. After adding the warm vanilla spicy custard, you have a beautiful tea cake that goes well with tea or coffee, is easy to make, and tastes even better the next day. You only need a few simple ingredients.
As everyone knows, I love making Irish-themed foods for St. Patrick's Day. This year, I made Bailey's pannacotta, which is a great treat even if you don't have an oven. Or, potato pancakes are the best thing to eat when you want a salty snack. The Irish farl is my best bread recipe. It's a no-yeast bread recipe that you make on the stove and top with butter and sea salt. ALSO, the top of my chocolate Irish stout loaf cake has a tasty stout chocolate mousse. The cake itself is fluffy. This makes me think of a traditional Irish coffee, which is so tasty. That was a bit of a deep thought, but if you HAVE to, this Irish Apple Cake is the best way to celebrate the season.
What is Irish Apple Cake?
In many parts of Ireland, Irish apple cake is also called Kerry Apple Cake. The flour and butter are rubbed together to make the thick cake. Diced apples and white sugar are then added to the dry mixture. When you add eggs and milk to the mix, it comes together. Once this treat is baked, some cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt help season it. The top is crusty when it's done baking, and there's some sugar on top. Sometimes it's served with warm custard, but you can also use cream if you'd rather. It can be eaten hot or cold.
What ingredients do you need to make this Irish Apple Cake?
Irish apple cake
We need milk, eggs, baking powder, salt, granny smith apples, white sugar, baking powder, granulated sugar (for the top), and all-purpose flour to make the cake. I added a little cornflour to this recipe to make the cake even softer after it was baked. You don't have to add the nutmeg, but I love how the cake tastes with freshly chopped nutmeg.
Custard
I used eggs, vanilla, corn flour, sugar, milk, water, and cream to make an easy custard sauce. There is nothing traditional about this dish; I make it right on the stove. It's easier, but we don't need a thick custard with this cake. We need a runny custard sauce, so I add a little water to keep it that way.
What substitutes can you use to make this Irish Apple Cake?
Gluten free
To make this cake, you can use gluten-free flour like Bob's Red Mill. It tastes great instead, and you really can't tell the difference.
Instead of butter, you can use a plant-based vegan butter spread. For eggs, you can use full-fat yogurt or flax seed eggs. I agree that the flaxseed eggs might change the taste of the cake after it's made. Also, I've found that using Greek yogurt can make the cake a little sticky and wet. This isn't a bad thing, but you can bake it for a few more minutes if you don't like it that way.
Custard
I already said that you don't have to serve it with custard; double cream is fine, but if you don't want to make your own custard, you can use a boxed custard mix. If you do this, I suggest adding more liquid to keep it runny and sauce-like.
What equipment do you need to make this Irish Apple Cake?
A big bowl, a rubber spatula, and a 9-inch cake tin are what you'll need to make the cake. I used an angle food cake tin so the middle would be hollow. I used a sauce pot and a whisk to make the custard. If you think there are lumps in it, you can strain it.
How to make Irish Apple Cake?
Warm the oven up to 180℃. Spray or brush oil on a 9-inch cake pan and set it away. Put the corn flour, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a big bowl. Then add the flour and stir it all together. When you add the butter, rub it in with your fingers until it looks like wet sand. Put the apples and sugar together and mix them well. Using a rubber spatula, mix the eggs, milk, and vanilla together until everything is well mixed. Place in the pan that has been lined, and bake for 40 to 45 minutes. In a cooking pot, mix the eggs, sugar, vanilla, cornflour, and milk. Whisk them together until the custard is smooth while this is going on. Put it on low to medium heat and begin whisking.
Do not leave the pan and keep whisking, as the custard will start to thicken quickly. Once it gets thick, take it off the heat and add the heavy cream and water. Whisk them together until they are well mixed. If you stick a toothpick into the middle of the cake and it comes out clean, you know it's done. The cake should have risen well. Put on a plate and serve with the custard.
Serving & storing this Irish Apple Cake?
You can fill the hollow middle with warm custard if you bake it in a bundt pan. I like it best when this cake is served warm with warm cream. You could use heavy cream or vanilla ice cream instead, but it tastes better with a sauce. In airtight containers, the extras can stay in the fridge for a week and at room temperature for two days. It can dry out in the freezer, so I wouldn't suggest putting it there.
