Description
This traditional Irish Apple Cake features a tender, cinnamon-spiced batter layered with tart Granny Smith apples and a crumbly oat streusel topping. Served warm or at room temperature with a smooth, creamy homemade custard sauce, this cake offers a comforting and classic dessert experience perfect for gatherings or everyday indulgence.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 3 Tbsp whole milk or cream
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp salt
- about 3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and thinly sliced (a little over 1 pound after slicing)
- confectioner’s sugar for dusting
Streusel Topping
- 3/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats
- 6 Tbsp unsalted cold butter, cut in small pieces
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
Custard Sauce
- 6 large egg yolks
- 6 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk (or half and half or cream)
- 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 350F and grease a 9 inch springform pan to ensure the cake doesn’t stick.
- Make Custard Sauce: Heat the milk to a gentle simmer over medium heat. In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until combined. Slowly drizzle some hot milk into the yolk mixture while whisking constantly to temper the eggs. Gradually add more milk then pour the mixture back into the pan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a silicone spoon, until the custard thickly coats the back of a spoon. Avoid overcooking to prevent curdling. Stir in the vanilla extract. Strain the custard through a sieve into a heatproof container, cover the surface with plastic wrap to prevent skin formation, and refrigerate until chilled.
- Prepare Streusel Topping: Combine flour, rolled oats, and sugar in a bowl. Cut cold butter into small pieces and blend into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Chill the streusel in the refrigerator.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In another bowl, cream the room temperature butter and granulated sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Add Eggs: Beat in the eggs one at a time, ensuring each is fully incorporated before adding the next.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: Whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Fold these dry ingredients into the creamed butter mixture along with the milk or cream until just combined.
- Assemble Cake: Spoon the batter evenly into the prepared pan, smoothing the surface. Arrange the sliced apples evenly over the batter, then sprinkle the chilled streusel topping over the apples without worrying about perfect arrangement.
- Bake: Bake for 60 minutes until the top is lightly browned and a toothpick inserted comes out clean without wet batter.
- Cool and Serve: Allow the cake to cool slightly in the pan before removing. Dust the top with confectioner’s sugar. Serve warm or at room temperature with the chilled custard sauce.
Notes
- Use Granny Smith apples for their tartness and firmness to hold up well during baking.
- Tempering the egg yolks with hot milk is important to avoid scrambling in the custard sauce.
- If you prefer a thicker custard, cook it slightly longer but be cautious to prevent curdling.
- The streusel can be made ahead and kept in the fridge until needed.
- Confectioner’s sugar dusting adds a nice visual and slight sweetness but can be omitted if preferred.
- Whole milk is used for custard but half and half or cream will yield a richer sauce.
- Use a silicone spatula or spoon to make stirring custard easier and safer for your cookware.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 28 g
- Sodium: 120 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 42 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 115 mg
