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It feels like spring has arrived in Toronto. I know it’s a trick. Snow will be dumped on us again at any moment. Not taking any chances, we’re escaping to the Caribbean this week for a little vacation time. But before I jet off, I baked a delicious Irish apple cake – baked apples, a streusel crumb top, and tender cake. So much to love.
Apple orchards are abundant in Ireland’s countryside. And many farmhouses have their own version of an apple cake to make during the harvest season. So technically this is an Autumn cake. But with St. Patrick’s Day just around the corner, I thought it would be appropriate.
This kind of cake is often traditionally served with a runny custard sauce. However, depending on the recipe, Irish apple cakes can be quite dense and mild in flavour, and could benefit from the extra ‘zhuzh.’ While I love custard, I found that my version is tasty enough to hold its own.
For this recipe I used Granny Smith apples. They are tart and hold their form well after baking. Other great options would be Honeycrisp or Braeburn apples.
How to make Irish Apple Cake
Start by preheating your oven and greasing an 8″ round springform pan. You could use a 9″ instead for a shorter cake, just remember to keep an eye on it because it will bake slightly faster.
I used this:
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In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set it aside for now.
Cream the butter and sugars together well until they are fluffy. Then beat in the eggs, one at a time, along with the vanilla. Fold in the dry ingredients and milk intermittently. Make sure that it is completely mixed in, but don’t over-mix.
Spoon the thick batter into the pan and smooth it out, pressing it into the edges.
Peel your apples and cut them into 1/4″ slices. Then cut the slices again for a chopped appearance, like pictured below. Scatter the apple pieces evenly on top of the cake batter. Use your hand to lightly press the apples slightly downwards into the batter.
Prepare the streusel topping in a medium bowl by combining the flour, brown sugar, a cinnamon. Then add the cubed butter and using your hand work it into the dry ingredients until it forms large crumbs. Sprinkle the streusel topping over the apples.
Put the cake in the oven and bake it about fifty to sixty minutes. Poke a toothpick in the batter to check for doneness. Don’t get tricked by accidentally stabbing a juicy apple. Let the cake cool in its pan.
Sprinkle the Irish apple cake with a generous dusting of icing sugar right before serving.
If apple pie and spice cake had a love child, this would be it. Apple bliss in cake form.
St. Patrick’s Day?
Looking for other green desserts for St. Patrick’s Day celebrations? Check out my grape custard tart, or decorate cupcakes with my matcha vanilla bean cream cheese frosting. Any of them would be a big hit.
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Irish Farmhouse Apple Cake
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 10 servings 1x
- Category: Cakes
- Cuisine: Irish
Description
A traditional harvest time treat made in farmhouses across Ireland, this delicious cake features baked apples, a streusel crumb topping, and tender spiced cake. A perfect dessert for celebrating the autumn or St. Patrick’s Day. Or just because it’s delicious and you want to.
Ingredients
1 cup + 2 tbsp (140.625 g) all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
pinch of salt
1/2 cup (113 g) salted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup (67 g) granulated sugar
1/3 cup (67 g) brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3 tbsp milk
3 medium granny smith apples
icing sugar, for dusting
Streusel topping
1/4 cup (37 g) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (50 g) brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tbsp (21.3 g) butter, cold and cubed
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350° and grease 8″ round springform pan.
In medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars until nice and fluffy.
Beat in eggs, one at a time, along with vanilla.
Stir in dry ingredients intermittently with milk. Make sure it is well incorporated but don’t over mix.
Spoon the batter into the prepared cake pan. Smooth it out and press it into the edges.
Peel apples and cut into 1/4″ slices. Cut each slice a few more times to give chopped appearance. Evenly scatter apples on top of the batter. Using your hand, gently press the apples just slightly down into the batter.
Prepare the streusel topping. In a medium bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Add in cubed butter. Using your hand, work the butter into the dry ingredients until large crumbs form. Sprinkle the streusel topping on top of the apples.
Bake for about 50-60 minutes. Check doneness by inserting a toothpick into the batter. When it comes out clean the cake is ready. Cool the cake in the pan before removing. Dust with icing sugar immediately before serving.
Equipment
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Keywords: irish apple cake
Apple cakes are one of my favs. First time for using Granny Smith in baking.
Turned out amazing. I served mine warm with vanilla ice cream.
Hi Joan, that’s great! Granny Smiths are perfect for baking because they hold their shape really well and have a sweet/tart flavour combo. Having this cake with vanilla ice cream sounds delicious.
My mom used to make apple cake often. Made this for her birthday. She really enjoyed it.
That’s so nice. Thank you
Simply amazing
Thank you ❤️
I am happy with the way this cake turned out.
Thanks 🙂
Perfect mix of spice with the apples. Delicious.
Thanks for the review 🙂
Love granny smith apples this time of year. So tart and they were absolutely perfect in this cake.
Amazingly delicious.
Thank you! 😀
Amazingly delicious. Thank you for the recipe. Everyone enjoyed it. The flavour got even better a day after it was made. So good.
Thanks so much, I really appreciate it
I love Granny Smith apples. They take the cake. lol
This recipe is amazing.
Haha thank you!
This was the perfect Thanksgiving Day cake. Super good.
So good to hear, thank you.
My family really enjoyed this cake. The flavour was fantastic.
Thank you! So glad you enjoyed it
Wow. This cake turned out amazing. I wanted something not too sweet with all the chocolates and cookies going around are Christmas time. It was the perfect dessert.
Thank you Heather, I’m so glad you enjoyed it
Love this cake. Granny Smith apples are the best.
Thank you! 🙂
Was so pleased with how this cake turned out. The whole family loved it. Know it will be requested in the future.
That’s so nice to hear. Thank you for sharing!
This cake is even more delicious the second day once it sets. Absolutely a delight with vanilla icecream.
Thank you Emi 🙂
This cake is the best.
Thank you 🙂
I made this cake for my husband who is not keen on anything too sweet. It turned out perfectly.
Great texture and tasting.
So glad you enjoyed it. Thanks 🙂