Irish apple cake, or sometimes called a Kerry apple cake,is a wonderful dessert. Almost bread like. It is light and moist with a beautiful sweetness that the apples make. It is served with a decadent custard sauce. I used granny smith apples, however, in Ireland they would likely use the Bramley apple. Some say it is the best baking apple in the world. The granny smith was a fine substitute. This cake was traditionally cooked in a bastibel, a black iron cooking pot. The bread was covered in the pot and hung over the fire to cook. It turns out beautifully in a 9″ spring form cake pan.
Irish Apple Cake
Servings 12
Ingredients
- 3 cups cake flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 4 oz butter
- 3/4 cups sugar
- 3 or 4 large Granny Smith apples
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons sugar to sprinkle on top of cake
- For the custard:
- 3 egg yolks
- 3 Tablespoons sugar
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Prepare a 9-inch round baking pan by spraying with oil or coating with butter.
- Sift the cake flour, baking powder, salt, cloves and nutmeg into a large mixing bowl.
- Cut the butter into the flour and rub it in using your fingers or a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs.
- Toss in the sugar and combine it with the flour mixture.
- Peel and slice the apples into 1" pieces.
- Add the apples into the flour mixture and mix them thoroughly.
- Beat the eggs and add a dash of milk. Add to the apples and flour and combine well with a large spoon. Add more milk as needed to fully moisten the flour. The result is a pretty sticky mixture.
- Transfer the dough into the prepared cake pan and flatten the top surface using the back of a large spoon.
- Sprinkle two tablespoons of sugar over the top of the cake.
- Bake the cake in the preheated 375 degree oven for 45 to 50 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes in the pan, then transfer to a wire wrack to finish cooling.
- While the cake is baking you can make the custard.
- Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar
- heat the milk and vanilla to warm just before a boil
- Add a few tablespoons of warm milk slowly to the egg mix to temper it
- Whisk the egg yolk mixture into the warm milk and let simmer on low until thick.
- Remove from heat and serve over your delicious apple cake.
