Irish Apple Cake -Authentic and Delicious

 

If you’re looking for a traditional Irish dessert that’s simple, rustic, and absolutely bursting with apple flavor, this Irish Apple Cake is a beautiful place to start. Often served with warm custard and made with everyday ingredients, it’s the kind of old‑fashioned bake that feels both comforting and timeless. 

Tender slices of apple are folded into a lightly spiced batter, creating a cake that’s soft, moist, and perfect for afternoon tea or a cozy family dessert. Whether you’re celebrating St. Patrick’s Day or just craving a classic homemade treat, this authentic Irish recipe brings a taste of Ireland straight to your kitchen.

 

This is a beautiful cake to make for dessert for Saint Patrick's Day, or anytime really. The cake itself is soft and beautiful with a lovely crumb.  The apples add just the right amount of sweet tartness and that crumble topping is to die for.

The batter is created by rubbing the butter into the flour, almost like you are making a scone batter. The end result is a lot damper than a scone however.  You will be able to press it into the bottom and up the sides of your cake tin, so it is not as loose as a regular cake batter.

You want to use an apple that will hold it's shape and not fall to mush when it is cooked.  Granny Smith are a great choice and have a lovely sweet/tart flavor.

This makes for a beautiful dessert anytime, but it is particularly nice to serve on Saint Patrick's Day. The Irish are not fancy people and this humble dessert is a tribute to that. Humble doesn't mean that it isn't delicious however.  This is one very tasty cake that the whole family will enjoy!

 

INGREDIENTS NEEDED

TO MAKE 

IRISH APPLE CAKE

There are three distinct layers to this cake, each one with it's own individual ingredients.

For the cake base:

• 2 1/2 cups (280g) self raising flour
• 1/2 cup (115g) butter
• 1 large free range egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup (100g) caster sugar
• 1/3 cup (80ml) milk

For the filling:

• 2 cooking apples, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 4 1/2 TBS (60g) soft light brown sugar

For the streusel Topping:

• 3/4 cup (105 g) plain flour
• 1/4 cup (20g) old fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup (100g) sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 6 TBS butter, cut into bits

You will also need: (optional)

• Icing sugar to dust
• warm custard to serve or a scoop of ice cream

 

INGREDIENTS NOTES

You can make your own self raising flour by adding 1 1/2 tsp of baking powder and 1/4 tsp of salt to every cup of plain flour required. In this case you would need to add  3 3/4 tsp of baking powder and 1/2 tsp salt.

I use salted butter. No need to buy in any specialty butters for this.

Caster sugar is a fine textures granulated sugar. You can make your own by blitzing regular sugar in a food processor to grind it down a bit. It will only take a few pulses. It has a great melting property and melts into the batter without leaving a granular texture.

Granny Smith apples are ideal, but you can use any cooking apple or a mix of cooking and eating apples. Make sure you cut the apple slices fairly thin so that they cook through in the bake time allotted. 

Do not use instant or quick oats for the topping. 

You can use a mix of half soft light brown sugar and white sugar for the streusel topping to give a more caramel-like flavor.

 

HOW TO MAKE IRISH APPLE CAKE

This cake is very simple to make. It is almost a cake type of pie, with a distinct base and sides, juicy apple filling and crisp and moreish streusel topping.

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350*F/180*C/gas mark 4. Butter a deep flan tin, with a loose bottom, roughly 9 inches in diameter. Set aside. (Mine has fluted sides. A spring form pan also works very well.)
2. Make the Streusel. Measure the flour and oats and sugar into a bowl. Stir in the cinnamon. Drop in the butter. Rub together with your fingers until it clumps together and you have a crumble mixture. (I like to use a fork to do this so that the butter doesn't melt. You can also do this in a food processor, stirring in the oats after the crumbs are created.)
3. Place the flour and butter into a large bowl. Rub the butter in with your fingertips to form a breadcrumb texture. Stir in the sugar. Add the beaten egg and milk and mix together with a round bladed knife. If the dough seems a bit too sticky add a bit more flour. You want a soft dough. (If the dough is too sticky you won't be able to press it into the pan properly.)
4. Spoon the dough into the prepared pan, making it higher around the edges, about 1 inch into the center with a hollowed out space to put the apples. Spread the apple slices evenly over the center of the base. Press them down lightly. (Don't compact them too much.)
5. Sprinkle with the soft light brown sugar and the cinnamon. Sprinkle the streusel over top. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until well risen and golden brown.
6. Let stand in the tin for about 10 minutes before removing the sides. (This helps to ensure the cake has set up properly and won't collapse.)
7. Place the tin on top of a jar and push the sides of the pan down and remove. Place the cake on a wire rack to cool to warm. Dust with icing sugar before cutting into wedges to serve, with or without ice cream or custard.

I HAVE A LOVELY CUSTARD RECIPE HERE.

 

HINTS AND TIPS FOR A BETTER CAKE

• Read through the recipe thoroughly prior to beginning to help familiarize you with anything needed.
• Assemble all of your ingredients together prior to starting. This can help to prevent you from leaving anything important out by accident.
• Have all of your ingredients at room temperature, with the exception of the butter for the streusel, prior to beginning.
• Cut the butter into the streusel topping with a fork to help prevent your hands from warming up the mixture too much. Stir in the oats last. Alternately you can cut the butter in using a food processor. Again, stir the oats in last.
• For a more developed flavor combine sweet and tart apples for the filling. This will add depth and interest to the taste.
• For extra crunch and nutty flavors you can add a small amount of chopped toasted nuts to the streusel topping. Almonds, pecans, walnuts or macadamia nuts all work well.
• I advise using a spring form pan or a pan with a removable bottom for baking this cake. This will make removing the cake from the tin much easier. Alternately you can create a sling using parchment paper that can help you to lift it out.

 

HOW TO STORE IRISH APPLE CAKE

This cake is best kept stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 4 days. There is nothing in it that is required to be kept refrigerated and the texture is much better at room temperature.

If you do happen to leave in a very warm or humid country, then it is best to keep it refrigerated. Bring it to room temperature prior to serving, however.

 

A FEW OTHER IRISH BAKES TO ENJOY

If you are looking for Irish baking recipes to enjoy for Saint Patrick's Day or anytime really, here are some that we really love to bake and to eat! 

IRISH SODA BREAD MUFFINS - These tasty muffins capture everything we love about traditional soda bread—its rustic charm, its tender crumb, its cozy, homey flavor—but in a quick, easy, muffin‑tin format that bakes up beautifully in just 20 minutes. Made with a mix of white and whole‑wheat flours, plenty of plump currants, and just a whisper of caraway, each muffin has those gorgeous crisp crags and crannies that make soda bread so irresistible. They’re perfect split warm and spread with butter and jam, served alongside a hot cuppa, or tucked into a St. Patrick’s Day breakfast.

IRISH WHISKEY & GINGER CAKE - This delicious cake is everything a good farmhouse bake should be: dense, moist, deeply aromatic, and absolutely packed with ginger in every form. With both ground ginger and generous jewels of crystallized ginger—most of it soaked in warm Irish whiskey before being folded into the batter—this cake delivers a proper ginger “whammy” that warms you from the inside out. This is a true larder cake —the kind that keeps well for days, grows even better as it rests. Rustic, simple, and full of character, it’s a lovely way to celebrate Irish heritage or bring a bit of St. Patrick’s Day warmth into your kitchen any time of year.

 

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Yield: Serves 6 to 8

Author: Marie Rayner

Irish Apple Cake

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 50 MinInactive time: 10 MinTotal time: 1 H & 15 M

A delicious version of an apple cake, baked with tasty apple slices sandwiched in the center.  Serve warm with or without custard.

Ingredients

For the cake base:

• 2 1/2 cups (280g) self raising flour
• 1/2 cup (115g) butter
• 1 large free range egg, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup (100g) caster sugar
• 1/3 cup (80ml) milk

For the filling:

• 2 cooking apples, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 4 1/2 TBS (60g) soft light brown sugar

For the streusel Topping:

• 3/4 cup (105 g) plain flour
• 1/4 cup (20g) old fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup (100g) sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 6 TBS butter, cut into bits

You will also need: (optional)

• Icing sugar to dust
• warm custard to serve or a scoop of ice cream

Instructions

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350*F/180*C/gas mark 4. Butter a deep flan tin, with a loose bottom, roughly 9 inches in diameter. Set aside.
2. Make the Streusel. Measure the flour and oats and sugar into a bowl. Stir in the cinnamon. Drop in the butter. Rub together with your fingers until it clumps together and you have a crumble mixture.
3. Place the flour and butter into a large bowl. Rub the butter in with your fingertips to form a breadcrumb texture. Stir in the sugar. Add the beaten egg and milk and mix together with a round bladed knife. If the dough seems a bit too sticky add a bit more flour. You want a soft dough.
4. Spoon the dough into the prepared pan, making it higher around the edges, about 1 inch into the center with a hollowed out space to put the apples. Spread the apple slices evenly over the center of the base. Press them down lightly.
5. Sprinkle with the soft light brown sugar and the cinnamon. Sprinkle the streusel over top. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until well risen and golden brown.
6. Let stand in the tin for about 10 minutes before removing the sides.
7. Place the tin on top of a jar and push the sides of the pan down and remove. Place the cake on a wire rack to cool to warm. Dust with icing sugar before cutting into wedges to serve, with or without ice cream or custard.

Notes

Make Your Own Self Raising Flour:

You can make your own self raising flour by adding 1 1/2 tsp of baking powder and 1/4 tsp of salt to every cup of plain flour.

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