Irish Apple Cake | Kerry Apple Cake
A rustic apple cake from County Kerry, Ireland made from a scone-like cake batter and topped with crunchy sugar. A drizzle of warm, vanilla custard is the perfect pairing for this old-fashioned dessert.
Ingredients
- 360 g cake flour 3 cups
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ⅛ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- 110 g unsalted butter, cubed 8 tbsp
- 150 g sugar ¾ cup
- 2 eggs
- 4 large, baking apples
- 4 tbsp whole milk
For Sprinkling
- 4 tbsp course sugar (granulated sugar can be substituted)
Custard Sauce
- 120 ml whole milk ½ cup
- 120 ml heavy cream ½ cup
- 3 egg yolks
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices. Whisk that together briefly.
- Work in the cubed butter with either your hands or a pastry cutter until it resembles wet sand. Stir in the sugar once the butter is worked in.
- Peel the apples and discard the peels. You can cut the apples into whichever shape you prefer for your cake. I opted for a rustic slice, but you can thinly slice them, chop, or dice them.
- Stir the prepared apples into the flour butter mixture until the apples are coated. Then, in a small bowl whisk the eggs and half of the milk. Mix that into the apple flour mixture. Add the rest of the milk if it appears to need more moisture. The batter should be sticky and wet.
- Spoon and press the batter into a 9 inch (23 cm) springform pan that has been lined on the bottom with parchment paper and the sides have been buttered and floured. Use your wooden spoon to smooth the top of the cake. Sprinkle the cake with the course sugar.
- Bake the cake in a 375℉ / 190℃ pre-heated oven for 45-50 minutes, or until the top is golden and a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the cake.
- While the cake is baking, prepare the custard. Add the milk and cream to a small saucepan and heat it over medium-low heat on the stove until the edges of the milk bubble. Don't let the milk boil. Remove it from the heat once the edges bubble.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar. Then slowly drizzle in about half of the hot milk mixture in a steady stream while whisking vigorously. This will temper the eggs to prevent curdling. Add the tempered eggs into the saucepan with the rest of the milk mixture.
- Return the heat to medium-low and continue whisking on the stove until it forms a pudding-like consistency. You know it is done when you dip a spoon into the custard and it coats the back of the spoon. You should be able to draw your finger on the back of the spoon and it should leave a trail. Remove the custard from the heat and whisk in the vanilla extract.
- Pour the custard into a serving dish and cover it with plastic wrap touching the surface of the custard, so that it doesn't form a skin. Set this aside until the cake is ready to serve.
- Remove the cake from the oven and let it cool for about 20 minutes. Remove it from the springform pan and place it on a serving dish. Slice it while it is still warm and serve it with a drizzle of warm custard.
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