This Irish apple cake with vanilla custard sauce is a wonderfully tasty cake with the perfect moist crumb studded with fresh apples. Serve this not-too-sweet apple cake up on its own, or drizzle some of my amazing custard sauce over the cake slices when serving. It is a well-loved apple cake that's the perfect dessert for any day of the year.
Jump to:
This Irish apple cake can be enjoyed as a breakfast cake, with tea or coffee, and is especially wonderful after dinner when served as an Irish dessert - complete with custard!
Like so many other traditional recipes, the variations to this apple cake are as numerous as Grandmas baking it in farmhouses across the Irish countryside in the fall apple harvest season.
Make sure to make this amazing Irish Apple Cake this Saint Patrick's Day with some of my other Irish recipes!
🥘 Ingredients
Grab your pantry staples, some heavy cream, and a bunch of fresh apples to make this tasty cake. Don't skip the custard sauce - it's so darn tasty, you'll love it.
Irish Apple Cake
- Butter - 1 cup of room temperature, softened butter.
- Sugar - 1¼ cups of sugar.
- Baking Powder - 2 tablespoons of baking powder.
- Salt - A pinch of salt (or use ¼ teaspoon if using unsalted butter).
- Cinnamon - ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon.
- Nutmeg - ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg.
- Flour - 4 cups of all-purpose flour.
- Apples - 4 large apples that have been peeled, cored, and sliced. Choose your favorite apple variety that is sweet and firm.
- Milk - 1½ cups of whole milk (or 2% milk).
- Eggs - 2 large room-temperature eggs.
Vanilla Custard Sauce
- Egg Yolks - 6 large room-temperature egg yolks.
- Heavy Cream - 1½ cups of heavy cream (or heavy whipping cream).
- Sugar - ½ cup of sugar.
- Vanilla Extract - ½ tablespoon of vanilla extract.
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🔪 How To Make Irish Apple Cake
This recipe is as easy as can be.
Make sure you have a springform pan, spatulas, mixing bowls, and a knife.
This recipe will make 12 servings, so it is great for get-togethers.
- Prep oven and pan. Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) and generously coat your 9-10 inch springform pan with butter (or butter and flour), or spray with a non-stick cooking spray.
- Cream butter and sugar. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the 1 cup of room temperature butter and 1¼ cups of sugar.
- Add dry ingredients. Next, add a pinch of salt, 2 tablespoons of baking powder, ½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon, and ¼ teaspoon of ground nutmeg to the same bowl. Stir to combine. Add 4 cups of flour and mix until evenly distributed.
- Wash, slice, and add apples. Prepare the 4 large apples as desired. I washed and sliced my apples (peeling them is optional), then placed them in my food processor and pulsed a few times for smaller pieces (but not finely chopped). If chopping your slices, cut them about ¼ inch thick, then cut each slice into 1-inch chunks. Add the chopped apples to the bowl, then mix until evenly distributed as well.
- Combine with wet ingredients. In a separate bowl, add 2 eggs to 1½ cups of milk, and stir until eggs are broken and mixed into the milk. Pour the milk and eggs mixture over the flour mixture and stir until just combined. The batter will be thick and lumpy.
Bake the Cake
- Bake. Transfer the batter to your buttered springform pan, then smooth the top of the batter. Place the springform pan in the center of the oven and bake for about an hour and 15 minutes, or until an inserted knife or cake tester comes out clean. Start checking at about 50 minutes to ensure you don't overcook it!
- Cool and serve. Remove the cake from your oven and allow it to cool slightly (about 5 minutes). Then, remove from the springform pan and allow to cool slightly, if serving warm. Or allow cooling completely if serving later.
How To Make Vanilla Custard Sauce
- Heat and stir. In a saucepan, heat 1½ cups of heavy cream and ½ cup of sugar over medium heat until it comes to a low boil. Stir the heavy cream occasionally as it heats, rapidly if needed, to prevent the heavy cream from boiling too rapidly. If needed, remove your saucepan from the heat to keep your cream at a low boil.
- Add eggs. Meanwhile, whisk the 6 egg yolks in a separate bowl. Then, slowly add the heated heavy cream mixture to the eggs (very slowly at first to prevent cooking the eggs!). Drizzle in a tablespoon portion initially, whisk, and repeat until the egg yolks have been tempered with the heated cream. It should take a few minutes of whisking to fully incorporate the heated cream and egg yolks.
- Thicken the sauce. Return the cream to your saucepan. Continually whisk the mixture over medium-low heat until the sauce thickens, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in ½ tablespoon of vanilla extract.
- Serve. Transfer to a glass bowl, jar, or small creamer carafe with a sheet of plastic wrap laying on the surface to prevent 'skin' that will form. Serve warm over cake if desired, or store in the refrigerator.
If you want to make this an extra indulgent dessert, pair it with a scoop of some creamy ice cream! Check out some more apple recipes for even more great ideas! Enjoy!
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- Adjusting Baking Time for Apples: Using larger apple pieces or a less juicy apple variety may reduce your baking time. While finely chopped apples extend the baking time by about ten minutes, they are my preferred choice for texture.
- Choosing Apple Varieties: The type of apple you choose affects the flavor of your dish. For a sweet and firm texture, varieties like Ambrosia, Gala, Fuji, Braeburn, Honeycrisp, or Cameo are excellent. Mixing sweet with tart apples, such as Granny Smith, adds complexity but ensures the apples are firm for the best baking results.
- Preparing Larger Apple Chunks: If opting for larger apple pieces, soften them first by sautéing in melted butter over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Let them cool before adding them to the batter to ensure even baking.
- Monitoring Cake During Baking: To prevent excessive browning, check the cake at 50 minutes. If the top is browning too quickly, loosely cover it with aluminum foil.
- Storing Custard Sauce: To avoid skin formation on your custard sauce, place cling film directly on the sauce's surface before refrigerating.
🥡 Storing & Reheating
Store both the cake and your vanilla custard sauce in the refrigerator. Cover the cake with a sheet of plastic cling film and transfer the sauce into an airtight storage container.
Reheating The Cake & Sauce
You can warm your custard sauce on the stovetop, but a short burst in the microwave on a lower heat setting works equally well. Stir between each short 30-second heating increment until warm to your satisfaction.
The same is true for taking the chill off a slice of your Irish apple cake. Heat in short bursts until slightly warmed before serving. Cover with a damp towel to keep moist.
>>>>See all of my recipes here<<<<
❓ Recipe FAQs
Overall, an Irish Apple Cake is best served warm (and it is so very fragrant right out of the oven). The thick cream or custard sauce that is customarily served with an apple cake can be served cold, which is convenient if you have made the custard sauce ahead of time or you can warm it.
Make sure to choose a variety of apples that are firm enough to hold up in the oven, as well as ones that have a great flavor. My personal favorites are Honey-crisp apples, but you can check out my posts about the best apples for apple pie and the best apples for apple crisps for more ideas.
It is completely up to you. During the baking process, the peels will soften significantly, so don't worry too much about that. They will add some beautiful color and extra flavor. However, your cake will still be delicious if you leave out this step.
😋 More Tasty Irish Recipes
- Irish Lamb Stew - A hearty stew made with tender, buttery lamb meat and vegetables.
- Irish Oatmeal Cake with Caramel Pecan Frosting - An old-fashioned oatmeal cake with made-from-scratch caramel pecan frosting.
- Traditional Irish Soda Bread - Homemade soda bread with just 4 ingredients!
- Irish Barmbrack - A 4-ingredient raisin bread made with buttermilk.
- Potato Leek Soup - This warm and comforting potato leek soup is an Irish classic.
- Apple Blackberry Crumble - Fresh apples and blackberries in one easy-to-make dessert.
Do you love a recipe you tried? Please leave a 5-star 🌟rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page.
Stay in touch with me through social media @ Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter! Subscribe to the newsletter today (no spam, I promise)! Don't forget to tag me when you try one of my recipes!
📖 Recipe Card
Irish Apple Cake with Vanilla Custard Sauce
Ingredients
Irish Apple Cake
- 1 cup butter (2 sticks - softened, at room temperature)
- 1 ¼ cups sugar
- 2 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 pinch salt (or use ¼ teaspoon if using unsalted butter)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg (freshly grated is suggested)
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 large ambrosia apples (peeled, cored and sliced or finely chopped)
- 1 ½ cups whole milk (or 2% milk)
- 2 large eggs
Vanilla Custard Sauce
- 6 large egg yolks
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ tablespoon vanilla extract
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
Irish Apple Cake
- Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) and generously coat your 9-10 inch springform pan with butter (or butter and flour), or spray with a non-stick cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of your stand mixer, cream together the room temperature butter and sugar. Add salt, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and ground nutmeg. Stir to combine. Add the all-purpose flour and mix until evenly distributed.
- Prepare the apples as desired. I washed and sliced my apples (peeling them is optional), then placed them in my food processor and pulsed a few times for smaller pieces (but not finely chopped). If chopping your slices, cut the slices about ¼ inch thick then cut each slice into 1 inch chunks. Add the chopped apples, then mix until evenly distributed as well.
- Add the eggs to your milk, and stir until eggs are broken and mixed into the milk. Pour the milk and eggs mixture over the flour mixture and stir until just combined. The batter will be thick and lumpy.
- Transfer the batter to a your buttered springform pan, then smooth the top of the batter. Place the springform pan in the center of the oven and bake for about a hour and 15 minutes, or until an inserted knife comes out clean. *Check the cake at 50 minutes to make sure the top isn't getting too browned, if needed, cover with a sheet of aluminum foil.
- Remove the cake from your oven and allow to cool slightly on a wire cooling rack, about 5 minutes. Then remove from the springform pan and allow to cool slightly, if serving warm. Or allow to cool completely if serving later.
Vanilla Custard Sauce
- In a saucepan, heat the heavy cream and sugar over a medium temperature until it comes to a low boil. Stir the heavy cream occasionally as it heats, rapidly if needed to prevent the heavy cream from boiling too rapidly. If needed, remove your saucepan from the heat to keep your cream at a low boil.
- Whisk the egg yolks while the heavy cream is heating. Then slowly add the heated heavy cream and sugar slowly (very slowly at first to prevent cooking the eggs!). Drizzle in a tablespoon potion initially, whisk, repeat until the egg yolks have been tempered with the heated cream. It should take a few minutes of whisking to fully incorporate the heated cream and egg yolks.
- Return the cream to your saucepan. Continually whisk the mixture over medium-low temperature until the sauce thickens, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla extract.
- Transfer to a glass bowl, jar, or small creamer carafe with a sheet of plastic wrap laying on the surface to prevent 'skin' that will form. Serve warm over cake if desired, store refrigerated.
Notes
- Your baking time will be shorter if using larger pieces of apple, or a less juicy variety. My finely chopped apples are a preference, but add about ten minutes to my baking time.
- Your apple varieties will also make a difference in taste, and we like a good firm apple with a sweet flavor such as Ambrosia (used here), Gala, Fuji, Braeburn, Honeycrisp, or Cameo. You can also use a combination of sweet and tart, such as using a Granny Smith apple or two, but firm apples will work best for baking.
- Larger chunks of apple can be used as well, just be sure to soften them on the stovetop by sauteing in some melted butter over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Allow the apples to cool slightly before combining them into the batter.
- Check the cake at 50 minutes to make sure the top isn't getting too browned, if needed, cover it with a sheet of aluminum foil.
- When storing your custard sauce, keep the cling film directly on the surface of the sauce to prevent skin from forming.
Dirk Erwin says
Der Kuchen ist absolt klasse. Besonders locker und sehr lecker. Auch mit Schlagsahne statt der Vanillesauce. Die werden wir aber morgen noch probieren. Heute zu wenig Zeit gehabt. (The cake is absolutely great. Particularly fluffy and very tasty. Also with whipped cream instead of vanilla sauce. But we'll try that tomorrow. Didn't have enough time today.)