Irish apple cake is a moist apple cake topped with sweet crumb topping and a rich and creamy custard sauce. This traditional Irish apple cake makes the perfect dessert for any St. Patrick’s Day meal!
This traditional Irish apple cake recipe makes moist apple cake with sweet crumb topping and rich custard sauce. The cake takes a bit of prep to make, but the results are so worth the effort!
Made with simple ingredients like fresh apples, butter, and cinnamon, this cake has a moist, tender crumb and a delicious, slightly spiced flavor. The brown sugar crumb topping and decadent custard sauce gild the lily and make this a can’t-miss dessert.
This cake goes well with corned beef and cabbage and makes the perfect end to your St. Patrick’s Day dinner. However, the cake is so good that you won’t want to have it just once a year!
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Greek yogurt: I recommend using full-fat plain Greek yogurt for the richest cake. However, you can use reduced fat Greek yogurt or full-fat sour cream instead.
- Kosher salt: Sea salt is a good substitute. If you don’t have sea salt or kosher salt, use half the amount of table salt.
- Apples: Any baking apple will work. I like to use Granny Smith apples because their tartness helps to balance out the sweetness of the cake.
- Whole milk: Using whole milk and cream will give you creamier sauce. You could also use half-and-half if you prefer.
How to make Irish apple cake
Here you’ll find instructions and step-by-step photos showing how to make this recipe. The full recipe, including ingredients, is given below.
Crumb topping
Step 1: Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9-inch round baking pan by spraying it with nonstick spray. Set aside.
Step 2: In a medium bowl, add all ingredients for the crumb topping.
Step 3: Using a pastry cutter or fork, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until it forms a pea-sized crumb.
Step 4: Place bowl in the fridge to chill until ready to use later.
Cake
Step 5: To make the cake, add butter and sugar to the bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat for 4-5 minutes, or until pale, light, and fluffy.
Step 6: Add eggs, vanilla, and yogurt. Beat again until well combined.
Step 7: Add flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until the flour is just incorporated into the batter.
Step 8: Add apples to the bowl. Using a rubber spatula, fold apples into the batter until distributed throughout.
Step 9: Pour batter into the prepared baking pan. Use the rubber spatula to make the top even from edge to edge.
Step 10: Sprinkle crumb topping on top of the batter.
Step 11: Bake for 65-75 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If the crumble on top starts to brown too much while cooking, you can tent the top with foil.
Step 12: Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes, while you prepare the custard topping.
Custard sauce
Step 13: To make the custard sauce, add milk and heavy cream to a medium saucepan over low heat. Heat until it starts to simmer around the edges of the pot. Do not boil!
Step 14: Remove from heat.
Step 15: In a separate bowl, add sugar and egg yolks. Beat with a hand mixer for about 1 minute 30 seconds, or until pale, thick, and creamy.
Step 16: Slowly whisk the heavy cream into the egg yolks to slowly bring up their temperature. This will prevent the eggs from scrambling.
Step 17: Once all heavy cream has been poured into the yolk mixture, pour it all back into the pot and heat over low heat, while constantly whisking to thicken to coat the back of a spoon. This may take about 6-8 minutes and will thicken more as it cools.
Tip >> If the sauce splits, you can use an immersion blender to blend it back together to make it smooth and creamy.
Step 18: Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla bean paste.
Step 19: Serve cake with custard sauce poured over top.
Recipe Tips!
- Room temperature ingredients: The reason that it’s important to have room temperature ingredients, like eggs and Greek yogurt, is because they will incorporate into the batter better if they’re at room temperature.
- Mixing: When you’re mixing in the dry ingredients, you’ll want to mix in just until incorporated. Overbeating the batter can cause tough or gummy cake.
- Browning: I recommend checking the cake about 15-20 minutes before the earliest baking time. If it’s browning too quickly, tent with aluminum foil.
- Prep ahead: You can prepare the crumb topping and chill up to 1 day in advance.
Storage
I recommend storing the cake and the custard sauce separately. Store any leftover cake in an airtight container at room temperature, and store any leftover custard sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
The cake and the custard sauce will keep for up to 3 days when properly stored.
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Irish Apple Cake
Equipment
- 9 inch round cake pan
- Saucepan
Ingredients
Crumb Topping
- 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter cubed
- 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Cake
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup plain Greek yogurt at room temperature
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3 cups peeled and diced Granny Smith apples about 2 apples
Custard sauce
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 9-inch round baking pan by spraying it with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, add all ingredients for the crumb topping.1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, 3/4 cups all purpose flour, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 1/3 cup light brown sugar, 1/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- Using a pastry cutter or fork, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until it forms a pea-sized crumb.
- Place bowl in the fridge to chill until ready to use later.
- To make the cake, add butter and sugar to the bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat for 4-5 minutes, or until pale, light, and fluffy.6 tablespoons unsalted butter, 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- Add eggs, vanilla, and yogurt. Beat again until well combined.2 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
- Add flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until the flour is just incorporated into the batter.1 ½ cups all purpose flour, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- Add apples to the bowl. Using a rubber spatula, fold apples into the batter until distributed throughout.3 cups peeled and diced Granny Smith apples
- Pour batter into the prepared baking pan. Use the rubber spatula to make the top even from edge to edge.
- Sprinkle crumb topping on top of the batter.
- Bake for 65-75 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If the crumble on top starts to brown too much while cooking, you can tent the top with foil.
- Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes, while you prepare the custard topping.
- To make the custard sauce, add milk and heavy cream to a medium saucepan over low heat.1/2 cup whole milk, 1/2 cup heavy cream
- Heat until it starts to simmer around the edges of the pot. Do not boil!
- Remove from heat.
- In a separate bowl, add sugar and egg yolks. Beat with a hand mixer for about 1 minute 30 seconds, or until pale, thick, and creamy.1/4 cup granulated sugar, 3 large egg yolks
- Slowly whisk the heavy cream into the egg yolks to slowly bring up their temperature. This will prevent the eggs from scrambling.
- Once all heavy cream has been poured into the yolk mixture, pour it all back into the pot and heat over low heat, while constantly whisking to thicken to coat the back of a spoon. This may take about 6-8 minutes, and it will thicken more as it cools. If the sauce splits, you can use an immersion blender to blend it back together to make it smooth and creamy.
- Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla bean paste.1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- Serve cake with custard sauce poured over top.
Notes
- Greek yogurt: I recommend using full-fat plain Greek yogurt for the richest cake. However, you can use reduced fat Greek yogurt or full-fat sour cream instead.
- Kosher salt: Sea salt is a good substitute. If you don’t have sea salt or kosher salt, use half the amount of table salt.
- Apples: Any baking apple will work. I like to use Granny Smith apples because their tartness helps to balance out the sweetness of the cake.
- Whole milk: Using whole milk and cream will give you creamier sauce. You could also use half-and-half if you prefer.
- Nutrition values are estimates.Â
Nutrition
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