You're going to love this cozy, delicious Irish Apple Cake! This cake is an example of simple ingredients coming together to make a truly special dessert!
This post may contain affiliate links, and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. I’ll never link to anything I don’t use and love! Click here for full disclosure and privacy policy.
This Irish Apple Cake is a tender cinnamon-spiced cake with baked apples and a crisp streusel top. This cake is the perfect balance of sweet and tart, and a lovely treat for Fall, St. Patrick's Day, or anytime you're craving an apple treat!
If you enjoy this recipe, check out the posts for my Apple Upside Down Cake, Apple Shortcake, and Chocolate Ganache Cake!
Jump to:
What is Irish Apple Cake?
Irish Apple Cake is a old-fashioned cake traditionally made during apple harvest season in Ireland. The recipe varies from family to family, as so many do. I've seen recipes with and without the streusel topping, some with a layer of sliced apples, and some with diced apples throughout the cake. If you have a family apple cake recipe that's different from this one, I'd love to hear about it!
The cake is traditionally served with a sprinkle of powdered sugar and/or a custard sauce. Breaking from tradition, I served mine with Whiskey Caramel Sauce.
Ingredients
Here's everything you need to make this delicious cake, and a little about why each ingredient is included. Measurements for each ingredient are listed in the recipe card, below.
Streusel Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour - Provides structure for the crunchy topping! I used all-purpose flour.
- Granulated Sugar - For sweetness and to help give the streusel its crispness.
- Old-Fashioned Oats - For lovely texture. I recommend old-fashioned oats and not quick-cooking, just because the old-fashioned oats give better texture.
- Salt - To balance and enhance the flavors of the topping.
- Unsalted Butter - For moisture and richness. You want the butter to be cold for best results! I use unsalted butter so that I can control the amount of salt in the recipe.
Apple Cake Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour - Provides structure and moisture for the cake.
- Baking Powder - Provides leavening for the cake.
- Ground Cinnamon - For flavor.
- Salt - Helps to balance and enhance the flavor of the cake.
- Unsalted Butter - For moisture and richness. Unsalted butter so that you control the amount of salt in the recipe. You want your butter to be softened before you start the recipe.
- Granulated Sugar - For sweetness and keeping the cake soft and moist.
- Eggs - To provide structure, additional leavening, and a little richness. I used large eggs. You want your eggs to be at room temperature.
- Vanilla Bean Paste - For flavor. If you'd prefer to substitute, you can use an equal measure of vanilla extract instead.
- Milk - For richness and moisture. You want your milk to be at room temperature.
- Apples - For flavor. I used tart Granny Smith apples so that the cake wouldn't be too sweet.
Instructions
Here I'll show you how to make this lovely cake, step by step! More detailed instructions are included in the recipe card, below.
- Combine all streusel ingredients in a large bowl. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Refrigerate while you make the cake batter.
- Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.
- Add eggs and vanilla bean paste and mix to combine.
- Add half the dry ingredients, followed by the milk, then the remaining dry ingredients.
- Spread the cake batter into the greased pan, then top with apple slices.
- Top the apple slices with the streusel and bake. **Full instructions in the recipe card, below.**
Tip: The cake can be served plain or with a dusting or powdered sugar. Irish Apple Cake is traditionally served with a custard sauce. If you'd prefer, you can serve the cake with my Whiskey Caramel Sauce.
Equipment
Here are a few things I used when making this cake:
- Pastry Blender - I prefer to use a pastry blender to cut the butter in to the other streusel ingredients, finding it faster and easier that way. That said, a fork will do the same job.
- 8-inch Cake Pan - I used an 8-inch round cake pan for this recipe. The pan should be at least 3 inches tall to ensure it doesn't overflow in the oven. If you want to risk it with a shorter pan, definitely place a sheet pan on the rack beneath the cake to catch any potential overflow.
- Nonstick Parchment - I used round nonstick parchment in the bottom of my cake pan to ensure the cake released easily.
- Offset Spatula - Not a necessity, but it makes spreading the cake batter in the pan much easier and keeps your hands out of the batter!
Storage
The cake can be stored, covered at room temperature, for up to three days without compromising the cake's flavor or texture.
If you prefer to store the cake in the refrigerator, make sure it is completely cooled before wrapping it well and placing in the refrigerator. You'll want to set the cake out at room temperature for about an hour before serving for best texture.
For longer storage, the completely cooled cake can be wrapped well and frozen for up to three months. The texture of the cake will be better if you thaw the cake in the refrigerator overnight, and then set out at room temperature about an hour before serving.
FAQ
My personal favorite apple varieties for baking are Cortland, Fuji, Gala, Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, and Jonathan. These varieties will hold up well for you during baking. That said, some varieties are sweeter than others. I used tart Granny Smith apples for this cake so that it wouldn't be too sweet.
The cake can be served plain or with a dusting or powdered sugar. Irish Apple Cake is traditionally served with a custard sauce. If you'd prefer, you can serve the cake with my Whiskey Caramel Sauce.
Other Recipes You May Like
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Irish Apple Cake
Equipment
- 8 inch cake pan (3-inch tall)
Ingredients
Streusel
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup old-fashioned oats
- pinch salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, cold and diced
Apple Cake
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs, at room temperature (I used large eggs)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (see note)
- 3 Tablespoons milk, at room temperature (I used whole milk)
- 2 medium apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced (about 12 ounces whole apples; I used granny smith)
Instructions
For Streusel
- Combine all streusel ingredients except butter in a large bowl. Whisk to combine.¾ cup all-purpose flour, ½ cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup old-fashioned oats, pinch salt
- Add cold, diced butter and, using a pastry blender (see note) or fork, cut in the butter until crumbly. The pieces of butter should be pea-sized and smaller. Place the streusel in the refrigerator to chill as you make the cake batter.½ cup unsalted butter, cold and diced
For Cake
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease an 8-inch cake pan (see note), line with parchment (see note), and set aside.
- Combine the dry ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside.1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, ⅛ teaspoon salt
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.½ cup unsalted butter, softened, ½ cup granulated sugar
- Add the eggs one at a time, allowing the first egg to incorporate before adding the second. Add vanilla bean paste (see note) and mix to combine. The mixture may look curdled at this point, which is just fine!2 eggs, at room temperature, 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
- Gradually add half the dry ingredients, followed by the milk, then the remaining dry ingredients. Mix until just incorporated.3 Tablespoons milk, at room temperature
- Spread the cake batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top (an offset spatula works well for this). Top the batter with the apple slices, then top the apple slices with the streusel.2 medium apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
- Bake 55-65 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, or with a few moist crumbs attached. I turn the pan around in the oven halfway through baking to help ensure an even bake.
- Cool the cake completely in the pan. You can serve directly from the pan, or turn the cake out onto a serving plate (just note that inverting the cake to do so is a bit messy with the streusel, but doable). The cake can be served plain or with a dusting or powdered sugar. Irish Apple Cake is traditionally served with a custard sauce. If you'd prefer, you can serve the cake with my Whiskey Caramel Sauce.
- The cake can be stored, covered at room temperature, for up to three days without compromising the cake's flavor or texture. If you prefer to store the cake in the refrigerator, make sure it is completely cooled before wrapping it well and placing in the refrigerator. You'll want to set the cake out at room temperature for about an hour before serving for best texture.For longer storage, the completely cooled cake can be wrapped well and frozen for up to three months. The texture of the cake will be better if you thaw the cake in the refrigerator overnight, and then set out at room temperature about an hour before serving.Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is only an estimate.
Comments
No Comments