Irish Apple Cake Vanilla (Printable)

Lightly spiced apple cake with golden crust and silky vanilla custard, perfect warm dessert.

# What You Need:

→ For the Irish Apple Cake

01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 teaspoon baking powder
03 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
04 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
05 - 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
06 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
07 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
08 - 3 large apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
09 - 2 large eggs
10 - 1/4 cup milk
11 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 - 2 tablespoons granulated sugar for sprinkling

→ For the Vanilla Custard

13 - 2 cups whole milk
14 - 1/2 cup heavy cream
15 - 4 large egg yolks
16 - 1/3 cup granulated sugar
17 - 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
18 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

# How To Cook:

01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and line a 9-inch round cake pan with parchment paper.
02 - In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nuteg.
03 - Add cold butter cubes and rub into the flour mixture with your fingertips until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
04 - Stir in 3/4 cup sugar and the sliced apples, tossing to coat the apples evenly.
05 - In a small bowl, beat eggs, milk, and vanilla extract together.
06 - Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and fold gently until just combined. Do not overmix.
07 - Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, smoothing the top. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar.
08 - Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the cake is golden and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
09 - While the cake bakes, prepare the custard. In a saucepan, heat milk and cream over medium heat until just simmering.
10 - In a bowl, whisk egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch until pale and smooth.
11 - Gradually pour the hot milk mixture into the yolks, whisking constantly.
12 - Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened. Do not boil.
13 - Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract.
14 - Allow the cake to cool slightly before serving warm slices with generous spoonfuls of vanilla custard.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • Its the kind of humble dessert that welcomes everyone to the table without any fuss or pretense
  • The texture is somewhere between cake and pudding, with those tender apples melting into every bite
  • Warm custard over freshly baked cake might just be one of lifes simplest greatest pleasures
02 -
  • Overworking the butter mixture will make your cake tough instead of tender
  • The custard can go from perfect to scrambled in seconds so keep the heat low and keep stirring
03 -
  • Use the coldest butter possible and work quickly to keep those tender pockets in the crumb
  • Slice your apples thin and even so they cook at the same rate and melt into the cake

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