Irish apple cake
Soft butter cake packed with Bramley apples and a crumbly top
IrishEvery Irish county has its apple cake, but it is especially loved in Armagh's orchard country and in Kerry, baked in late September when the Bramleys come in. Sharp cooking apples bake into soft, tart pockets in a buttery sponge, under a crunchy sugar and cinnamon crumb. Serve warm with custard or softly whipped cream. Chef's tip: toss the apple slices in lemon juice and sugar only at the last minute, or they release water into the batter.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 10
Ingredients
For the cake
- 5 ½ oz buttersoft
- 5 ½ oz caster sugar
- 2 eggs
- 8 oz self-raising flour
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 ⅛ lb Bramley cooking applespeeled, cored and sliced
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp caster sugar
For the crumb top
- 1 ¾ oz plain flour
- 1 oz cold butter
- 1 ⅜ oz demerara sugar
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
To serve
- 1 ¼ cups custard or whipped creamopt
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan) and line a 23 cm springform tin. Rub the 1 ¾ oz plain flour and 1 oz cold butter together, then stir in the 1 ⅜ oz demerara sugar and ½ tsp ground cinnamon.
5 minStep 2: Beat the 5 ½ oz butter and 5 ½ oz caster sugar until pale and fluffy, then beat in the 2 eggs one at a time. Fold in the 8 oz self-raising flour and ¼ cup milk to a soft batter.
6 minStep 3: Toss the 1 ⅛ lb Bramley cooking apples with the 1 tbsp lemon juice and 1 tbsp caster sugar. Spread half the batter in the tin, scatter over the apples, then dot the remaining batter on top; it doesn't need to cover completely.
4 minStep 4: Sprinkle over the crumb and bake for 50–55 minutes, until golden and a skewer in the centre comes out with no wet batter. A common mistake is cutting it hot, when the apple is still steaming and the sponge tears.
55 minStep 5: Cool 20 minutes in the tin, then serve warm with 1 ¼ cups custard or whipped cream.
20 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 46 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does irish apple cake take?
- About 75 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 55 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 10 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of caster sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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