This Irish Apple Cake is perfect to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with but also great as a cake year-round. Serve it easily with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. It also has an optional glaze recipe if you like that. With its glorious streusel topping, it is great all by itself also.
Want more great Irish recipes? Then try our 33-Year-Round Irish Recipes or Corned Beef and Cabbage – Slow Cooker.
A traditional Irish Apple Cake has a cakey, mildly spiced bottom followed by an inner layer of sliced apples topped with a streusel oatmeal crumble. The three layers come together to make an awesome, delightful cake for brunch to dessert.
Helpful Items For This Recipe
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9 Inch Springform Cake Pan, Stainless Steel
Bamboo Cake Stand with Lid, 6 in 1 Multifunctional Round Shatterproof Cake Plate Serving Platter
3 Pieces Pie Server Set Stainless Steel for Cakes, Pies, and Pizza
What is Apple Cake made of?
Ingredients
Streusel
All-purpose flour – With the butter, it helps bind the streusel together.
Rolled oats – These give the streusel that nostalgic feel, plus a crunch and more flavor.
Brown and white sugar – Both sugars add sweetness, but the brown sugar adds more flavor.
Salted butter – I like using salted butter as that is what I have on hand, otherwise you can use unsalted.
Cake
Cake flour – If you don’t have cake flour, it is easy to make by simply removing 1 Tbsp of flour and replacing it with 1 Tbsp of cornstarch. Whisk together before adding to the recipe.
All-purpose flour – Using a combination of flour gives the cake more sturdiness than using cake flour alone.
Baking powder and baking soda – Using both of these ingredients will give you the lift that you need in a cake.
Cinnamon – The cake is lightly spiced with cinnamon that goes gorgeously with apples.
Salt – Always needed in baking to bring out the flavor.
White sugar – Well, for sweetness and a little crunch on the outside of the cake.
Salted butter – Unsalted butter may be used instead. If used, add ¼ tsp of salt to the recipe.
Eggs and egg yolks – You need whole eggs to provide structure for the cake, but yolks add more creaminess to the texture of the cake.
Milk – This adds the needed moisture to the cake and pulls everything together.
Vanilla – This is a good all-round flavor booster to any dessert with apples.
Apples – You can use apples like Granny Smith, but also see the Pro Tips. It is important to thinly slice the apples for them to cook and soften properly while baking.
How to Make Irish Apple Cake
Streusel:
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine flour, rolled oats, sugar, and brown sugar. Add in butter and work into the dry mixture using a fork until crumbly. Set aside.
Cake:
Preheat the oven to 350°. Line the bottom and sides of a 9″ springform pan with parchment paper and lightly spray with baking spray. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine cake flour, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine sugar and butter. Beat together on medium speed for 2
minutes, until fluffy. Add in the eggs and mix to combine. Add in milk and vanilla and mix until incorporated.
Next, add in the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Once the flour mixture is added to the recipe, be sure to only mix until just combined. Overmixing can cause the gluten to overdevelop, resulting in a crumbly cake.
Transfer the batter to the prepared springform pan. Arrange the apples on top of the batter as evenly as possible, but this doesn’t have to be perfect.
Add the streusel on top, then place into the preheated oven on the center rack.
Bake for 1 hour or until baked through. Once baked, remove from the oven and place onto a wire cooling rack to cool.
Glaze (optional)
Make a simple glaze for the finished cake by whisking together ½ c powdered sugar, 2 tsp of milk, and ½ tsp of vanilla. Add more milk for a thinner glaze or more powdered sugar for a thicker glaze.
Recipe Pro Tips!
Storage
Cake may be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature or refrigerated. Warm to room temperature before eating.
Can you freeze Irish Apple Cake?
Yes, make sure the cake is completely cooled, and then wrap it in both a layer of plastic wrap and aluminum foil. It will freeze well for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight.
What is the best apple to use in a cake?
You want to use a firm apple, but it can be either tart or sweet. Some examples are the Granny Smith that we use in this recipe, but also you can use Braeburn, Cortland, Honey Gold, Jonathan, Fuji, Gala, and Honeycrisp.
Want more easy year-round delicious apple recipes?
We love apples in so many recipes; here is just a sampling.
Irish Apple Cake
Ingredients
Streusel:
- ⅔ cup flour
- ½ cup rolled oats
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup salted butter room temp
Cake:
- 1 cup cake flour
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅔ cup sugar
- ½ cup salted butter
- 2 eggs + 2 yolks
- ¼ cup milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 cups thinly sliced apples like granny smith apples
Instructions
Streusel:
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine flour, rolled oats, sugar, and brown sugar. Add in butter and work into the dry mixture using a fork until crumbly. Set aside.
Cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350°. Line the bottom and sides of a 9″ springform pan with parchment paper and lightly spray with baking spray. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, combine cake flour, flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine sugar and butter. Beat together on medium speed for 2 minutes until fluffy. Add in the eggs and mix to combine. Add in milk and vanilla and mix until incorporated.
- Next, add in the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Once the flour mixture is added to the recipe, be sure to only mix until just combined. Overmixing can cause the gluten to overdevelop, resulting in a crumbly cake.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared springform pan. Arrange the apples on top of the batter as evenly as possible, but this doesn’t have to be perfect.
- Add the streusel on top, then place into the preheated oven on the center rack.
- Bake for 1 hour or until baked through. Once baked, remove from the oven and place onto a wire cooling rack to cool.
Glaze (optional):
- Make a simple glaze for the finished cake by whisking together ½ c powdered sugar, 2 tsp of milk, and ½ tsp of vanilla. Add more milk for a thinner glaze or more powdered sugar for a thicker glaze.
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