Bready or Not: Irish Apple Cake

I’ve posted many different recipes for apple cake. This Irish Apple Cake uses a 9-inch round cake pan with layers of cake, apple, and streusel.

This isn’t a light, airy cake. It’s dense and moist. It’s a cake that is ideally paired with tea, coffee, or hot cider.

It’s not heavily sweet, either, but the sweetness that is there arises from the apple and that wonderful crumble topping.

The big thing that sets this cake apart from other recipes is that you do experience the textural variations between the layers. It really reminds me of my family favorite Caramel Apple Pie in that regard.

This cake is best eaten fresh, but fear not! If you freeze it when it’s fresh, it will be wonderfully preserved for later on. Just eat it right after it’s thawed.

Modified from a Gemma Stafford recipe in Food Network Magazine, March 2021.

PrintBready or Not: Irish Apple CakeThis crumble-topped round apple cake is fragrant with spices. Enjoy this cake the day it’s made, or freeze pieces right away to enjoy later! This would be great for dessert or breakfast.Course Breakfast, DessertCuisine irishKeyword apple, cakeServings 8 slicesAuthor Beth CatoEquipment9-inch cake panIngredientsStreusel6 Tablespoons cold butter3/4 cups all-purpose flour1/4 cup rolled oats1/2 cup white sugarpinch saltCake1/2 cup salted butter 1 stick1/2 cup white sugar2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract2 large eggs1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour1 teaspoon baking powder1 teaspoon ground cinnamonpinch salt3 Tablespoons milk3 medium baking apples such as Fuji or Granny Smith, peeled and thinly slicedconfectioners' sugar for servingInstructionsPreheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a 9-inch cake pan with foil and apply nonstick spray or butter.Make the streusel first. Dice up the butter in a medium bowl. Add the flour, oats, sugar, and salt. Using fingers, compress and break apart the butter into small crumbs distributed throughout the dry mix. Set the bowl in fridge to chill while assembling the cake.Cream the butter and white sugar until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and eggs.In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Gradually fold the dry ingredients into the wet along with the milk. Once everything is just mixed, pour it into the prepared pan. Place the apple slices one at a time to form an even layer. Sprinkle the streusel on top and even it out.Bake the cake until the top is golden, about 60 to 70 minutes. The middle should pass the toothpick test. Let cool at room temperature, eventually placing in fridge to speed the process, if desired.Cut into 1/8ths. Top pieces with sprinkled confectioners’ sugar to make it even more pretty. The cake is best eaten fresh, but pieces can also be individually frozen the day of baking for a delicious treat later.OM NOM NOM!