Irish Apple Cake: the delicious, easy recipe you can enjoy for any occasion

With its delicious sweet-tart flavor Irish apple cake is a wonderful light dessert that doubles as a tasty breakfast when you're in the mood to treat yourself.

Irish apple cake is a little like American coffee cake and a little lie apple pie. It's made by pouring a lightly spiced cake batter into a cake pan, layering apples over the batter, then topping it with streusel and baking it until it's perfectly golden brown and crisp. Each bite of Irish apple cake is tender, moist, with the perfect amount of crispiness around the edges.

It's a fantastic easy dessert you can make for any occasion. Serve it with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or custard sauce.

What Are the Best Apples for Irish Apple Cake?

Green Granny Smith apples are widely considered the best apple for baking thanks to their tart flavor and firm, crunchy texture, which holds up when baked.

Other great apple varieties you can use in your cake include Jonagold, Honeycrisp, Braeburn, and Winesap.

Irish Apple Cake Ingredients

Irish apple cake is made from simple ingredients, many of which you probably already have in your pantry.

To make the delicious sweet, crunchy streusel, you'll need flour, oats, sugar, salt, and butter. Make sure to use rolled oats.

To make the cake batter, you'll need butter, eggs, milk, and flour.

Cinnamon and vanilla add an extra touch of flavor, while white sugar adds some sweetness – you can use brown sugar as a substitute for an even moister cake.

Finally, you'll need some apples. Granny Smith is the gold standard, but there are other varieties you can use.

How to Make Irish Apple Cake

You'll love how easy it is to make this Irish apple cake. It's ideal for St. Patrick's Day or as a delicious dessert to make in the fall when apples are in season. Start by heating the oven to 350F and greasing a cake pan. Next, make the streusel topping. Mix the flour, oats, sugar, and butter until the mixture takes on the texture of coarse breadcrumbs. Pop it in the fridge until it's time to assemble the cake.

Now it's time to make the cake batter. Cream the butter and sugar, then whisk in the vanilla. Beat in the eggs one by one, making sure they're thoroughly incorporated before adding the next egg. In a second bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon to combine. Mix the flour mixture into the butter mixture until just combined – don't overmix the batter! Pour the batter into the pan. Arrange the apple slices over the batter, then sprinkle the streusel over the top.

Bake the apple cake for 65 to 75 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp. Let it cool before taking it out of the pan. Enjoy your Irish apple cake with some ice cream, custard, or whipped cream.

Tips for the Best Irish Apple Cake

Use room-temperature ingredients to make your Irish apple cake.

Don't overmix the cake batter.

If desired, you can garnish your Irish apple cake with powdered sugar. Serve it with ice cream or whipped cream.

If you like spice, add extra spices like nutmeg, allspice, or cloves to your cake batter.

How to Store Irish Apple Cake

Wrap your apple cake in cling film and store it at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, you can place it in the fridge for up to one week.

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a cake pan with cooking spray.

Put the flour, oats, sugar, and butter into a bowl.

Combine until the mixture takes on the texture of coarse breadcrumbs. Place in the fridge.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together. Whisk in the vanilla. Beat the eggs in one by one.

In a second bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon to combine.

Mix the flour mixture with the butter mixture until just combined.

Pour the batter into the pan. Arrange the apple slices over the batter in a single layer. Top with the streusel.

Bake for 65 to 75 minutes, or until golden brown and crisp.

Remove from the oven and let the cake cool. Remove the cake from the pan, slice, and serve.

Notes

Use a 9-inch round cake pan to make your Irish apple cake.