Note: I was sent apples from Stemilt in order to create this Irish Apple Cake recipe. Opinions are mine alone.
I am pretty sure most countries and regions have some form of apple cake recipe. And why wouldn’t they, apple cake is delicious! Irish Apple Cake is a spiced cake with loads of apples within the batter. The cake has a nice crunchy crust and is traditionally served with a custard sauce.
Stemilt, a family owned and operated fruit company based in Wenatchee, Washington, was kind enough to send me a care package of beautiful apples, including some granny smith apples.
With it being St. Patrick’s Day, I knew I had to make an Irish Apple Cake with the apples, of course.
The tartness and juiciness of granny smith apples make them a perfect choice for an Irish Apple cake!
The Irish Apple Cake recipe below is lightly adapted from Stemilt, and their version incorporates whiskey into the sauce for a more modern spin. Yum!
Ingredients:
- Irish Apple Cake:
- 4 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and roughly chopped
- 2 1/2 cups cake flour (or measure out 2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour, remove five tablespoons, and replace them with five tablespoons of cornstarch)
- 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, divided
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- a pinch of ground nutmeg
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- Whiskey Cream Sauce:
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- A pinch of kosher salt
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup Irish whiskey
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Spray an 8-inch diameter cake pan with non-stick spray and line with parchment paper (the cake pan – paid link – I use came with 8-inch cake round parchment liners, which I just love!)
Peel, core, and roughly chop your Granny Smith apples and set aside.
To a medium mixing bowl, add the cake flour, 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, cloves, and nutmeg, whisking to combine.
Add the butter to the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until light and fluffy.
Stir in the eggs, one at a time, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed.
Slowly add in the flour mixture to the butter egg mixture until you have a ragged dough (it will be really dry).
Pour in the buttermilk stirring to combine.
Once relatively incorporated, increase the speed to medium-high and beat for 60 to 90 seconds. You should end up with a nice, smooth batter.
Fold in the chopped apples.
Then transfer to your prepared pan, using a spatula to even the top.
Sprinkle the batter with the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar.
Add to your oven at bake for 50 to 60 minutes at 375 degrees F, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Let cool in the pan.
While the cake cools, add the powdered sugar, cornstarch, and salt to a small pot, whisking to combine.
Slowly add in the cream, continuing to whisk as you do so.
Stir in the whiskey, then place over medium-low heat.
Heat the mixture until steaming and slightly thickened, whisking occasionally. Remove from heat, stirring in the vanilla extract.
To serve, cut a slice of the cake and serve with the whiskey cream sauce.
Is there anything better than the smell of apples and cinnamon baking in an oven?
This Irish Apple Cake has a beautiful crust, with a nice tartness from the granny smith apples and the warmth of the spices.
Granny smith apples are the perfect choice in a recipe like this Irish Apple Cake, because they still maintain their texture even when baked; you still get bites of apple throughout the cake.
When paired with the warmed Whiskey Cream Sauce, the result is irresistible!
Irish Apple Cake
Ingredients
Irish Apple Cake:
- 4 Granny Smith apples peeled, cored, and roughly chopped
- 2 1/2 cups cake flour or measure out 2 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour, remove five tablespoons, and replace them with five tablespoons of cornstarch
- 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar divided
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- a pinch of ground nutmeg
- 3/4 cup 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
Whiskey Cream Sauce:
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- A pinch of kosher salt
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup Irish whiskey
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
- Spray an 8-inch diameter cake pan with non-stick spray and line with parchment paper.
- Peel, core, and roughly chop your Granny Smith apples and set aside.
- To a medium mixing bowl, add the cake flour, 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, cloves, and nutmeg, whisking to combine.
- Add the butter to the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until light and fluffy.
- Stir in the eggs, one at a time, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed.
- Slowly add in the flour mixture to the butter egg mixture until you have a ragged dough (it will be really dry).
- Pour in the buttermilk stirring to combine. Once relatively incorporated, increase the speed to medium-high and beat for 60 to 90 seconds. You should end up with a nice, smooth batter.
- Fold in the chopped apples, then transfer to your prepared pan, using a spatula to even the top.
- Sprinkle the batter with the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar.
- Add to your oven at bake for 50 to 60 minutes at 375 degrees F, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let cool in the pan.
- While the cake cools, add the powdered sugar, cornstarch, and salt to a small pot, whisking to combine.
- Slowly add in the cream, continuing to whisk as you do so.
- Stir in the whiskey, then place over medium-low heat.
- Heat the mixture until steaming and slightly thickened, whisking occasionally.
- Remove from heat, stirring in the vanilla extract.
- To serve, cut a slice of the cake and serve with the whiskey cream sauce.
“This recipe is absolutely delightful! The combination of spiced apple cake with whiskey cream sauce sounds both comforting and unique — perfect for a cozy evening treat. I appreciate how clearly you explained each step; it feels very approachable even for someone who doesn’t bake often. Can’t wait to try this — thank you for sharing such a beautiful recipe!”