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A freshly baked Traditional Irish Apple Cake dusted with sugar sits on a rustic wooden table.

Ultimate Traditional Irish Apple Cake

This is the ultimate rustic, comforting Irish Apple Cake, packed with tart apple chunks and spiced with cinnamon. It features a dense, buttery crumb and a crunchy sugar or crumble topping, best served warm with custard or cream. It's a forgiving, homely bake that celebrates simple ingredients and tradition.
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Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 8
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Irish
Calories: 380
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 4-5 medium tart cooking apples e.g., Bramley or Granny Smith
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2-3 tablespoons coarse sugar e.g., Demerara

Equipment

  • 9-inch springform or deep cake pan
  • Parchment paper
  • Large mixing bowl
  • Mixing bowls (for dry and wet ingredients)
  • Whisk
  • Measuring cups and spoons
  • Peeler
  • Knife and cutting board
  • Pastry brush
  • Cooling rack
  • Oven

Method
 

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease and line a 9-inch springform or deep cake pan with parchment paper.
  2. In a bowl, toss the apple chunks with lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of the measured flour. Set aside.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
  4. Add the cold, cubed butter to the flour mixture. Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs with some pea-sized lumps remaining.
  5. Stir the granulated sugar into the flour-butter mixture.
  6. In a separate jug, lightly beat the eggs and milk together.
  7. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour in most of the egg-milk mixture, reserving 1-2 tablespoons.
  8. Using a fork or your hand, mix gently to form a soft, slightly sticky dough. Do not overmix. If the dough seems dry, add the reserved wet mixture.
  9. Gently fold the prepared apple chunks into the dough until evenly distributed.
  10. Turn the lumpy dough into the prepared pan. Pat it out gently to fill the pan; it will be very bumpy.
  11. Brush the top of the dough lightly with milk and sprinkle liberally with coarse sugar.
  12. Bake for 45-55 minutes, or until the top is deep golden brown, the sugar crust is crackly, and a skewer inserted into a cakey part (not an apple) comes out clean.
  13. Let the cake cool in the pan for 20-30 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Serve warm.

Notes

For a crumble topping, mix 1/4 cup flour, 2 tbsp cold butter, 2 tbsp oats, and 1 tbsp sugar until crumbly and scatter over the cake before baking. To prevent apples from sinking, ensure chunks are large and baking powder is fresh. Store cooled cake wrapped at room temperature for up to 2 days or freeze for longer. Re-warm slices before serving. For flavor variations, add orange zest to the sugar, soak raisins in whiskey, or fold in chopped walnuts.