Irish Apple Cake |

Reminiscent of your favorite crumb muffin, this Irish Apple Cake features thinly sliced tart apples and golden buttery crumble on top. Treat this subtly sweet apple dessert like a coffee cake—it’s the perfect companion to cup of hot tea or a tall glass of iced coffee!

How to make Irish Apple Cake

Ingredients:

For the streusel topping:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup old-fashioned oats
• 1 pinch of kosher salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cubed

For the cake:

• Baking spray with flour
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 3 Tbsp. milk
• 3 small Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced

For the vanilla custard sauce:

• 5 large egg yolks
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar, divided
• 1 3/4 cups half-and-half
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 2 tsp. vanilla bean paste

Directions:

1. For the streusel topping: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, oats, and salt. Using your fingers, rub the cold butter into the ingredients until the mixture is well combined and easy to pinch together. If the dough appears sandy, continue working the butter in until you can form it into a dough ball. Cover and refrigerate the streusel for at least 15 minutes before using, or up to 1 day.
2. For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9-inch round baking pan with baking spray with flour and line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.
4. In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, sugar, and vanilla. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking well after each addition.
5. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture in 2 parts, alternating with the milk, folding until just combined after each addition.
6. Spoon the batter into the prepared baking pan. Top with the sliced apples, arranging them so they lie in an even layer. Remove the cold streusel from the refrigerator and break it into dime-sized pieces. Cover the apples with the cold crumbled streusel.
7. Bake until golden brown, 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes.
8. Allow the cake to cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn the cake out onto a plate, remove the parchment paper, and turn it over again onto a wire rack, allowing it to cool completely, streusel-side up.
9. For the vanilla custard sauce: In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and ¼ cup of sugar until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is lightened in color, about 1 minute. Place a fine-mesh sieve over another empty medium bowl.
10. In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, heat the half-and-half, salt, and remaining ¼ cup of sugar. Heat, stirring frequently, until steaming (do not boil).
11. Whisking constantly, slowly pour about 1 cup of the warm half-and-half mixture into the egg mixture. Add the warm egg mixture back to the remaining half-and-half mixture, whisking to combine. Cook until the mixture starts to thicken, coat the back of a spoon, and an instant read thermometer registers 175°F to 180°F, 2 to 3 minutes.
12. Immediately pour the mixture through the prepared fine-mesh sieve. Stir in the vanilla bean paste. Set the bowl over a bowl of ice water and stir to cool the mixture to room temperature.
13. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly over the vanilla custard sauce and refrigerate until fully chilled, at least 1 hour.
14. Serve the cake in slices, drizzled with vanilla custard sauce, if you like.