Irish apple cake custard (Printable)

Moist apple cake with warm, creamy custard showcasing classic Irish flavors.

# What You'll Need:

→ Apple Cake

01 - 2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 2 teaspoons baking powder
03 - ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
04 - ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
05 - ¼ teaspoon salt
06 - ½ cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
07 - ⅔ cup granulated sugar
08 - 3 large apples, peeled, cored, and sliced (about 1.1 lbs)
09 - 2 large eggs
10 - ½ cup whole milk
11 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

→ Warm Custard

12 - 2 cups whole milk
13 - 4 large egg yolks
14 - ⅓ cup granulated sugar
15 - 2 tablespoons cornstarch
16 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

# How-To Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan and line the base with parchment paper.
02 - In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
03 - Add the cold butter and rub into the flour mixture with your fingertips until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs.
04 - Stir in the sugar and then fold in the sliced apples until evenly coated.
05 - In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, milk, and vanilla extract. Pour into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
06 - Spread the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top. Bake for 50–55 minutes, or until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.
07 - In a saucepan, heat milk until just steaming, being careful not to boil.
08 - In a bowl, whisk egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch until smooth.
09 - Gradually pour the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly. Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring continuously, until thickened and coats the back of a spoon. Do not let it boil.
10 - Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Serve the cake warm or at room temperature with the warm custard poured over.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The combination of tender spiced cake and silky warm custard feels like being wrapped in a cozy blanket on a cold afternoon
  • Its deceptively simple, using basic pantry ingredients to create something that tastes like it came from a bakery
02 -
  • Tempering the eggs properly is crucial, adding the hot milk too quickly will scramble them and ruin the custard
  • The custard continues thickening as it cools slightly, so remove it from heat when it still looks slightly thinner than you want
03 -
  • Rubbing butter into flour with your hands takes patience but is worth every minute, the texture you cannot achieve with any kitchen tool
  • Let the cake cool completely before wrapping it for storage, otherwise the trapped moisture will make the exterior soggy

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