Sunday, March 10, 2013

Irish Apple Cake







From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...According to Myrtle Allen, the legendary Irish cook from Ballymaloe House in County Cork, homemade apple cakes are the most popular dessert in Ireland. Last year,  I shared the history of the Kerry Apple Cake and myths surrounding the proliferation of apples in Ireland with you. If you'd like a refresher, you can link to that feature here. The cake I'm featuring tonight is an Irish classic that is made with slight variations in most of the homes in Ireland. It is simple and delicious and comes together quickly. The cake is traditionally made with ground cloves in a quantity that I think is excessive. When I make the cake,  I replace the cloves with  cinnamon or apple pie spice, both of which are more to my liking. This version of the cake is made with self-rising flour.  If you prefer to use the all-purpose variety, you'll need to add 1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon of salt for every cup of flour called for in the recipe. This is a very moist cake that is wonderful when it is served hot from the oven. The good news, however, stops there. The cake does not age well and it gets soggy if it is allowed to sit too long.  While the cake is traditionally served  with unwhipped cream, I  prefer to serve it with a scoop of good vanilla ice cream. The cake is a nice way to finish to a traditional Irish meal. If you are looking for something different to serve for dessert on St.Patrick's Day, you might want to give this recipe a try. Here's how the cake is made. 

Irish Apple Cake...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite

Ingredients:
2 cups self-rising flour
1 teaspoon ground cloves or cinnamon
1 pinch salt
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
3-4 cooking apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, divided use
2 lightly beaten eggs, room temperature
3 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon granulated sugar (for topping)

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease an 8-inch springform pan and line bottom with parchment paper. Grease paper.
2) Sift flour, salt, and ground cloves or cinnamon into a large bowl.
3) Cut in butter until the mixture has the consistency of fine crumbs.
4) Add sliced apples and sugar to flour mixture.
5) Stir in eggs and milk and mix with hands to coat apples with batter.
6) Turn dough into prepared pan. Sprinkle with remaining sugar. Bake 45 minutes, or until crisp and golden in color. Transfer pan to a cooling rack and let sit for 10 minutes. Release sides of springform pan. Serve warm with lightly whipped cream or ice cream. Yield: 8 servings.







One Year Ago Today: Green Apple Martini
















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20 comments :

Katarina said...

Looks delicious! Greetings from Amsterdam!

Ginny Hartzler said...

Lovely. Let the Irish food begin!!!

decocinasytacones said...

This cake looks yummy! and really, I don´t care much if it ages well or not, in my house, when I make a cake normally it doesn´t last more than a day so who worries??.
Love and have a great Sunday!
Marialuisa

Alicia Foodycat said...

Myrtle? Isn't her name Darina?! This is a wonderful looking cake.

Angie's Recipes said...

I love all different kinds of apple cakes. This looks rustic and delicious.

T.W. Barritt at Culinary Types said...

I love apple cake, and never realized it was an Irish tradition. I'm inclined to want to try both the clove and the cinnamon versions.

Joanne said...

I love a good apple cake! This one sounds truly delicious...I'll have to try to make it before Sunday!

Claudia said...

I love seeing St. Patrick's Day recipes. It means that spring is not far behind. I adore apple cakes - the cloves - not so much. Looking for a fun treat to spring on my family! This is it! I am forewarned that I need a full house so the cake is eaten quickly.

Barbara said...

I agree completely about cloves, Mary. Very strong and I'd much prefer cinnamon. Or at least a mixture of the two. I made some of my mother's gingersnaps yesterday and even hesitated at the amount of cloves along with cinnamon and ginger...equal amounts. I had forgotten that, but it seems to work in those cookies. Not so much in an apple cake, I'm thinking.
Looks lovely and thanks for the info about serving the same day.
Fun to have a recipe from Darina's MIL...wonder why she wasn't a Gamechanger? (How many times have we said that about some of our favorite chefs?)

Diane said...

I love apple dishes and this has been bookmarked. Thanks Mary. Have a wonderful week Diane

FABBY'S LIVING said...

This cake sounds yummy!! Wish I had a piece right now! Happy St. Patrick's and Seasonal Sunday!
FABBY

Chiara said...

looks delicious Mary,perfect for tea time, blessings...

A Paixão da Isa said...

gosto tanto de bolos de maça este esta 5* bjs bd

A Paixão da Isa said...

gosto tanto de bolos de maça este esta 5* bjs bd

David said...

Mary, I'm with you on this great looking cake! Cinnamon beat cloves anytime...and I'll take it with ice cream as well. I love moist cakes and this one looks really good! Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Unknown said...

Hi Mary, your cake looks so delicious! I love apple anything. It's been a while since I've had time to visit and link up. So good to see you and look forward to more fun and delicious stuff!

kitty@ Kitty's Kozy Kitchen said...

Yes Mary, that apple cake would be the perfect ending to an Irish meal for St. Paddy's Day. Your photo is picture perfect! I'd love a slice with a cup of tea right now.

Kim said...

This kind of cake, even if it's just good for a day is one of my favorite! I too would put ather spices than cloves!

Melinda said...

Sounds yummy!

M :)

Tricia Buice said...

This recipe (or one very similar) has been calling to me for a long time. Again - we loved Ireland and the food did not disappoint. I bought a cookbook featuring Irish Pub Recipes and apple cake is one I have marked to make soon! Your cake looks amazing!

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