The cake is just slightly sweet loaded with Granny Smith apples all throughout and made in a springform-style pan.
This simple recipe is popular around St. Patrick's Day but we love this recipe all year long.
This cake was traditional and can be baked in a cast iron skillet however the ease of using a springform pan is our baking tool of choice.
Irish cake can also be served with or without a custard or whiskey sauce, our cake is plain and served with whipped cream or topped with your favorite ice cream.
Loaded with tart, crisp apples, and crunchy toasted nuts this cake is the first one we make during apple harvest season.
For this super easy Irish Apple Cake recipe scroll to the bottom and hit print!
Easy Steps for Irish Apple Cake
- prepare a cast iron or springform pan greased or lined with parchment paper
- preheat the oven to350 degrees
- dice the apples
- cream the sugar and butter until light and fluffy
- stir in the rest of the ingredients fold in the diced apples and nuts leaving some for the top
- bake for around 45 minutes in the prepared pan
Other Fruits You Can Substitute For Apples
- use any diced fruit instead of apples or combine the fruits:
- pears
- peaches
- cherries
- blueberries
- pineapple
Shopping List
- butter softened
- sugar
- egg
- pure vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
- baking powder
- baking soda
- cinnamon
- flour
- diced granny smith apples
- chopped pecans
Pin this recipe
Optional Irish Custard Sauce Recipe
We enjoy this cake without the custard and simply plain, however, we have included the Irish custard sauce that this cake is traditionally served with.
This Irish Apple Cake is made from scratch from start to finish and an excellent addition to any apple lovers recipe collection.
Irish Apple Cake

Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large egg beaten (room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- a pinch of salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 cup flour
- 4 small or 3 medium baking apples diced ( we use around 2 cups of diced granny smith peeled saving some for the top)
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- Optional cinnamon sugar for sprinkling on top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease or line with parchment paper an 8-inch springform pan and lightly spray the paper with cooking oil.
- Beat the butter with sugar together for 3 minutes.
- Stir in the egg and vanilla and keep beating until well blended.
- Continue on low speed and beat in the baking powder, soda, and cinnamon.
- Stir in the flour until all the white streaks are gone.
- Fold in the nuts and 3/4 of diced apples reserving some of the fruit for the top.
- Top the batter with the remaining apples.
- Pour into the prepared pan and sprinkle the top with cinnamon and sugar.
- Bake for around 45 minutes or use the toothpick method to ensure the cake is done.
- Cool for around 5 minutes before removing from the springform pan.
- Serve with sweetened whipped cream, plain as it is, or with your favorite ice cream topped with a caramel ice cream topping.
Notes
Optional Custard Sauce:
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 pinch salt
6 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Heat the milk with the salt in a medium saucepan until tiny bubbles appear but not a rolling boil.
In a medium-sized bowl beat the egg yolks with sugar until light in color.
Slowly pour 1/2 cup of the warm milk into the egg mixture then add this to the warm milk in the pan and continue whisking until thickened.
Do not overcook or the eggs will scramble.
Stir in the vanilla.
Other Fruits You Can Substitute For Apples
- use any diced fruit instead of apples or combine the fruits:
- pears
- peaches
- cherries
- blueberries
- pineapple
Nutrition Facts
Calories
245.07Fat (grams)
9.22 gSat. Fat (grams)
3.42 gCarbs (grams)
40.04 gFiber (grams)
2.45 gNet carbs
37.56 gSugar (grams)
27.69 gProtein (grams)
2.63 gSodium (milligrams)
124.04 mgCholesterol (grams)
30.64 mgPin this recipe
More Recipes To Try
Sour Cream Coffee Cake Cupcakes
Blueberry Cake Mix Cake
Spanish Bar Cake
Hot Milk Cake
Sour Milk Cake
Pistachio Cake
Brown butter lends such wonderful flavor to baked goods. This apple dessert does look like it has a good balance of cake to apples. Another tasty one Claudia-yum!
ReplyDeleteso glad you made this one, for me I hope... just to my liking too...
ReplyDeleteI love cooked apples with cinnamon. I've never browned butter before.
ReplyDeleteAll you have to say is brown butter!
ReplyDeleteWhat a delicious recipe! Perfect for this time of year! I always like to have other desserts other than pie on the Thanksgiving dessert buffet, and this looks like a great addition!
ReplyDeleteThis really is a glorious creation. It's perfectly seasonal and looks delicious. I hope you have a wonderful day. Blessings...Mary
ReplyDeleteThis looks absolutely delish Claudia I love it! Wow, beautiful presentation too. =]
ReplyDeleteThis sounds amazing! I have a few bags of apples from our apple picking adventure and I really need to pick up the apple desserts! Thanks for sharing :)
ReplyDeleteBrown butter makes everything better!!
ReplyDeleteThis looks amazing.Apple galore;)
ReplyDeleteYou know Claudia this apple cake is one of my favs, I can eat all it the time .....and need to workout thereafter :)
ReplyDeleteCheers,
Gera
I have just one question - how can you make so many luscious desserts day after day and stay so thin.
ReplyDeleteThank you Claudia for visiting my blog and for such sweet comment! Your blog really is one of my favourites and I have to give credit where credit is due!
ReplyDeleteThis one looks fantantis too. I love the idea of the brown butter. Oughtta try it out soon! Thanks for the great recipes!
Have a good night!
Dear Claudia, I would love a piece of this delicious looking apple cake with ice-cream. That would be so nice. Blessings my dear friend, Catherine xo
ReplyDeleteMmmm, this cake looks so decadently moist! I might that to break into your kitchen and steal some! ;)
ReplyDeleteYou may have sent me to an extra aerobics class. I love all apple cakes but then you brown the butter and there is bliss.
ReplyDeleteOh, my! That's just lovely!
ReplyDeleteCiao! grazie del commento nel mio blog. Mi fa piacere che i miei fiori di zucca ti abbiano rievocato ricordi felici della tua infanzia!!! Ottima la tua pizza invece, con il nostro pecorino romano!!!!! Torna a trovarmi! :-D buon fine settimana
ReplyDeleteThis cake looks hard to resist and thanks for the info on how to brown butter.
ReplyDeleteThis looks really delicious and a great addition for a Thanksgiving dessert too. Lovely photo.
ReplyDeleteYum! This cake looks amazing and I love the brown butter addition. I bet it makes the cake extra delicious!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful cake! I have GOT to join the browned butter craze! And this may be the place to start given my love for apples :-)
ReplyDeleteYour apple cake looks so inviting. I sure could go for a slice of this with a cup of coffee right now. Thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteBrown butter AND buttermilk! What is not to love? Looks yummy.
ReplyDeleteMcintosh apples,cinnamon and ginger I'm having some of this on Sunday without doubt nice pudd thanks.
ReplyDeleteMy immediate reaction to that picture was "OMG!" I love apple cakes, and your cake looks so much like my beloved pineapple-upside down cake. Have to try it!
ReplyDeleteThis cake looks so pretty and delicious, Claudia! I love apple cake!
ReplyDeletebrown butter sounds like such a great idea to mix with this cake. Looks amazing!
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely delish! Brown butter compliments baked goods so well.
ReplyDeleteI just adore brown butter...this cake looks amazing and I am sure tastes just as delightful :)
ReplyDeleteHope you are having a great week and looking forward to a wonderful weekend...hugs
Incredible. Love brown butter with apples. You're lovely!
ReplyDeleteJust put the cake in the oven - had to guess that 1/2 cup sugar was required since it's listed in the recipe, but not in the ingredients! If the cake turns out as delicious as the batter, then I have no doubt it will become a family favorite : )
ReplyDeleteWow Kristy thank you never saw that was missing and you are right it's a half cup... But the brown sugar and lemon juice was also missing added that too... glad you seem to be the first to try this.. hope yours came out awesome too! We love this recipe! thanks for catching the mistake!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, and my 16 year old son said, "New birthday cake, Mom!" Tradition has had me baking Coca Cola cakes for each member of my family's birthdays (husband & six children!). There have been a few occasional requests for cheesecake over the past few years, but we'll see if the fabulous Brown Butter Apple Cake becomes a new tradition : )
ReplyDeleteI am now going through all my recipes. Sometimes I post so late at night. I have missed the / before and looked like 12 cups instead of 1/2 cup. I didnt ever miss that many ingredients.. Thanks a bunch again, glad it came out well. I would have hated to see it be horrible lacking ingredients! Your a sweetheart...
ReplyDeleteQuite alright ... I know the feeling! And thank you : )
ReplyDelete