AUTHENTIC IRISH APPLE CAKE

The heat wave in California did a number on my fall spirit, so I’m taking matters into my own hands and doing some serious baking with apples.  It never fails to get me in the mood, and nothing beats a kitchen filled with the warm scent of apples and cinnamon.   This particular apple cake recipe is mildly spiced with an inner core of thinly sliced tart apples, topped with an crumbly oat streusel.  Tradition dictates serving it with some thick cream, or a luscious custard sauce.

I usually use Granny Smith apples for my baking because I like their tartness and the fact that they don’t get mushy in the oven.  The one negative I’ve found is that they aren’t quite as juicy as some other apple varieties.  You can always experiment with other types, if you want, you can’t go too wrong here. (Pickyourown.org has a pretty comprehensive guide to apple varieties if you’ve got some choices!)  You’ll need about 3 good sized apples for this recipe.

Ingredients

• cake
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 3 Tbsp milk or cream
• 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp salt
• about 3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and thinly sliced
• confectioner's sugar for dusting
• streusel topping
• 3/4 cup flour
• 1/4 cup old fashioned rolled oats
• 6 Tbsp unsalted cold butter, cut in small pieces
• 1/2 cup sugar
• custard sauce
• 6 large egg yolks
• 6 Tbsp sugar
• 1 1/2 C. whole milk
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Instructions

1. Set the oven to 350F
2. Make the custard sauce ahead of time. Bring the milk to a simmer over medium heat. Meanwhile whisk the yolks and sugar until pale. Drizzle a little of the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking all the time. Drizzle a little more, then transfer that back into the pan of hot milk and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Don't overcook or it can curdle. Stir in the vanilla. Refrigerate the custard sauce until needed.
3. ....................................

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