I’ll show you how to make a Traditional Irish Apple Cake for St. Patrick’s Day or any day you feel like a delicious treat!

Watch the Traditional Irish Apple Cake Recipe video

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Traditional Irish Apple Cake…Really?

I have a sweet story to share with you. My father was of Irish heritage, and my mother was of Italian heritage, but my sweet mom always made St. Patrick’s Day special to please my dad.

She would adorn the dinner table with Irish shamrock doilies, green napkins, and a cute little leprechaun centerpiece. For the festive dinner, she would make Corned Beef and Cabbage on the stovetop and have a delicious Irish Soda Bread baking in the oven.

One day, my dad shared with my mom that he really liked a dessert he called Irish Apple Cake. He remembered his mom making this special treat, but he had no idea how it was made. Keep in mind, this was the 1950s, and there was no searching the Internet to find a recipe. Plus, cookbooks of any kind were not as common as they are today.

But my mom was an inventive home cook, so she thought through her baking experiences and came up with a recipe that she figured was close enough to the original that my dad remembered.

When it was time for the taste test, my dad gave his resounding approval and said it was the best Irish Apple Cake he ever had! So, as the years went by, this cake always appeared as our dessert on St. Patrick’s Day, and we nicknamed it the Traditional Irish Italian Apple Cake. 😊

One Bowl Irish Apple Cake

As I show you in my recipe video and printable recipe, you’ll find it easy to make this Irish Apple Cake in one bowl.

You literally mix everything together for a little over three minutes and then pour the mixture into your baking pan. Next, pop it into the oven, and your cake will be ready in no time!

Saint Patrick’s Day Recipes

Now that you’ve learned how to make Irish Apple Cake, check out these other videos where I show you how to make Corned Beef and Cabbage on the stovetop or in an Instant Pot. Plus, I share how to make a HUGE Irish Brown Soda Bread in a cast iron frying pan that feeds a crowd!

If you are looking for a basic quick bread recipe that also requires no yeast, be sure to watch my How to Bake Bread Without Yeast video. This is a simple take on an Irish Soda Bread that is sure to please everyone at the table.

More Saint Patrick’s Day Recipes

See all →

More Apple Recipes

If you enjoy making recipes with apples, here are a few more that you may like, including a wonderful way to dry apples in your oven.

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For an extensive list of the traditional foods you can make and purchase to stock your pantry, be sure to download my free 36-page Traditional Foods Pantry List. This comprehensive eBook is full of links to recipe videos, helpful articles, and more!

And if you’re looking for a printed book full of my traditional foods recipes to show you how to create a traditional foods kitchen, be sure to order your copy of my new bestselling book, The Modern Pioneer Cookbook.

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Traditional Irish Apple Cake

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Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 50 minutes
Total: 1 hour
Yield: 6 servings
Although this is my Italian mother's take on Irish Apple Cake, my Irish father gave it two thumbs up and said it was the best Traditional Irish Apple Cake he ever had!

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Pastry Flour Plus additional flour for tossing apples
  • 1 1/2 cups Sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp Baking soda
  • 3 large Eggs
  • 1 1/2 sticks Butter
  • 1 1/2 cups Buttermilk
  • 4 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled, cubed, and tossed in flour.
  • 1 tbsp Turbinado sugar, optional Other coarse sugar may be substituted.

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C).
  • Prepare a tube pan or springform pan by buttering and dusting with flour. Set aside.
  • Whisk all the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.
  • Add the eggs, butter, and buttermilk to the dry ingredients.
  • Using an electric handheld mixer, mix all the ingredients together on low for 30 seconds, then increase to high and mix for three minutes. If mixing by hand, use a wooden spoon or spatula and mix thoroughly until all the ingredients are incorporated, and the batter is smooth.
  • Add apples that have been tossed with a bit of flour to the batter and mix gently to incorporate.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
  • If you want, you can sprinkle the top of the batter with the Turbinado sugar.
  • Place the pan onto the middle rack of your preheated oven and bake until the top of the cake is golden brown, and a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. The baking time takes approximately 50 minutes.
  • When the cake is done, remove it from the oven and allow it to cool completely before removing the cake from the pan. Slice, serve, and enjoy!
  • You can store the cake in the refrigerator, well-wrapped, for 3-4 days. Eat at room temperature or rewarm in 350°F (177°C) oven for 5 minutes. You can also store the cake in the freezer, well-wrapped, for 3 months. Allow the frozen cake to thaw at room temperature and then eat at room temperature or rewarm in a 350°F (177°C) oven for 5 minutes.

Video

Notes

Find this recipe and video at https://marysnest.com/how-to-make-a-traditional-irish-apple-cake/
For more traditional foods recipes and a guide to build your traditional foods kitchen, get my bestselling book, The Modern Pioneer Cookbook, at https://marysnest.com/my-cookbook/
Copyright © 2021 Mary’s Nest, LLC, All Rights Reserved

Nutrition

Calories: 709kcal | Carbohydrates: 108g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 160mg | Sodium: 557mg | Potassium: 435mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 68g | Vitamin A: 1010IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 115mg | Iron: 2mg
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Irish
Calories: 709
Keyword: Apple Cake, Irish Apple Cake
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Comments

  1. Hello Mary, is it possible to use Grammies instead of cups as in my country we use scales in kg and Grammies or lbs and ounces and what would the equivalent be….thanks

    1. Hi Anne,

      Thanks so much for your comment. That’s a great idea! On my new recipes (and the old ones that I get a chance to go back and touch), I’ll start adding metric measurements to my ingredients. Where I’ve added metric measurements, you’ll see links for US Customary and Metric in the recipe to help you toggle between the two measurements.

      Hopefully, that’ll be easier than you and others trying to look up the values on a kitchen measurements conversion chart.

      I’m so glad we’re on this traditional foods journey together!

      Love and God bless,
      Mary

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