St. Patrick’s Day Treats and Sweets: Irish Apple Cake with Custard Sauce

Adapted from www.thekitchenmccabe.com.

I’m a mommy blogger. I love celebrating everything. Even obscure holidays. But green food really isn’t my thing. (Unless naturally occurring in nature.) So when I found this delicious recipe for Irish Apple Cake with Custard Sauce, I knew it would make the perfect (authentic) St. Patrick’s Day dessert. And I’ll even wear a cute green shirt while shoveling it into my mouth. Deal?

Here’s how you make it.

We’ll start by making the cake.

Grease and flour a bundt cake pan.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Sift together three cups flour, two teaspoons baking powder, an eighth of a teaspoon of salt, one-fourth teaspoon ground cloves, and one-fourth teaspoon ground nutmeg, in a very large mixing bowl (make sure you have room for apples).
Cut six ounces of butter (does not have to be room temperature) into the mixture using either your hands or a pastry cutter. It should resemble fine crumbs.
Next, add three-fourths cup sugar to the mixture.
Peel four Granny Smith apples and slice them into uniform pieces — think one-fourth inch slices cut into thirds. Add them to the flour mixture and combine thoroughly.
In a separate (smaller) bowl, beat together two eggs and three-fourths cup milk. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients (flour and apple mixture), using a spatula, until just combined. The batter should be “thick and dough-like.”
Sprinkle two teaspoons of sugar in the (top of the) cake pan, then transfer the dough. Bake for 45-50 minutes.

Now we’ll make the custard.

Add six egg yolks and six tablespoons of sugar to a bowl, and whisk until pale yellow (approximately two to three minutes).
Add one and a half cups whole milk to a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Slowly add the egg yolk and sugar mixture to the hot milk, whisking continually. Stir over medium heat until the custard thickens (about four minutes).
Finally, mix in one and a half teaspoons vanilla extract. Transfer the custard to a small bowl or serving saucer. Serve warm with sliced apple cake. The sauce should not be thick like pudding; it should have a pourable, just thickened-consistency.

Time to dig in and enjoy! A small (or not so small) scoop of vanilla ice cream would complement this dessert fabulously. Hey, the baby made me do it! Don’t forget to tag us in your St. Patrick’s Day photos — use the hashtag #sfmstpaddysday when sharing to social media. You might even find your photos on our page!

About the author…After three blissful years in the Treasure State, Jessica recently moved back to Houston, Texas with her hunky husband and her two precious little girls, Savannah and Emma Kate. They are expecting a third baby (girl) this summer! Jessica is a small business owner with a degree in Broadcast Journalism, and a nerd-like love for political science. She is passionate about writing, marketing, social media management, and this wonderfully beautiful mess we call parenthood.