Irish Apple Blackberry Cake
Known as Kerry Apple Cake in some parts of Ireland, this easy-to-make rustic cake is the perfect authentic St. Patrick’s Day dessert. This apple blackberry cake is moist, full of vanilla and fruit flavors, and made even sweeter with a drizzle of warm custard sauce. This cake showcases the flavors of tart, crisp apples and floral, juicy blackberries set under a buttery, streusel topping. It’s sweet, but not overly sweet, and is a nice treat to have at breakfast, afternoon tea, or dessert. With simple flavors, this light, tender, buttery cake has a hint of warm cinnamon flavor while its texture is a bit denser than that of a sponge cake and is more similar to a coffee cake.
Ingredients
Streusel Topping
¾ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup rolled oats
½ cup granulated sugar
⅛ tsp salt
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, cold and cubed
Irish Apple Blackberry Cake
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup whole milk
2 medium tart apples (Granny Smith), peeled, cored, and chopped into 1-inch pieces
6 oz blackberries, rinsed, dried, and chopped into 1-inch pieces
Custard Sauce
¾ cup whole milk
Pinch of salt
3 large egg yolks
¼ cup granulated sugar
1½ tsp pure vanilla extract
Directions
Streusel Topping
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, oats, sugar, and salt until combined. Cut in the cold butter until fully incorporated and you've reached the texture of coarse breadcrumbs. Set aside in the fridge while you make the cake.
Irish Apple Blackberry Cake
Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray the bottom and sides of a 10-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
In a large bowl, combine the granulated sugar and melted butter and mix until smooth.
Add in the eggs one at a time, stirring until fully incorporated. Stir in the vanilla extract until combined.
Pour about half of the flour mixture into the bowl with the butter mixture and use a rubber spatula to gently fold in the flour.
Pour in half of the milk and fold it in until incorporated. Add the rest of the flour mixture and gently fold until combined. Pour in the last of the milk and fold until the batter is smooth.
Gently fold in the diced apples and the blackberries. (Be careful not to overmix the batter but try to distribute the fruit as evenly as possible.)
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and use an offset spatula to smooth the top into an even layer. Sprinkle the streusel on top.
Bake the cake for 40-50 minutes, or until the top of the cake is golden brown with a few cracks, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Move the pan to a cooling rack and allow the cake to cool completely.
Custard Sauce
In a medium saucepan, add the milk and salt and cook on medium heat until steaming. (Don’t let it boil! It should be just barely simmering.)
In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sugar until pale and thick, about 2-3 minutes by hand or about 30 seconds with a hand mixer.
Remove the milk from the heat and very gradually whisk it into the egg yolk mixture, slowly bringing the egg yolks up in temperature. Once all the milk has been whisked into the eggs, pour the mixture back into the saucepan and heat over medium heat while whisking constantly until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 3-4 minutes.
Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
When the cake is cool, remove the springform ring and cut into slices. Serve with the warm custard sauce.
Looking for something different to celebrate St. Patrick's Day? Here are are few other ideas:
Chocolate Stout Salted Caramel Whoopie Pies
Mint Chocolate Oreo Fudge Brownies
Fall's favorite fruit isn't only meant for pie! Check out these other delicious apple recipes:
Apple Cider Cake with Cider Glaze
Apple Cinnamon Pop Tarts with Brown Sugar Icing
Apfelstrudel (German Apple Strudel)
German Apple Cake (Versunkener Apfelkuchen)