Irish Apple Cake with Custard
DECADENTLY GLUTEN FREE.
“May the roof above us never fall in. And may the friends gathered below it never fall out.” Irish Proverb.
Yes, this post concludes my St. Patty’s Day Celebration. Thank you Lisa for all your all hard work and soulful creations. You’re truly inspirational! I cannot ask for any better friend.
Friends, how about an awesome slice of Irish apple cake? Yes, please? I hear you. A fan of everything-not-syrupy-sweet, I love the taste of this dessert. You guessed it right, “not-too-syrupy-sweet.” But I surely can say (gluten free, guilt-less… well, let’s say less-guilty) “perfection.”
It’s great by itself, if you don’t feel like having (or making) the custard. And it’s decadent on top of G-O-R-geous (yes, I’m into looks as well. How shallow, right? Nahhh…)
Long days. and not enough time to write. Yep, I must confess that’s where I am right now: drowned in the sea of fun & fast turn-around design projects. Who am I to complain? I love what I do for a living. I’m a little sad that I can’t “share my thoughts” enough with you on this recipe, but… guess what? Lisa bailed me out! She wrote this St. Patty’s Day note. Yes, I did include that in the other St. Patty’s postings. But it’s so good, you might want to read it one last time 🙂 Sláinte!
From the desk of Lisa K.
Irish food is humble, and beautifully so. It does not come out of an excess of ingredients. It is rather, made of simple and inventive combinations of farm staples. Although simple, it is most certainly festive, and comforting. Potatoes, oats, butter, cream, and… stout. People! Dark, brooding, delicious stout. Yum!
My Irish ancestors fall too far back on my family tree for me to have grown up eating Irish cooking. Yet the heart of it still speaks to me. It tastes of hard work and the comfort of family. I remember my Mother making due — extending food in ingenious and yet festive ways. She would scrub potatoes, so that after they were peeled and served mashed, the skins could be saved and fried to make “chips.” I loved her clever, cheerful resourcefulness. In Irish food, I taste a similar cheerfulness in the face of hardship.
So why try to recreate these wonderful foods in gluten and somewhat dairy free versions? Sounds like a serious contradiction! Simple cuisine really is supposed to be an homage to the ingredients, right?! Well, I hear you. I prefer traditional, authentic ingredients too! But alas and alack, food allergies and sensitivities being what they are, we also — are making due.
Note: Many people who can not tolerate dairy are able to eat butter. Though these recipes are free of other dairy products they call for butter.
- 2 cups gluten-free all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, plus more for dusting
- ½ teaspoon xanthan gum
- 6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into pieces
- 4 granny smith apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
- 2/₃ cup granulated sugar, plus more for dusting
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup milk or almond milk
- Preheat oven to 375°. Grease an 8-inch cake pan.
- Sift the flour, salt, baking powder, cloves and nutmeg into a bowl. Cut in the butter and rub in until the mixture is like fine bread crumbs. Add the apples, toss. Add the sugar, toss. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. Add the eggs and milk to the cake mixture to make a fairly thick batter. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan and sprinkle with sugar and nutmeg.
- Bake for 1 hour, until crisp, golden brown and springy to the touch.
- 3 large egg yolks
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- ¾ cup whole milk or coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Place the egg yolks and sugar in a medium bowl and whisk until pale yellow. Place the milk in a heavy-bottom saucepan and bring just to a boil. Slowly whisk the hot milk into the egg/sugar mixture. Transfer the mixture back to the saucepan and stir over medium heat until the custard thickens, a few minutes. It should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Stir in the vanilla. Transfer to bowl or serving pitcher.
- Serve warm over apple cake.
coming from an Irish background, am eager to try your recipe — I know we will enjoy it. Thank you for your blog. It is creative, informative and thoughtfully beautiful in presentation.
Thanks Ellaine, hope you enjoy 🙂