How to make the best apple cake and a homemade custard to serve with it

Turn a windfall of apples into the most comforting dessert. These are our most popular apple cake recipes, and the perfect sauce to serve with them

Homemade apple cake is a hug in a bowl. Picture: Brid O'Donovan

Chunky apple cake with caramel sauce

recipe by:Michelle Darmody

This cake will last a few days in an airtight container, but only add the sauce just before serving the cake

Servings

8

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 50 mins

Total Time

 60 mins

Course

 Baking

Ingredients

• 113g butter

• 120g golden caster sugar

• 2 eggs

• 2 tsp vanilla

• 135g self-raising flour

• 2 apples, cored, peeled and sliced into chunks for the sauce:

• 85g butter

• 100g light brown sugar

• 60ml milk

• 1 tsp vanilla

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C and line an 8-inch round tin with parchment. A loose-base or springform tin works best.

2. Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Slowly add the eggs and vanilla making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl every now and then.

3. Add the flour until a smooth batter is formed. Stir in the chunks of apple and scoop the mixture into your prepared tin. Bake for about 40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean from the cake batter.

4. Once cool enough to handle place on a wire rack to cool completely.

5. To make the sauce melt the butter in a heavy-based saucepan over a low heat.

6. Once the butter has melted, stir in the sugar until dissolved. Stir it for about a minute then turn up the heat slightly allowing the mixture to bubble. Stir for another two minutes then stir in the milk and vanilla. Repeat the two minutes of stirring then set aside for about 10 minutes to cool slightly then pour the sauce over your apple cake.

Simple apple cake

recipe by:Currabinny Cooks

This is a gorgeous upside-down cake where the magic happens when you flip over the cake pan onto a plate. Soft and warm baked apples surrounded by a luxurious caramel sauce

Servings

12

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 40 mins

Total Time

 50 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 100g butter

• 160g soft light brown sugar

• 175g cream flour

• 1 tsp ground ginger

• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1 tsp baking powder

• Pinch of salt

• 3  eating apples 

• 3 eggs

• 200g caster sugar

• 150ml vegetable oil

• Crème fraiche, to serve

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

2. Line a 10-inch cake tin with butter and baking paper such that nothing can leak out.

3. Place the butter and brown sugar in the prepared cake tin and put it in the oven for around 6 minutes so that the sugar melts into the butter and starts to bubble gently.

4. In a large mixing bowl, place the dry ingredients of flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking powder and salt, mixing together with a whisk or fork to combine well. Set aside.

5. Take two of the apples and peel and core them before cutting them into 10-12 wedges.

6. Arrange these slices at the bottom of the tin on the caramel in a circular pattern. Core the remaining apple but leave the skin on and coarsely grate it. Place the grated apple in a large mixing jug along with the eggs, caster sugar and vegetable oil. Whisk together well and then combine with the dry ingredients. Fold the wet into the dry well to combine. Pour the resulting cake batter over the caramel and apple slices and bake in the oven for 40 minutes.

7. Test with a skewer (it should come out clean) before placing the cake tin on a wire rack to cool. When cooled enough to handle, invert the cake onto a serving place. Serve with crème fraiche.