Irish apple cake

Recipe by: Darina Allen

This cake would originally have been baked in a bastible or pot beside an open fire and later in the oven or stove on tin or enamel plates – much better than ovenproof glass because the heat travels through and cooks the pastry base more readily.

Irish apple cake

SERVES

6

PEOPLE

PREP TIME

30

MINUTES

COOKING TIME

40

MINUTES

Ingredients

  • 225g white flour

  • ¼ tsp baking powder

  • 110g butter

  • 125g caster sugar

  • 1 egg

  • 50-125ml milk, approx

  • 1-2 cooking apples

  • 2-3 cloves (optional)

  • egg wash

  • To serve:

  • Barbados (muscovado) sugar

  • Softly whipped cream

  • 24cm (9in) ovenproof pie plate

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

  2. Sieve the flour and baking powder into a bowl.

  3. Rub in the butter with your fingertips until it resembles the texture of breadcrumbs.

  4. Add 75g caster sugar, make a well in the centre and mix to a soft dough with the beaten egg and enough milk to form a soft dough.

  5. Divide in two. Put one half onto a greased ovenproof plate and pat out with floured fingers to cover the base.

  6. Peel, core and chop up the apples, place them on the dough and add 45g sugar, depending on the sweetness of the apples.

  7. Roll out the remaining pastry and fit on top. This is easier said than done as this ‘pastry’ is more like scone dough and as a result is very soft. Press the sides together, cut a slit through the lid, egg wash and bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes approximately, or until cooked through and nicely browned.

  8. Dredge with caster sugar and serve warm with Barbados sugar and softly whipped cream.

    Taken from Irish Traditional Cooking by Darina Allen.

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