Irish Apple Cake with Vanilla Custard Sauce

🧂 Ingredients

• 1 cup butter

  (2 sticks - softened, at room temperature)
• 1 ¼ cups sugar
• 2 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 pinch salt

  (or use ¼ teaspoon if using unsalted butter)
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

  (freshly grated is suggested)
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 large ambrosia apples

  (peeled, cored and sliced or finely chopped)
• 1 ½ cups whole milk

  (or 2% milk)
• 2 large eggs
• 6 large egg yolks
• 1 ½ cups heavy cream
• ½ cup sugar
• ½ tablespoon vanilla extract

Instructions

• 1 Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C) and generously coat your 9-10 inch springform
  pan with butter (or butter and flour), or spray with a non-stick cooking spray.
• 2 In a large mixing bowl, or the bowl of your stand mixer, cream together the room
  temperature butter and sugar. Add salt, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and
  ground nutmeg. Stir to combine. Add the all-purpose flour and mix until evenly
  distributed.
• 3 Prepare the apples as desired. I washed and sliced my apples (peeling them is
  optional), then placed them in my food processor and pulsed a few times for
  smaller pieces (but not finely chopped). If chopping your slices, cut the slices
  about ¼ inch thick then cut each slice into 1 inch chunks. Add the chopped
  apples, then mix until evenly distributed as well.
• 4 Add the eggs to your milk, and stir until eggs are broken and mixed into the
  milk. Pour the milk and eggs mixture over the flour mixture and stir until just
  combined. The batter will be thick and lumpy.
• 5 Transfer the batter to a your buttered springform pan, then smooth the top of
  the batter. Place the springform pan in the center of the oven and bake for
  about a hour and 15 minutes, or until an inserted knife comes out clean. *Check
  the cake at 50 minutes to make sure the top isn't getting too browned, if
  needed, cover with a sheet of aluminum foil.
• 6 Remove the cake from your oven and allow to cool slightly on a wire cooling
  rack, about 5 minutes. Then remove from the springform pan and allow to cool
  slightly, if serving warm. Or allow to cool completely if serving later.
• 7 In a saucepan, heat the heavy cream and sugar over a medium temperature until it
  comes to a low boil. Stir the heavy cream occasionally as it heats, rapidly if
  needed to prevent the heavy cream from boiling too rapidly. If needed, remove
  your saucepan from the heat to keep your cream at a low boil.
• 8 Whisk the egg yolks while the heavy cream is heating. Then slowly add the heated
  heavy cream and sugar slowly (very slowly at first to prevent cooking the
  eggs!). Drizzle in a tablespoon potion initially, whisk, repeat until the egg
  yolks have been tempered with the heated cream. It should take a few minutes of
  whisking to fully incorporate the heated cream and egg yolks.
• 9 Return the cream to your saucepan. Continually whisk the mixture over medium-low
  temperature until the sauce thickens, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and
  whisk in the vanilla extract.
• 10 Transfer to a glass bowl, jar, or small creamer carafe with a sheet of plastic
  wrap laying on the surface to prevent 'skin' that will form. Serve warm over
  cake if desired, store refrigerated.

Nutrition Info