Irish Apple Cake
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
This warm and spicy apple cake is perfect for St. Patrick's Day (or a random Tuesday) with the addition of Irish Whiskey in the cake and the caramel sauce. Recipe source: Apple cake adapted from Smitten Kitchen. Caramel sauce from HuffPost Taste
Serves: Approximately 12 servings
Ingredients
For cake:
  • 6 apples, peeled, cored & chopped
  • 3 teaspoons cinnamon
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 2 and ¾ cups all-purpose flour, sifted
  • 1 Tablespoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup Irish whiskey (or orange juice)
  • ⅛ cup fresh squeezed orange juice
  • 1 Tablespoon orange zest
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 3 teaspoons vanilla
  • 4 eggs
  • ½ cup chopped walnuts
Irish Whiskey Caramel Sauce:
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • ⅓ cup Irish whisky such as Jameson or Bushmills
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Instructions
For cake:
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).
  2. Prepare a tube pan with butter and flour or a generous amount of cooking spray. Set aside.
  3. Peel, core & chop apples. Sprinkle with ½ cup of sugar and 3 teaspoons cinnamon, and set aside.
  4. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
  5. In another bowl, combine sugar, oil, whiskey, orange juice, vanilla and orange zest.
  6. Pour wet ingredients in to dry ingredients, and stir to combine. (I used a hand mixer.)
  7. Add eggs one at a time, beating each one to incorporate.
  8. Pour half of the batter into the bottom of the tube pan, then top with half of the apples.
  9. Pour the rest of the batter into the pan, and top with the rest of the apples, including any juice.
  10. Top with chopped walnuts.
  11. Bake for 75-90 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out mostly clean. Do not overbake.
  12. Cool in pan for 20 minutes, then run a knife around the edge of the pan and remove to a wire rack. Prepare caramel sauce.
For caramel sauce:
  1. Heat sugar and water in a large heavy skillet over medium heat and cook, swirling skillet occasionally so sugar melts evenly, until it is a dark amber.
  2. Add whiskey and carefully ignite with a kitchen match (use caution: whiskey will ignite in a ball of flame). When flame dies out stir in cream and bring to a boil (don't worry if the caramel seizes -- just stir until the sauce is recombined).
  3. Boil until liquid is reduced by ⅓, then remove from heat and whisk in butter.
  4. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
  5. Pour caramel over the top of the apple cake, and serve warm.
  6. Enjoy!
Recipe by Lemon Sugar at http://lemon-sugar.com/irish-apple-cake/