A Delicious Gluten Free Irish Apple Cake – The Perfect Comfort Dessert
If you aren’t sure whether you’re on “team apple pie” or “team apple cake,” not to worry. This recipe for Gluten Free Irish Apple Cake is kind of somewhere in the middle. Loaded with cinnamon laced chunky apples, and topped with a nutty crumble, this gluten free cake is what autumn dreams are made of. I love it because it’s not overly sweet – which means that it’s equally suitable for breakfast or dessert (or anything in between).
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What kind of apples do you use for a gluten free Irish Apple Cake?
It can be overwhelming when trying to decide what kind of apples to use for an apple cake. The apples you select should be firm, tart, and blemish free. I like to use a combination Granny Smith and Honeycrisp or Pink Lady apples. Granny Smith apples can be too tart, and Honeycrisp and Pink Lady apples help cut that tartness, without being overly sweet.
How do I make an apple cake?
I love this Gluten Free Irish Apple Cake recipe because it’s very easy to make. It’s best to use a hand or stand mixer, but it has very few ingredients and comes together quickly. I’ve adapted the recipe from one of my favorite blogs, The View From Great Island. Here’s what you need to make an apple cake:
- Apples – I like to either use a combination of Granny Smith or Pink Lady apples, or only Pink Lady apples. It all depends on how tart you like your cakes (and what’s available). This recipe calls for three large apples, peeled and cut into chunks.
- All Purpose Flour Blend – I like Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1
- Baking Powder, Cinnamon, and Sea Salt
- Salted Butter – I almost always used salted butter in my baking recipes (don’t tell anyone).
- Sugar – I use regular sugar in the cake batter and brow sugar in the crumble topping
- Eggs – this recipe calls for two eggs and they should be at room temperature
- Heavy Cream – just a splash (three tablespoons)
The cake also has the most delicious crumble topping with brown sugar, toasted walnuts, and gluten-free oats.
Gluten Free Irish Recipes to Try
Irish Fifteens – A No Bake Gluten Free Dessert Recipe
Irish Fifteens are the culinary equivalent of a warm hug from a slightly tipsy aunt at a family gathering. This delightful, no-bake treat hails from the Emerald Isle, where simplicity and ingenuity in the kitchen are celebrated virtues. Traditionally, Irish Fifteens consist of digestive biscuits, marshmallows, cherries, and coconut, all held together by the magic of sweetened condensed milk.
Get the gluten free Irish dessert recipe
Gluten Free Chocolate Stout Cake
Imagine a cake that whispers sweet nothings of rich, dark chocolate with a hint of (gluten-free) stout so bold, it could tell tales of Irish folklore with each slice. Now, pair that with a Bailey’s buttercream so luxuriously creamy, it’s like finding the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. You’re going to love this gluten-free “Guinness” Cake with Bailey’s Buttercream!
Get the gluten free Irish dessert recipe
To me, this Gluten Free Irish Apple Cake is the perfect fall treat. The ratio of batter to chopped apples makes this the closest thing to apple pie you can get – with it still being a cake! It will make your whole house smell amazing and it’s equally delicious with a cup of coffee in the morning or a scoop of ice cream with dessert. I’ve even topped it with Smitten Kitchen’s Salted Caramel Sauce and it was bonkers delicious.
Love gluten free apple treats? Here are a few more gluten free delicious apple recipes to try:
- Gluten-Free Mini Caramel Apple Cakes
- Recipe for Gluten-Free French Apple Cake
- Baked Gluten-Free Apple Cider Doughnuts
- Baking with Apples Round Up on California Grown
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Easy Gluten Free Irish Apple Cake Recipe
Equipment
- Stand Mixer or hand mixer
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1/2 cup salted butter at room temperature 113 g
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar 100 g
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream 45 mL
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose gluten free flour blend 150 g
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 3 large Granny Smith or Pink Lady apples peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks.
for the streusel topping:
- 3/4 cup all purpose gluten free flour blend 96 g
- 1/4 cup gluten free old fashioned rolled oats 25 g
- 1/2 cup brown sugar 100 g
- 6 tablespoons salted cold butter cut in small pieces 85 g
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts 75 g
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray a 9-inch springform pan with gluten free cooking spray
- Using a stand or hand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time.
- In a small bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Stir the dry ingredients into the butter/sugar mixture, along with the cream and vanilla. Stir in the apples.
- Spoon the batter into your prepared pan, and smooth out evenly.
- Prepare the Streusel. Put the flour, oats, and brown sugar in a medium bowl and whisk together. Add the butter and using your hands, or a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour mixture until it turns into coarse crumbs. Stir in the walnuts. Sprinkle over the top of the cake.
- Bake for about 50 minutes to an hour, until the top is lightly browned and a toothpick comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then run a knife around the edge of the pan and release the sides. Serve warm or at room temp with vanilla ice cream or salted caramel sauce (or both). Wrap tightly to store at room temperature for up to thre days.
Nutrition
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Happy to leave the first review, 5 stars! I was hesitant about this because gluten free recipes can be hit or miss. I also had to make it dairy free. And I was out of cake flour so I used a bread flour brand I had never used before (Judee’s). However, it came it amazing. Made a double batch, no problem at all. Used Miyoko’s cashewmilk butter, and Silk heavy whipping cream as substitutes. Will definitely be making this again and again and will be posting the link on my FB site for my followers to see.
I’m glad it worked so well dairy free! Thanks so much for your comment, Raven. Happy you enjoyed it! 🙂
Made this for Thanksgiving. Was great!! Not super sweet, which I loved. We left it in a cake pan and it held together well.
Thanks for sharing!
Perfect pie/cake combination. And with a little ice cream on top it’s divine.
Cooking it now: where do the walnuts go?? A bit nervous about the number of apples—seems a lot! Il post once I’m done
Loved it!
Tasted ok, but there are problems. Three large Granny Smith apples is way too much fruit in proportion to the small amount of batter. Nothing at all like your photo. During the bake, apple juice leaked from the spring form pan and burnt on the floor of the oven. We had to bake over an hour and it was still soppy, more like a cobbler. Might try again with half the apple.
Unable to read recipe…too pale. Please make it so it can be printed in black and can be read. I am SO disappointed because I was very excited to finally find some decent recipes for my GF friend who is also battling cancer!
Kathy
I’m not sure I understand what you mean, but I’ll have my team look into it! There is an option to increase the font size as well…