Name: Irish Apple Cake Recipe | Easy, Moist Apple Cake + Whiskey Glaze
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 1 h 35 min
Yield: 1
Cuisine: Irish
Ingredients: 1 cup Confectioners' Sugar; 2 Tablespoons Irish Whiskey; ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract; 1 Tablespoon Heavy Cream (if necessary); 1¼ cups All-purpose Flour; 1 teaspoon Baking Powder; 1 teaspoon ground Cinnamon; ¼ teaspoon Salt; ½ cup Unsalted Butter; ½ cup Granulated White Sugar; 2 large Eggs; 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract; 3 Tablespoons Whole Milk; 3 Granny Smith Apples, peeled and sliced thin (about ¼" thick); 6 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, cold and cut into small pieces; ¾ cup All-purpose Flour; ½ cup Brown Sugar; ½ teaspoon ground Cinnamon; ¼ teaspoon Salt

Discover this Irish Apple Cake recipe; a moist, tender farmhouse classic packed with tart apples, warm spices, crunchy struesel topping completed with a whiskey glaze. Perfect for tea time or any cozy gathering.

Overhead image of a whole Irish apple cake. There are granny smith apples in the upper left, plates and forks in the upper right.

Make this easy Irish Apple Cake recipe at home! A rustic Irish farmhouse favorite featuring juicy apples, subtle spices, and a buttery streusel topping. Ready in under 2 hours and ideal for holidays or Sunday baking.

Irish Apple Cake Recipe | Easy, Moist, Spiced Apple Cake with Whiskey Glaze

Irish Apple Cake with Whiskey Glaze is a cozy, bakery style cake with layers of texture and flavors that play off each other beautifully. The base is a soft, tender cinnamon‑spiced cake — thick, buttery, and just sturdy enough to hold the fruit. The thinly sliced Granny Smith apples melt slightly as they bake, turning jammy at the edges while still keeping a little tartness that cuts through the sweetness. On top of that sits a generous blanket of streusel: crisp, crumbly, and deeply caramel‑flavored from the brown sugar and cinnamon. As it bakes, the streusel turns golden and crunchy, giving the cake that irresistible crackly top you get from a really good coffee cake. Once the cake cools, the Irish whiskey glaze adds the final flourish. It’s sweet and silky with a warm, boozy note that complements the apples without overpowering them. When it sets, it forms a delicate sheen that drips into the nooks of the streusel. It’s like a cross between an apple crumble and a classic coffee cake with just a hint of Irish whiskey.

When we went to Ireland we had a terrific apple cake. Traditional Irish apple cake which is a rustic, bread-like texture and paired with warm vanilla custard. Wellll… the traditional recipe is good, but how to make it better?

Whiskey. Whiskey makes everything better! A traditional Irish apple cake with a whiskey glaze instead of custard. Yum!

The classic Irish apple cake goes very well with a cup of tea… or a cup of coffee for us Americans. A flavorful cake that is great any time of year. Many people make it on their favorite holidays (St. Patrick’s Day anyone?) but this Irish dessert is really good anytime.

A piece of Irish apple cake is being drizzled with a whiskey glaze

Popular Apple Varieties in the United States:

What apples are best to cook with? Which ones are sweetest? Which are tart? Well, our friends at the US Apple Association have these great tips and descriptions so you can choose the perfect apple for the “task”:

● Cortland – Founded more than 120 years ago by horticulturalists in New York State, Cortland is a beautiful and tart apple.
Best use: Cortland apples browns slower than most when sliced,it is great for serving up as a snack or in a salad.
Available in the fall through early winter.

● Crispin – Sweet, refreshing and super crisp.
Best use: eating, baking, freezing, or cooking into sauce.
Available year-round.

● Empire – From the Empire State, New York, these delicious apples are a cross between Red Delicious and McIntosh and were developed by the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station. This crisp, juicy apple has a delightful sweet-tart flavor and creamy white flesh.
Best use: all-purpose apple.
Available between September and July.

● Fuji – Fuji is a cross between Ralls Janet and Red Delicious. Sweet flavor and firmness.
Best use: fresh for snacking
Available year-round, beginning in September.

● Gala – Crisp, juicy, and very sweet.
Best use: snacking.
Available year-round, harvesting starts Mid-July

● Granny Smith – Very tart flavor.
Best use: an all-purpose apple, Grannies work equally well as a snack or in pies and sauce.
Available year-round, harvested in August

● Jonagold – A blend of Jonathan and Golden Delicious apples, New York native Jonagold offers a unique honey-tart flavor and crispy, juicy, nearly yellow flesh.
Best use: eating fresh and for cooking.
Available October through July.

● McIntosh – Juicy, tangy, tart McIntosh has a tender, white flesh. Best use: snacking, applesauce, pies
Available September through May

● Paula Red – Sweet and tart
Best use: snacking and making applesauce.
Available: August

● Red Delicious – Sweet, crispy, juicy, the Western Red Delicious are elongated in shape, with pronounced “feet”, the Eastern-grown Delicious are more round. Best use: eaten fresh or in salads.

● Honeycrisp apples – This honey of an apple has a honeyed, mild flavor and a crispness deemed explosive. Juicy and sweet, this popular newcomer is a cross between Keepsake and an unreleased Minnesota line known as MN 1627. Honeycrisp’s skin is a distinctive mottled red over a yellow background, with coarse flesh. This apple is good for snacking, salads and sauce-making and stores well. Honeycrisp is “college educated,” developed by the University of Minnesota. Supplies are limited but growing with harvest beginning in September.

A piece of Irish apple cake is being lifted from the whole cake below

Tips and variations for making this Irish Apple Cake Recipe | Easy, Moist, Spiced Apple Cake with Whiskey Glaze

● For my UK and Australian friends: confectioners’ sugar is icing sugar (powdered sugar, 10x).
● In the US 8 tablespoons of butter = 1 stick, and 1 stick of butter = ½ a cup.
● Butter in Baking: Essential Tips for Perfect Baked Goods
● How to make vanilla extract
● Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream if you like.
● Be sure to slice the apples as evenly as possible. This will keep them baking at an even rate.
● Be sure the cake is completely cool before adding the glaze. A warm cake can melt the glaze into the cake and won’t sit on top the way it is supposed to.
● Store leftovers, covered, at room temperature for up to 4 days. The baked apples will keep the cake moist for longer than usual.
● You can freeze this cake. If glazing before freezing, you will want to keep it in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature when you are ready to serve. If you are freezing before you glaze the cake, wrap the entire cake in plastic wrap, then wrap the whole thing in tin foil. When you are ready to thaw the cake, unwrap it first, then thaw at room temperature.

More apple desserts you might enjoy:

● Apple Fritter Bread Recipe
● Homemade Fresh Apple Pie Recipe
● Apple Brown Betty Recipe

Irish Apple Cake Recipe | Easy, Moist, Spiced Apple Cake with Whiskey Glaze. Discover this Irish Apple Cake recipe; a moist, tender farmhouse classic packed with tart apples, warm spices, crunchy struesel topping completed with a whiskey glaze. Perfect for tea time or any cozy gathering.

More Irish-centric recipes you might enjoy:

● Guinness Cheese Dip Recipe: Easy Irish Beer Dip
● Baileys Irish Cream Hot Chocolate Bundt Cake Recipe
● Easy Homemade Copycat Baileys Irish Cream Recipe
● Irish Cream Fudge Recipe

Irish Apple Cake Recipe Ingredients:

For the Streusel Topping:

● 6 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, cold and cut into small pieces
● ¾ cup All-purpose Flour
● ½ cup Brown Sugar
● ½ teaspoon ground Cinnamon
● ¼ teaspoon Salt

For the Cake:

● 1¼ cups All-purpose Flour
● 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
● 1 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
● ¼ teaspoon Salt
● ½ cup Unsalted Butter
● ½ cup Granulated White Sugar
● 2 large Eggs
● 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
● 3 Tablespoons Whole Milk
● 3 Granny Smith Apples, peeled and sliced thin (about ¼” thick)

For the Glaze:

● 1 cup Confectioners’ Sugar
● 2 Tablespoons Irish Whiskey
● ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
● 1 Tablespoon Heavy Cream (if necessary)

Irish Apple Cake Mise en Place:

● 9″ Springform Cake Pan
● Parchment Paper
● Measuring Cup
● Measuring Spoons
● Medium Sized Bowl
● Pastry Cutter or Fork
● Stand-up Mixer (paddle attachment, whisk attachment, large bowl, etc.) or Electric Hand Mixer (electric mixer)
● Rubber Spatula
● Spoon
● Cutting Board
● Knife
● Wire Baking Rack (Cooking Rack, Wire Rack, Baking Rack)
● Small Mixing Bowl

Irish Apple Cake Recipe Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Line the bottom of a 9″ springform pan with parchment paper. Spray the sides and bottom of the pan with non-stick cooking spray. Set the pan aside for just a minute.

3. Begin by making the streusel topping:
4. In a medium bowl, combine the butter, flour, brown sugar and salt.

5. Use a pastry cutter (or a fork) to cut the cold butter into the other ingredients until the mixture is crumbly. Set the bowl in the fridge to keep chilled while making the cake batter.
6. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt until well-mixed. Set it aside for just a second.

7. To make the cake batter:
8. In the bowl to a stand mixer, use the whisk attachment to beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until it is smooth.
9. Add the eggs, vanilla extract, and milk and beat on medium speed until mixed in.

10. Add the dry ingredients flour mixture to the wet ingredients in the bowl and beat on medium speed until no streaks of flour remain. The batter will be quite thick.

11. Spoon the batter into your prepared springform pan and smooth it out evenly.

12. Layer the sliced apples on top of the cake batter.

13. Remove the streusel topping from the fridge and sprinkle it over the top of the apples.

14. Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 50-60 minutes. The topping with be very browned.
15. Cool the cake in the pan for 15-20 minutes.

16. Run a knife around the edge of the cake and loosen the sides of the pan.
17. Cool the cake completely on a cooling rack.

18. Once the cake has cooled completely, make the glaze:

19. In a small mixing bowl, whisk the confectioners’ sugar, Irish whiskey, and vanilla extract together until you get a smooth pourable glaze. If the glaze is too thick, add one tablespoon of heavy cream and mix until smooth.

20. Drizzle the glaze over the top of the cooled cake.

21. Let stand for 5 minutes or until the glaze has hardened a little.

22. Slice and serve.

Yield: 1