If you have been or ever get the chance to go to Ireland, having a slice of an authentic Irish apple cake is a must! When we had the chance to visit last year, I didn’t even know about this little specialty. Fortunately, we discovered it after we stopped in the local pub for the beer and live music. (We went to McGann’s, in Doolin, and it was absolutely one of the most fun nights we had in Ireland, after one of the best days we had there, exploring the Wild Atlantic Way!)

This is (hopefully) the first post in a series of travel based recipes I’m working on, and I’m super excited! Coming up we’ll have Scottish Shortbread Cookies, Swedish Meatballs, Cafe Au Lait, and Beignets, so stay tuned. And let me know in the comments below what you’d be most excited for!

A little clip of our day on the day I first had Irish Apple Cake - in Ireland, exploring the coast near Doolin.

After a big day of exploring, and a Guinness or two, my sister and I both got a little snacky, (this happens to me every time I have a drink, anyone else?) so we procured a menu and ordered the ‘Apple Crumble,’ which I assumed was going to be similar to an apple crisp. Which it was… but, it was also very different!

But a couple disclaimers:

Just in case you have been to McGann’s and also had this amazing dessert, I’m writing this more than a year after I first had it there. Also, I was not a vegan food and travel blogger when we were there! So I’m doing my best to remember the cake. Would you believe too, I was so hungry when we got it that I didn’t even snap a picture of it for the ‘gram? For shame, girl, for shame. Haha. But I digress. So what do I remember about this cake? First, it was served in a wedge, like a slice of apple pie, not like apple crisp. Second, it was warm, and third, it was delicious. Also, I wanted to order a second slice as soon as I had my first bite.

Fast forward to a year and some months later, we have an abundance of apples in our kitchen. I hop on google and look for some fun recipes to use them up with. I stumble across a recipe for an Authentic Irish Apple Cake and I immediately have a flashback. Could it be? Is it the same thing? Is this something I can make for myself? The excitement bubbled!

Close up image of the finished cake with three red apples behind it

After hopping into the kitchen and testing a couple vegan versions of the recipe, I am happy to report that I think this is indeed the same amazingly delicious cake we enjoyed with our Guinness and live music that night in Ireland. And now that I know how easy it is to make at home, and to make vegan, I might be having it a lot more this fall! Authentically, this would be served with a creamy custard sauce, but I haven’t yet figured out how to replace egg yolks and heavy cream. But nonetheless, it’s delicious! And you can always add a scoop of vegan ice cream or a dollop of whipped coconut cream if you’d like.

So how do you make a vegan, almost authentic, Irish Apple Cake?

It’s really quite easy! It’s a three ‘layer’ cake, with batter on the bottom, apples in the middle, and a crumbly streusel topping. But we make it by working backwards.. so interesting, I know. I can’t help how my mind works!

Start by prepping your streusel topping. Use a fork, two knives, or pastry blender to combine vegan butter, (Country Crock Plant Butter is my favorite) oats, flour and sugar. Once your butter is incorporated and the mixture is in rough crumbles, stash it in the fridge. This keeps the butter from melting too soon. If you’re used to making a mixture like this with dairy-based butter, I’ve found that vegan butter tends to soften up a lot faster, so it’s important to work quickly and refrigerate it as soon as you can!

Next prep your apples apples. It only takes a few, about 1 pound, peeled, cored and sliced. Which works out to about 3 average sized apples. The recipe I started with, from The View From Great Island, said Granny Smith apples were the best. Unfortunately, I had been given 9 pounds of apples that were not Granny Smith, and they weren’t the greatest for eating raw. A little soft, kinda mealy, not very flavorful, and likely to go to waste if not used pretty quick. So I used them in this, and it came out great!

Moral of the story: apples are better in cake.

After your apples are prepped, prep a springform pan with oil or spray and then whip up the cake batter. Mix water and ground flax first, to give your ‘egg’ time to get nice and gooey. In a separate bowl, whisk together oil and sugar until creamy and slightly fluffy. You won’t get as much ‘fluff’ from this as you would from using butter, it will be a rather wet mixture, but with some vigorous whisking, you can get it a little fluffy. Once your flax egg is thickened, add it to the oil and sugar and whisk again. It will get pretty thick and stick after this!

Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt, and fold into the sugar mixture, alternating with the almond milk. I do half the flour, half the milk, stir, and repeat. You’ll want to be careful not to over-mix the flour here, in order to maintain a more delicate crumb. Only stir until the ingredients are incorporated.

Ingredients needed to make a vegan Irish apple cake; apples, flour, sugar, cinnamon, plant butter, oatmeal

Now, it’s just a matter of building your layers!

Spread the cake batter out evenly on the bottom of the prepared pan. The mixture will be thick, so use a spatula or spoon to spread it all around. Then add your apple layer, and finally, top with the crumbled streusel mixture. Pop it in a hot oven (350F) and in about an hour, you’ll have a cake fit for any occasion! Check for doneness around 50 minutes, using a toothpick or metal cake tester. It should come out mostly clean. If it’s doughy or wet, let it bake a little longer, perhaps up to 60 or 70 minutes total. I’ve found baked goods without eggs usually need a little bit long than their eggy counterparts. Let cool and enjoy!