Irish Apple Cake with Custard Sauce

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp of each ground ginger, nutmeg & allspice
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, cold, diced into small pieces
• 1 cup + 2 Tbsp granulated sugar, divided
• 1 1/2 lbs granny smith apples
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1 pinch salt
• 6 large egg yolks
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

1. For the cake: Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter and flour a 9-inch springform pan, then put it aside.
2. In a very large mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, salt, ginger, nutmeg and allspice for 20 seconds. Add the cold butter pieces, then use your fingertips to work them into the dry mixture until you have a texture like fine crumbs. Mix in 1 cup sugar.
3. Peel the apples, cut them in half, remove the cores and stems, then place each half cut-side down. Slice them downward into pieces a little thinner than 1/4-inch, then cut those slices into smaller chunks, about 2 or 3 chunks depending on the apples’ size. Add the apples to the flour mixture and toss thoroughly so they’re coated, gently breaking apart any pieces that are clinging together.
4. In another mixing bowl, whisk the milk, eggs and vanilla until fully blended. Pour that over the apple and flour mixture, then use clean hands to toss everything together just until incorporated. The batter will look a bit uneven and lumpy, and that’s exactly where you want to stop so it doesn’t get overworked.
5. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth it into an even layer. In a small bowl, combine the remaining 2 Tbsp sugar with 1/2 tsp cinnamon, then scatter it evenly over the top. Bake for 45 – 50 minutes in the heated oven, until a toothpick poked into the center comes out clean. Set the pan on a wire rack for about 5 minutes, then take off the springform ring and let the cake cool to the temperature you like. Serve it warm with warm custard sauce, or cooled with cold custard sauce, whichever you prefer.
6. For the custard sauce: Warm the milk with a pinch of salt over medium heat until it just reaches a gentle boil. Watch it closely, and pull it from the burner if it threatens to boil hard.
7. While the milk heats, put the egg yolks and sugar in a medium mixing bowl and whisk briskly until the mixture turns pale and fluffy, about 2 – 3 minutes. If you’d rather not do that by hand, use an electric hand mixer on high speed for about 30 seconds.
8. Turn the burner down to medium-low. Whisking the yolk mixture the whole time, gradually stream in 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture. Then, whisking the milk in the saucepan constantly, slowly pour the yolk mixture into the saucepan.
9. Cook, whisking without stopping, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, about 3 – 4 minutes. Don’t let it get too hot, because cooking it too long or whisking too casually can make the eggs curdle.
10. Right away, pour the custard into a glass container. Stir in the vanilla, then whisk for about 20 seconds to cool it slightly. Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface so a skin does not form. Serve warm over the cake, or serve it cold. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.