Disney Dish: Irish Apple Cake with Custard Sauce

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Today’s a day of magic, celebration, of course, a little bit of luck. Today I’m going to share a fantastic recipe for my Irish Apple Cake (that I’d like to think is courtesy of the Little Man of Disneyland!) which I’m sure you’re going to love! Now let’s get to it, and get baking!

The Little Man of Disneyland

I grew up reading Little Golden books and one of my favorites was “The Little Man of Disneyland” I loved it so much that I wanted to make sure that my children experienced the story too. Now it’s something that we love to bring out every year for St. Patrick’s Day and reminisce over.

In the story, a little leprechaun named Patrick Beggora lived in the orange grove where Disneyland now stands. The Fab 5 pay him a visit, show him the plans for Disneyland and promise to build him a home there so he will never have to move.

When we are at Disneyland, we love to pay a visit to his actual house, built at the base of a tree in Adventureland. Today, I will be leaving some copies of his book around Disneyland. Please post in the MiceChat Facebook group to let me know if you find one!

If you want to learn more about the Little Man of Disneyland, be sure to check out our article detailing the story— plus an adorable animated video from the legendary Disney animator Mike Perraza!

The Charming Story of the Little Man of Disneyland

Have your Irish Apple Cake and eat it too…

I’m sure that Patrick invited the Fab 5 back to his house once it was done. At his housewarming, I’d like to think that Patrick served this delicious Irish apple cake with custard sauce. Well, one can dream! Now let’s make it a reality so you can enjoy your cake however you’d like. 

Irish Apple Cake Recipe 

Ingredients:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp Baking powder
• ⅛ tsp Salt
• ¼ tsp ground Cloves
• ¼ tsp ground Nutmeg
• 6 oz Butter 
• ¾ cup Sugar
• 4 large Granny Smith apples 
• 2 Eggs
• ¾ cup Milk
• 2 tbsp Sugar

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375. Grease and flour an 8″ pan. (Note: I use Baking Pam spray since it has flour in it, this little invention is a major time saver!)
   

2. Sift flour, baking powder, salt, ground cloves, and nutmeg into a very large mixing bowl. I use fresh nutmeg that I grind on a Microplane onto a piece of parchment paper so it is easy to measure.
   

3. Cut 6 ounces of butter into the flour mixture using a pastry cutter or your fingers until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
   

4. Add ¾ cup of sugar to the crumb mixture and stir well.

5. Fold the apple chunks into the flour and sugar mixture until fully combined.
   

6. Beat 2 eggs and ¾ cup of milk together in a separate bowl. Pour the egg mixture into the flour and apples and mix until just combined. The batter will resemble a thick dough-like mixture.
   

7. Transfer the cake mixture to the prepared baking pan and flatten the top using a spatula. Sprinkle the top with 2 tablespoons of pixie dust, oops, I mean sanding sugar.
   

8. Bake for 45-50 minutes until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
   

Custard Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1½ cups Whole milk
• 6 large Egg yolks
• 6 tbsp Sugar
• 1½ tsp Vanilla

Instructions:

1. Bring milk just to a boil in a small saucepan. Whisk egg yolks in a bowl with sugar for 2-3 minutes until the mixture is pale yellow. Gradually whisk the hot milk into the egg mixture.
   

2. Return the mixture to the saucepan. Stir constantly over medium heat for about 4 minutes, until the custard sauce thickens. When the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, stir in vanilla. Transfer the sauce to a bowl or serving jug.
   

3. Drizzle the custard sauce over the cake and enjoy with a cup of Irish Breakfast tea
   .

Note

• For this recipe, you’ll want to bring out your apple peeler/corer/slicer. Having evenly sliced apples means that they’ll cook at the same time so they’ll have the same level of doneness. I always break this bad boy out whenever I have to make pies and apple cakes because it’s so much easier than peeling apples by hand.

  

Let’s Hear From You

Little Man of Disneyland fans, let’s hear from you! Do you have any leprechaun sightings around Disneyland? Interested in making my Irish Apple Cake for St. Patrick’s Day? And good luck finding my little hidden Golden Books today! I always love to hear from you in the comments!

Looking for more St. Patrick’s Day food inspiration? Take a look at the article below for another delicious dish!

St. Patrick Day Recipe: Raglan Road Dubliner Mac ‘n Cheese & Bread Pudding