Irish Apple & Blackberry Cake

A wee while back the lovely Brenda sent me a wonderful book The Best of Irish Breads and Baking: Traditional, Contemporary and Festive by Georgina Campbell.  

The book is full of delightful recipes, both traditional and modern with a history behind them too, which is always lovely to read. There are collections of mouthwatering photography dotted throughout as well, beautiful. 

So what to bake?  Well breads were in order to accompany our belated Saint Patrick’s Day meal but more about that in the post to come next.  I needed something to eat with a cup of tea in the afternoon, something sweet but not too filling and definitely not chocolate – chocolate cake with a cup of tea, no thank you. With a glut of apples to be used and a small box of blackberries lurking in my fridge screaming at me to be eaten soon I decided upon the Irish Apple Cake.  As luck would have it my apples even came from Ireland.

It is a very simple cake to bake, following a basic rubbing in method instead of a creaming method, making super quick work if you use a food processor.  On this occasion I chose not too, carrying out each stage by hand.  It’s nice enough served plain, gorgeous with a slather of salted Irish butter and heavenly served warm with cream, a cake for all occasions. All in all the perfect cake to have with a good cup of tea; I achieved my goal.

The tea by choice had to be Bewley’s, a product that used to be easily available from my local supermarket, unfortunately that is no longer the case and I now find myself stocking up when I visit Ireland, cramming a good supply into my suitcase.  

I really don’t know what it is about Bewley’s tea that is so superior to other blends, maybe it is just the memories it conjures up of many a good Irish breakfast or wet afternoon’s solace in the coffee house on Grafton Street Dublin.  Oh how I long to be there now.