Irish Apple Cake with Vanilla-Darjeeling Tea Custard Sauce

Servings: 10 People

Recipe inspired by theviewfromgreatisland.com

Equipment

• 1 springform pan
• 1 sheet of parchment paper
• 2 mixing bowls
• 1 fine mesh sieve

Ingredients

For the Custard

1/4 cup granulated sugar
6 egg yolks
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tea bag of fine darjeeling tea

For the Crumble Topping

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
pinch kosher salt

For the Cake Batter

1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature 
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs at room temperature 
3 tablespoons heavy cream
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1  teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 pinch kosher salt
4 honey crisp apples, peeled
1 tablespoon butter, for greasing the pan
3 tablespoons powdered sugar, to top

Instructions

For the Custard

1. We will begin by making the custard first, as it needs time to set in the chiller.
2. Separate your eggs and reserve the yolks. 
3. Place a medium sized pot over medium heat. Add the milk and submerge the bag of tea. Heat the milk until steaming, but be careful not to scald the milk. Stir occasionally. 
4. After heating, remove from the heat and gently press down on the tea bag with a spatula. Discard the tea bag.
5. In a large bowl, whisk the sugar and egg yolks together until blended.
6. Next, we'll temper the eggs; Carefully ladle in 1/4 cup of the hot milk mixture into the sugar and eggs, while whisking viciously. We are trying to gently warm the eggs by adding the milk. Continue to ladle the milk mix into the eggs until about half of the milk is incorporated. Keep whisking!
7. Now, add the warmed egg & milk liquid back to the pot and whisk. Turn the heat on to medium and continue to stir with a rubber spatula. Watch that the liquid doesn't cook too quickly. We want constant heat while making this custard.
8. Continue stirring until the liquid thickens enough to coat the back of the spatula. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
9. Using a fine mesh sieve placed over a small mixing bowl, strain the custard for any leftover egg curds.
10. Press a sheet of plastic wrap right onto the surface of the custard, to prevent a "skin" from forming in the chiller. Refrigerate until use. 

For the Crumble

1. In a medium mixing bowl, add the flour, oatmeal, sugar, salt, and butter cubes.
2. With your fingers, work the butter into the dry mix. The heat of your hands will help to incorporate the butter into the mix.
3. Continue mixing and squishing the butter, until you get a rough sandy texture. Place into the refrigerator to chill.

For the Cake

1. Preheat your oven to 350F and use the middle rack.
2. Line a springform pan with a circle of parchment paper and butter the sides. Reserve.
3. Peel and core your apples. Slice into thin pieces (about 1/8 of an inch) and place into a mixing bowl. Reserve.
4. In a large bowl with a handheld beater, or in the bowl of a stand beater, cream the butter and sugar until light & fluffy. You may need to scrape down the bowl periodically. About 4 minutes.
5. Next, add the eggs one at a time, while mixing on medium speed.
6. In a large bowl, add all of the dry ingredients and fork stir.
7. Alternate the dry mix with the 3 tablespoons of heavy cream, into the butter/eggs/sugar mix on medium speed, until you get a thick batter. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.
8. Spoon the batter into the prepared springform pan and smooth into an even layer with an offset spatula or spoon. 
9. Add the apple slices in one even layer. We are using a lot of fruit, but don't worry, it will be delicious!
10. Next, sprinkle the crumble topping evenly on top of the cake and place into the oven.
11. Bake for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out cleanly from the center of the cake. The topping should be slightly browned and golden.
12. Let cool on a baking rack for 10-15 minutes, before serving.
13. Pop from the springform pan and dust with powdered sugar. Drizzle the custard on top.