The Ultimate Irish Dessert Recipe Collection : Fantasy Ireland

The Ultimate
Irish Dessert Recipe Collection

The tradition of Irish dessert recipes goes back for centuries.

Even way back in the age of ancient Celtic Ireland, the Irish have always loved "sweets". The ancient Celtic people always had plenty of fruit, honey, and berries to bring to the table.

Later, they began using these natural sweets in pies, puddings, bread, and cakes, and Irish dessert recipes evolved over time to become some of the world's most tempting treats!

A homemade dessert is the perfect way to complete any meal, and Irish desserts are known for being rich, creamy, and satisfying.

From sinfully scrumptious Irish Whiskey Cake and Glazed Irish Tea Cake, to family favorites like Dublin-style Apple Pie and Irish Potato Pie... traditional Irish desserts are the ultimate comfort foods!

Recipes on this Page

Easy Irish Whiskey Cake	Grandmother Monahan's Irish Whiskey Cake
Glazed Irish Tea Cake	Irish Chocolate Cake
Dublin's Finest Caramel Apple Cake	Apple Pie "Dublin Style"
Apple and Oat Crisp	Easy Irish Apple Cake
Irish Cinnamon Apple Cake	Ultimate Irish Apple Cake

Irish cake-baking is a long-standing tradition stemming from the custom of having a homemade Irish sweet to celebrate special events such as weddings, baptisms, funerals, harvest festivals and holidays.

So if you'd like to bring a touch of your heritage into any of these family traditions, I'm sure you'll find an Irish dessert recipe here that will please any crowd!

Irish Whiskey Cakes continue to play a special role in Irish wedding traditions. It is customary for the top tier of the wedding cake to be an Irish Whiskey Cake, which the bride saves for celebrating her firstborn's christening.

Irish Whiskey cakes are heavenly rich and moist. When it's glazed with an Irish whiskey icing or served with an Irish whiskey sauce the Irish Whiskey Cake can be a wee bit intoxicating!

So indulge yourself and try one of my
Favorite Irish Whiskey Cake recipes!

Easy Irish Whiskey Cake
Ingredients:
Cake:
1 yellow cake mix
1 small package instant vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
1/3 cup Irish Whiskey
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
1/2 cup cold water
3/4 cup chopped nuts (optional)
Glaze:
1 stick butter
1/4 cup water
1-1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 to 1 cup Irish Whiskey (to your taste)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325° F.
Grease and flour a bundt or tube pan. Sprinkle nuts over bottom of pan.
Combine remaining ingredients and mix well. Pour batter into pan. Bake for 1 hour.
Cool; invert onto plate. Prick holes in cake. Drizzle glaze over top and sides, allowing it to be absorbed into cake.
Continue until all glaze is used.
Melt butter in saucepan. Add water and sugar. Boil for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in whiskey. Pour over cake as directed above.
HINT: The secret to success with this Irish dessert recipe is that it tastes best when it has been made the day before serving.

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Grandmother Monahan's Irish Whiskey Cake
Ingredients:
Cake:
2 cups golden raisins
3 tablespoons grated lemon rind
1/2 cup Irish whiskey
12 tablespoons softened butter
1 cup brown sugar
3 eggs, separated
1-1/2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon baking powder
Frosting:
2 cups powdered sugar
Juice of one lemon mixed with a little warm water and Irish whiskey
Directions:
Cake:
Place the raisins, lemon rind, and whiskey in a small bowl and let them soak overnight.
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line bottom of an eight-inch cake pan with wax paper that is buttered and dusted with flour.
Cream the butter and sugar together.
Sift the flour, salt, cloves and baking powder into a bowl.
Beat the egg yolks and slowly mix into the butter and sugar mixture. As you add the egg yolks, gradually add both the flour mixture and the raisin/whiskey mixture. Mix well but do not overbeat.
Beat the eggs whites until stiff and fold them into the mixture. Pour this into your prepared pan and bake for 1-1/2 hours. Cool the cake thoroughly on a wire rack.
Icing:
Sift the powdered sugar and then mix in the lemon juice and just enough whiskey and warm water so that you can drizzle the icing over the cake.

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Glazed Irish Tea Cake
Ingredients:
Cake:
3/4 cup butter (room temperature)
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 eggs (room temperature)
3 ounces cream cheese (room temperature)
1 3/4 cups cake flour
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup seedless raisins
2/3 cup buttermilk
Glaze:
1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted
2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Directions:
Preheat oven to 325° F.
Generously grease a 9-inch (7-cup capacity) loaf pan. Dust with flour; tap pan over sink to discard excess flour. (Or you can just try spraying it with non-stick cooking spray.)
Cut piece of parchment paper or waxed paper to fit bottom of pan. Set aside.
Cake:
Cream butter, sugar and vanilla until fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating each until fluffy. Add cream cheese. Mix well.
Sift flour, baking powder and salt together. Put raisins in small bowl. Add 1/4 cup of flour mixture to the raisins and stir until well coated.
Add remaining flour to batter, alternating with buttermilk. Mix until smooth. Use wooden spoon to stir in currants and all of the flour. Stir until well combined.
Transfer batter to prepared pan. Smooth surface with spatula. Bake on center rack for 80-90 minutes, until well-browned and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. It is normal for the cake to crack on top.
Make the glaze while the cake is baking by combining sugar and lemon juice in small bowl. Stir until very smooth.
Let cake rest in pan for 10 minutes. Use flexible metal spatula to separate cake from sides of pan. Carefully remove cake from pan to cooling rack. Spread glaze on warm cake. Let cake cool completely.
Cake can be stored 3 days at room temperature in foil or cake tin. Cake can also be frozen up to 3 months if wrapped airtight.

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Irish Chocolate Cake
Ingredients:
Cake:
3/4 cup self-rising flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 ounces dark chocolate
4 ounces butter
3/4 cup fine sugar
3 ounces cooked mashed potato (Yes, really. Trust me.)
2 eggs, beaten
4 tablespoons milk
Icing:
4 ounces dark chocolate
4 fluid ounces heavy cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons Irish cream liqueur
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375° F. Grease and line 8-inch cake tins.
Sift flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Melt chocolate in a bowl placed over a saucepan of hot water.
In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugar together until fluffy, then beat in the chocolate and mashed potato.
Gradually beat in the egg, adding a little flour with each addition. Fold in the rest of the flour and stir in the milk.
Divide mixture between cake tins and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until top is firm but springy to the touch. Remove from oven and after a few minutes, turn out on a cooling rack.
While the cake is cooling, make the icing. Melt the chocolate as before, stir in the other ingredients and mix well. Use the icing to sandwich the cake layers together and coat the top and sides of the cake.
HINT: What makes this rich chocolate cake "Irish" is not only to the creamy liqueur used in the filling, but also a particularly "Irish" ingredient in the cake mixture itself, which makes it extremely moist. Have you guessed it yet? Yes, it's the potato! Mystery solved! Bet you were wondering what potatoes were doing in a cake recipe! Even Irish dessert recipes make use of this abundant Irish crop!

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Speaking of Irish dessert recipes turning potatoes into a sweet treat...
Potato Pie Dessert
Ingredients:
1/2 pound boiled potatoes
1/4 pound butter, melted
3/4 pound granulated sugar
3 almonds, pounded to powder
1 tablespoon orange extract
6 eggs, separated
4 ounces Irish whiskey
Directions:
Grease and flour a pie plate or line with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 375° F.
Mash potatoes until no lumps remain.
Beat egg whites until stiff. Beat yolks until lemon colored.
Add almonds, orange extract, sugar, and egg yolk to potatoes. Mix well. Add whiskey; combine well, then fold in egg whites.
Fill prepared pie plate with mixture. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes.
I would like to thank RecipeGoldmine.com for contributing this Irish dessert recipe.

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Some of my favorite Irish dessert recipes are for homemade apple cakes. Ireland's people have always made the most of the foods they had handy, and apples have been a prevalent crop in Ireland for over a thousand years. So many traditional and contemporary Irish dessert recipes use apples as a basic ingredient, especially at harvest time.
Dublin's Finest Caramel Apple Cake
Ingredients:
Caramel:
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter or margarine
8 ounce carton heavy whipped cream, divided
1/3 cup chopped pecans
Cake:
1 package apple-cinnamon quick breadmix
1 cup chopped, peeled apple
3/4 cup water
3 tablespoons Irish whiskey or water
1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 egg
Topping:
Remaining heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 tablespoons Irish Whiskey (optional)
Cinnamon (optional)
Directions:
Heat oven to 350° F.
In small sauce pan over low heat, combine brown sugar, butter and 2 tablespoons whipping cream. Cook and stir just until butter is melted.
Remove from heat. Stir in pecans. Pour mixture into bottom of ungreased 9-inch round cake pan or 9-inch square pan. Set aside.
In large bowl, combine all cake ingredients. Stir 50-75 strokes by hand until mix is moistened.
Carefully spoon batter over caramel mixture, making sure caramel is completely covered. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Cool 1 minute, then invert onto serving plate. Cool completely.
Just before serving, in small bowl, beat remaining whipping cream until soft peaks form. Add powdered sugar and whiskey. Beat until stiff peaks form. Spread whipped cream mixture on top of cake. Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon.
Store in refrigerator.
This Irish dessert recipe makes 10 servings.

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This Irish Dessert Recipe is an Irish-American version of "Apple Nianih Chinn Oir" - Irish for "Noomh of the Golden Tresses", a beautiful maiden in Irish mythology who took her man to "Tir Na N'og", the land of eternal youth.
Apple Pie "Dublin Style"
Ingredients:
1 9-inch pie shell
1/2 cup honey
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups sliced apples (1 pound 4 oz. each)
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons butter
Directions:
Preheat oven 425° F.
Combine undrained apples and all other ingredients except butter. Mix lightly.
Spoon ingredients into pastry shell. Dot with butter.
Bake for 40-50 minutes until crust is golden brown.
This Irish dessert recipe is delicious served cold, but even better warm, with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream on top.
This Irish dessert recipe was contributed by Colin Bakewell.

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Irish dessert recipes also made widespread use of oats, the inexpensive and nutritious grain found in abundance even in the poorest rural villages "beyond the Pale".
This Irish dessert recipe is very similar to the recipe for American Apple Crisp.
Apple and Oat Crisp
Ingredients:
4 to 5 medium apples, peeled, cored, quartered, and thinly sliced
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans or walnuts
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
3 tablespoons apple juice concentrate
Dash nutmeg
Topping:
1 tablespoon butter
3/4 cup oatmeal
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Combine the apples, nuts, spices, and juice concentrate in a mixing bowl and toss until the spices coat the apples evenly. Transfer to a 9-by-9-inch baking pan.
Melt the butter in a skillet. Stir in the oats until evenly coated with the butter. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the apples.
Bake for 45 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown and the apples are tender.
This Irish dessert recipe is especially delicious served warm with vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream.
This Irish dessert recipe makes 6 servings.

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Easy Irish Apple Cake
Ingredients:
2 cups self-rising flour
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 stick butter (room temperature)
3-4 cooking apples
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs (room temperature)
1-3 tablespoons milk
1-3 tablespoons granulated sugar (for topping)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375° F.
Grease an 8-inch springform pan. Cut wax paper to fit and line the bottom of the pan.
Sift flour, salt, and ground cloves into a large bowl. Cut in the butter until the mixture has the consistency of fine crumbs.
Peel, core, and slice the apples. Add the apples and sugar to the flour mixture. Stir in the eggs and enough milk to leave the dough stiff. Turn the dough into the prepared pan. Sprinkle with the remaining sugar.
Bake 45 minutes until crisp and golden in color.
HINT: The best thing about this Irish dessert recipe is that it is absolutely delicious served either warm or cold. If served warm, consider topping it with heavy cream.

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Irish Cinnamon Apple Cake
Ingredients:
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 level teaspoon cinnamon
3 eggs (room temperature)
2 tablespoons milk
2 to 3 apples - peeled, cored, quartered, and thinly sliced.
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350° F.
Grease a 9 X 13 cake pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Add the cinnamon and baking powder to the flour and sift into a bowl.
Cream butter and sugar until light and soft. Beat in one egg then add a tablespoon of the flour and beat in another egg. Repeat this once more than fold in two thirds of the remaining flour. Stir in the milk then fold in the last of the flour. (This can be done in an electric mixer.)
Spread half of the cake batter in the bottom of the cake pan. Distribute the apple slices over it and then cover with the rest of the batter. Bake for 15 minutes. Then reduce oven temperature to 325° F and bake for another 30 minutes until golden brown and firm to the touch.

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Ultimate Irish Apple Cake
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons butter, softened (room temperature)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg, beaten (room temperature)
4 Granny Smith apples, cored, peeled and diced (2 cups)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup all-purpose flour
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350° F.
Generously grease an 8-inch square cake pan.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the egg, apples, nuts, and vanilla and stir well. Sift in the dry ingredients and mix well.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake about 45 minutes, until the cake is lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Remove from oven and let the cake set in the pan for 5 minutes, then remove from pan.
Serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
This Irish dessert recipe makes 10-12 servings.