Blackberry Apple Coffee Cake

I made yet another delicious Irish recipe for St. Patrick’s Day. This time it was an apple blackberry coffee cake with a streusel topping in honor of the day. This traditional rustic Irish cake is also knows as a Kerry apple cake in some parts of Ireland.

Blackberries are my favorite berries. Often I just eat them right out of the container. I start with a few and then before I know it, the whole container is empty and all the blackberries are gone. I also love apples. My favorites are Galas, but then I will eat any kind of apple. And I love the combination of the two flavors together too. Maybe my love for both apples and blackberries comes from my Irish and Celtic roots. Or maybe it’s just because they are two great flavors that just happen to taste great together. Who knows? 🙂

Both apples and blackberries have been a part of the Irish diet for centuries. If you are in Ireland from June through July, you will find blackberries growing wild along the roadsides. Blackberries are used in many different Irish recipes, and are cooked in many different ways, from jams and jellies to cakes, to sauces and oh so much more.

Apples have been a part of the Irish diet for over 3000 years, dating back to the times of the Ancient Romans. Though apples play a dominant role in Irish cooking, and have been a part of the Irish folklore, myths and legends for centuries, the only apples that are truly native to Ireland are the crab apples. Crab apples were known as wild apples in Ireland and were listed as one of the seven ‘Nobles of the Wood’, believed to be an important food source since the first humans set foot in the country. Traditionally, crab apples were made into wine, cider and juice, but were also used to flavor mead. They are still used in these ways today and grow in abundance on the roadside and in gardens and woodland. Today, however, there are many varieties of apples that are grown all over Ireland.

For this particular cake recipe, I borrowed bits and pieces from other recipes and combined them to make my own blackberry apple streusel cake. The result was yet another delicious cake that was a success on the coffee cart.

Blackberry Apple Coffee Cake

The Streusel

2/3 cup sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

3/4 cup flour

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

4 TBSP cold butter, cubed

Mix everything together either with your hands or with a pastry cutter until it resembles a coarse sand. Set aside until ready to use.

Coat the blackberries in flour so they don’t bleed.

Preheat the oven to 350* F or 190*C.

Spray a bundt pan with cooking spray then lightly coat with flour. You can also use a 9×13 baking dish as well if you prefer.

The Cake

1 3/4 cups sugar

1/2 cup or 1 stick softened butter

3 eggs

16 oz yogurt or sour cream

2 tsp vanilla

3/4 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp salt

1 container blackberries

1 large apple, peeled and diced

Combine all the dry ingredients together and set aside.

Mix the butter and sugar together, then add the eggs 1 at a time, beating in between each addition. Add the vanilla. Add 1/2 of the flour mixture and beat again. Alternate between the flour and the yogurt or sour cream until it is all mixed together. I used yogurt this time, though I don’t notice much difference between the two, and interchange them all the time.

Gently fold in the apples and blackberries.

Evenly distribute 1/2 of the batter into the prepared pan. Add 1/2 of the streusel on top of the batter.

Add the remaining batter on top of the streusel then add the remaining streusel on top. Bake for about 1 1/2 hours, or until it is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Allow the cake to cool completely before removing it from the pan, then slice it up and share with friends. Blasta! This cake showcases the flavors of tart, crisp apples and floral, juicy blackberries set under a buttery, streusel topping. It’s sweet, but not overly sweet, and is a nice treat to have at breakfast, afternoon tea, or dessert. With simple flavors, this light, tender, buttery cake has a hint of warm cinnamon flavor while its texture is a bit denser than that of a sponge cake and is more similar to a coffee cake.

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.