Sweet apple and satisfying potato combine with hints of bright lemon, warm nutmeg and cinnamon, and even caramel undertones from the whole cane sugar.  Topped with a crumb topping that melts in your mouth, this cake does not need anything else.  It’s perfect as is.

I am 1/4 Irish, and my grandmother is full Irish.  I hear bits and pieces of her life as we talk on the phone, or I hear other family members retell stories of hers.  I love that I look like my grandmother, and that I have parts of her in me from her laugh to her unapologetic love for her family.

I love that this cake uses mashed apples and potatoes in the batter.  I have been reading through my Irish Traditional Cooking cookbook, and I was struck by the chapter on desserts that had so many apple recipes.  I occasionally like raw apples, but for the most part I prefer them cooked in applesauce or baked into breads and cakes.  So this recipe is perfect for me.

My husband plays on an ultimate frisbee team in our city, and tonight they are trying to win a St. Patrick’s Day bake-off.  Through a series of events, the apple and potato cake they baked on Saturday might not work for tonight.  So I offered to make a real food version to see if they liked it.  At the very least they would have a backup, and I would have a sprouted flour apple cake for home.

Update: My cake helped win the dessert competition!  My husband is the proud owner of a mug-shaped shot glass and a St. Patrick’s Day rainbow pigtails thanks to this baby.  So there you go

It is so good!  The substitutions for white sugar and flour worked perfectly with the flavors that were already incorporated.  And I may be a little biased, but I like the real food version better.

Equipment Needed:

• potato masher, set of mixing bowls, whisk, and wooden spoon
• cake pan, parchment paper, and a pen
• oven mitts and a cooling rack
• pie server or small spatula

Apple and Potato Cake

1/4 cup cooked and mashed apple
3/4 cup cooked and mashed potato
1 tablespoon melted butter (buy grass-fed butter here)
1 cup whole cane sugar (buy whole cane sugar here)
1 egg
3/4 cup milk (buy raw milk here)
1 teaspoon lemon extract (buy extracts here)
2 cups sprouted flour (buy sprouted flour here, learn to make sprouted flour here)
3 teaspoons baking powder (buy aluminum-free baking powder here)
1/2 teaspoon salt (buy sea salt here)
1 teaspoon nutmeg (buy organic spices here)

Crumb Topping:
1 cup sprouted flour (buy sprouted flour here, learn to make sprouted flour here)
1 cup whole cane sugar (buy whole cane sugar here)
3/4 cup melted butter (buy grass-fed butter here)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (buy organic spices here)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine apple, potato, and melted butter together.  Add sugar, egg, milk, and lemon extract, stirring to combine.
3. In a separate large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg with a whisk.  Add to the apple and potato mixture and stir with a wooden spoon to combine.  Pour batter into the prepared cake pan.
4. Make crumb topping: in a small mixing bowl combine, flour, sugar, melted butter, and cinnamon, stirring with a fork until just combined. 
   Crumble over the top of the cake batter in an even layer.
5. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Let cool completely on a cooling rack.

We ate this cake while it was still a little warm and it was perfect.  When completely cooled, add a little drizzle of fresh cream or fresh whipped vanilla cream to round out the flavors perfectly.

This cake is especially good, as most Irish foods are, at making your hands and feet warm.  To find out why that is a good thing, read Eat For Heat.

This post is a part of Sunday School, Sunday Night Soup Night, Weekend Gourmet, Monday Mania, Fat Tuesday, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Healthy2day Wednesday, Real Food Wednesday, The Mommy Club, Full Plate Thursday, Simple Lives Thursday, Pennywise Platter, Fresh Bites Friday, Fight Back Friday, and Friday Food Flicks.