Irish Apple Cake

At its best when served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or custard sauce. This tender cake can be eaten warm or cold. 

Any Irish whiskey will do. Jameson, Bushmills or another. And if it's a cup of coffee that you're having with the cake, why not make it an Irish one too?

1. Blend sugar and lemon zest.
2. Soften the butter (do not melt) and whisk with the sugar until smooth. 
3. With a handmixer at medium speed, blend in the eggs one by one. 
4. Next pour in the whiskey and add salt. Blend well!
5. Peel apples, cut them in 4 pieces and remove core. Slice each quarter piece in the width (not length wise) so you get smaller pieces. The thickness should be 3 to 5 mm.
6. Preheat oven at 200°C.
7. Mix flour with baking powder and sieve above butter-egg mixture. Fold with spatula to combine.
8. Add apple slices to the batter, fold again until everything is well combined.
9. Grease a 24 cm spring form, cover bottom with baking paper.
10. Using a spatula, spread the batter evenly in the spring form and bake at 200°C for 40 to 45 minutes.
11. If the cake browns too much after 20 minutes cover with aluminum foil.
12. Let cake cool for 15 minutes, remove spring form and place on rack for further cooling. Careful when moving over to the rack.
13. Sprinkle powdered sugar over cake and serve.

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