Have you ever made an Apple Cider Cake? This was the first one I had ever tried, and it was really fun to make. I loved adding the slices of apples in a pretty pattern on top! It was also not so fun for me to make. Let me tell you why…
Because I couldn’t eat very much of it! I’m trying so hard to be “good” right now, and you have NO IDEA how many cookies and delicious desserts I’ve had to casually say, “No thanks” to when really I’m just dying to eat them! BUT… I’m in a good groove and feeling better about how all the things (hello JEANS) are fitting, so it’s going to be okay.
I did get lots of good feedback from my family when I served this Apple Cider Cake to them, and luckily the leftovers didn’t hang around too long to taunt me. So trust me (a wannabe skinny cook) when I say this Apple Cider Cake is perfect for fall and your next get together!
I love how this cake recipe calls for reduced apple cider. I found some good quality apple cider made from Honeycrisp apples (the BEST) at Trader Joe’s. All you have to do is bring it to a low boil and just let it bubble away. The result is a more intense apple flavor without adding too much liquid to the cake. I also found that some glazes called for reducing the apple cider even further, but I did not have such good luck with that when I tried, so I kept my glaze really simple.
You could also add some diced apples to the batter if you prefer apples throughout the cake rather than on top. Another variation that would be fun to try is adding some spices to the cake batter itself, like cinnamon, cloves, or allspice. I’m sure I’ll try a little experimenting next time I make this, so let me know if you try it!
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Apple Cider Cake
- Prep Time: 30 min
- Cook Time: 60 min
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 8 slices 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Apple Cider Cake is the perfect cake for fall and your next get together. It is bursting with apple flavor and is very easy to make!
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1 cup apple cider
- 2 cups Granny Smith Apples (3 large or 4 small)
- 1/4 cup softened butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
For the Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2–3 tablespoons apple cider
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 10 inch springform pan by greasing it with butter, shortening, or nonstick spray.
- In a small sauce pan, heat 1 cup of apple cider to boiling over medium high heat. Continue to gently boil until the cider reduces by half. Cool to room temperature.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs one at a time and mix on medium speed until pale yellow (about 2-3 minutes).
- In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add heavy cream to reduced apple cider.
- With the mixer on low speed, alternate adding the flour mixture and the heavy cream mixture. The batter will be thick.
- Pour the batter into the spring form pan and level the top.
- Peel apples, and cut into 1/8 thick slices, removing the core. Arrange in a concentric pattern on top of the cake batter.
- In a small bowl, mix cinnamon and sugar together.
- Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar evenly over the top of the cake and sliced apples.
- Bake @350 degrees for 50-60 minutes. The top will be dark (because of the cinnamon and sugar) and a toothpick inserted into the very center should come out clean.
- When ready to serve, whisk apple cider and powdered sugar together to make the glaze. Start with one tablespoon at a time, adding more apple cider as needed. When the glaze slowly drips off the end of a fork, it is a good consistency for drizzling.
Notes
This recipe is adapted from A Family Feast’s New England Apple Cider Cake. Go check out the blog for more great recipes!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Slice
- Calories: 436
- Sugar: 50g
- Sodium: 307mg
- Fat: 13g
- Saturated Fat: 7.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4.1g
- Trans Fat: 0.4g
- Carbohydrates: 76g
- Fiber: 1.9g
- Protein: 5.5g
- Cholesterol: 79mg
Rosanna Schulle says
Cake looked beautiful when finished. But was too dense for my taste.
Sue says
I thought it not so dense as too browned on the bottom and top. Baked less than 45 minutes. Should I lower temp?