Description
Homemade apple cider cake delivers rich autumn flavors with spiced notes of cinnamon and nutmeg. Moist crumb and caramel glaze make this dessert perfect for seasonal gatherings you’ll want to savor slowly.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 ¼ cups (282 g) all-purpose flour
- 3 large eggs
- 10 tbsps (140 g) unsalted butter
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated white sugar
- ½ cup (110 g) light brown sugar
- ½ cup (120 mL) buttermilk
- ½ cup (122 g) sour cream
- ½ cup (120 mL) apple cider reduction
- ⅓ cup (95 g) unsweetened apple butter
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 ½ tsps baking powder
- ¼ tsp allspice
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup (120 mL) apple cider reduction
- ¾ cup (165 g) light brown sugar
- 9 tbsps (126 g) unsalted butter
- 1 cup (240 mL) heavy cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1 cup (224 g) unsalted butter
- 8 oz (226 g) cream cheese
Instructions
- Caramelize Cider: Reduce apple cider in a saucepan over medium-low heat until condensed to one cup, approximately 40-50 minutes. Cool completely.
- Prepare Workspace: Preheat oven to 350°F and line a 9×9-inch metal pan with parchment paper, ensuring even greasing.
- Dry Ingredient Blend: Whisk flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl until thoroughly combined.
- Butter Mixture: Cream butter and sugars using a mixer until achieving a light, airy texture, about two minutes. Integrate eggs and vanilla, mixing until the batter transforms to a pale, smooth consistency.
- Liquid Integration: Fold buttermilk, sour cream, apple cider reduction, and apple butter into the mixture, ensuring comprehensive incorporation.
- Baking Process: Gently fold dry ingredients into wet mixture, stirring minimally. Transfer batter to prepared pan and bake for 48-52 minutes until a toothpick emerges clean.
- Caramel Creation: Simultaneously prepare caramel sauce by combining remaining cider reduction, brown sugar, and butter in a saucepan. Introduce cream and simmer until achieving a silky texture. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and salt, then cool to room temperature.
- Frosting Preparation: Whip butter until pale, blend in cream cheese until creamy. Gradually incorporate powdered sugar, whipping until achieving a light, fluffy consistency.
- Cake Assembly: Once cake has completely cooled, remove from pan using parchment paper. Create holes across the surface using a wooden spoon. Pipe caramel sauce into holes, spread cream cheese frosting generously, and drizzle remaining caramel on top, gently swirling with a spoon.
- Serving: Slice into squares and serve, optionally adding an extra caramel drizzle for indulgence.
Notes
- Reduce Cider Carefully: Monitor apple cider reduction closely to prevent burning, stirring occasionally and ensuring it condenses to exactly one cup.
- Room Temperature Matters: Bring eggs, butter, and cream cheese to room temperature for smoother mixing and better cake texture.
- Avoid Overmixing: Gently fold dry ingredients into wet mixture just until combined to prevent a dense, tough cake.
- Cooling is Crucial: Allow cake to cool completely before frosting to prevent melting and ensure clean, professional-looking decoration.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 13
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 27 g
- Sodium: 180 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 11 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 37 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 90 mg