New England Apple Cider Cake
Apple Cakes are always delicious, but this New England Apple Cider Cake puts a whole new spin on this amazing concoction! Apple Cider is boiled down and reduced to a syrup before using in the cake as well as the icing. The apple cider flavor is intensified and the whole cake is just dreamy. 🙂
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I bought a gallon (yes, a gallon) of apple cider late last year and I’ve been trying to use it up in recipes ever since. I tried it in an Apple Cider Donut Cake and it was fabulous. The second recipe I made with the cider was this one. I actually made a couple of batches and took one batch to our church’s Sunday morning Hospitality Committee attendees–where they promptly demolished it! I cut in in small pieces for them (18 pieces), though my pictures only reflect 9 servings.
New England Apple Cider Cake is made by spooning the batter into a 9×9″ baking dish. The batter is topped with apple slices, then a cinnamon-sugar mixture is sprinkled over top before baking. After baking, the cake is iced with rich, luscious Apple Cider Glaze. Yum. 🙂 We, and all we served this cake to, were wonderfully impressed with this jewel of a recipe. I hope you will be too.
New England Apple Cider Cake is just dreamy!
Apple Cider is reduced down to a syrup and used to strengthen and enhance the lovely apple flavor of this cake.
You’ll be salivating like Pavlov’s dogs over this down-home vintage recipe.
Here’s what I did.
I used these ingredients.
Pour apple cider into a small saucepan and bring to a boil.
Continue boiling until apple cider has reduced to about 1/4 cup.
This will take about 5 minutes; set aside to cool.
Core and peel apples; cut large apples in 16 slices and small apples in 12 slices. Swish the apple slices in lemon juice to prevent browning.
Place apple slices on paper towels to drain. Set aside.
Place butter and granulated sugar in a mixing bowl.
Beat with an electric mixer until thoroughly combined.
Add eggs.
Beat with electric mixer for 5 minutes.
In a separate bowl, combine unbleached all-purpose flour (bleached flour toughens baked goods). Add salt and baking powder.
Stir to combine, set aside.
Add half-and-half cream with the reduced apple cider.
Stir until well-combined.
Add flour mixture and apple cider mixture alternately to the egg mixture. (Do this in two or three batches and mix each time with a wooden spoon.
Stir mixture until well-combined.
Spoon cake batter into a greased 9×9-inch baking dish. (I used coconut oil).
Top with apple slices.
Combine cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl.
Sprinkle cinnamon-sugar mixture evenly over top of the apples.
Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes – until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake completely before adding glaze.
I used these ingredients for the glaze.
Pour apple cider into a small saucepan and bring to a boil.
This time, reduce the apple cider to two tablespoons. This will take 7-10 minutes. Cool mixture before proceeding.
Place cooled, reduced apple cider, powdered sugar and half-and-half in a medium mixing bowl.
Whisk ingredients until smooth and all of the reduced apple cider is throughly mixed into the glaze. The icing should be thick but you should still be able to drizzle it off a spoon.
Cut cake in 9 pieces (3×3). Spoon or drizzle icing over top of the cooled cake. The icing will seep down and ooze into the sides of the cake slices.
When you serve the cake pieces on a plate, the icing will drip down the sides of the cake. Yum.
New England Apple Cider Cake is heavenly. Add a scoop of ice cream if you desire.
Apples and reduced apple cider add a decadent twist to this old-fashioned recipe.
Here’s the recipe.
NEW ENGLAND APPLE CIDER CAKE
(Recipe adapted from A Family Feast)
New England Apple Cider Cake
Equipment
- 1 9-inch square baking dish
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 medium mixing bowl
- 2 small bowls
- 2 wooden spoons
- 1 electric mixer
- 1 sharp knife
- 1 cutting board
- measuring cups
- measuring spoons
- 1 whisk
- 1 small or medium saucepan
Ingredients
CAKE:
- 1 cup apple cider NOT APPLE CIDER VINEGAR!!
- 2 cups Honey Crisp Apples peeled, cored and sliced, (3 large or 4 small apples) (slice large apples in 16 slices and medium apples in 12 slices)
- 1/4 cup lemon juice or juice from one lemon
- 1/4 cup salted butter softened (1/2 stick)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (bleached flour toughens baked goods)
- 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/4 tsp. sea salt
- 1/2 cup half-and-half or heavy cream
- enough butter or coconut oil to grease a 9×9" baking dish
- 3 tbsp. granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
GLAZE:
- 1 cup apple cider
- 1 cup powdered sugar (confectioners' sugar)
- 1 to 2 tbsp. half-and-half or heavy cream, or more, if needed
Instructions
CAKE:
- Place apple cider in a small saucepan on stove and bring to a boil.
- Continue boiling until cider has reduced to about ¼ cup.
- (This will take approximately 5 minutes).
- Remove from heat; set saucepan aside to cool.
- Core and peel apples.
- Cut into 16 slices for large apples and 12 slices for small apples.
- Pour lemon juice into a small bowl.
- Dip apple slices in lemon juice.
- Lay apple slices on paper towels to drain and dry.
- (This protects the apples from turning brown).
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Place butter and granulated sugar in a mixing bowl and beat until well-mixed and fluffy.
- Add eggs and beat for 3 minutes.
- In a separate mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking, soda and salt; set aside.
- Combine cooled apple cider with half-and-half or cream.
- Add flour mixture alternately with apple cider mixture to the egg mixture in two or three batches.
- Grease a 9×9” square glass baking dish with coconut oil or butter.
- Pour batter into baking dish.
- Top with apple slices (that have been swirled in lemon juice).
- Combine ground cinnamon with remaining 3 tablespoons sugar in a small bowl.
- Sprinkle cinnamon-sugar mixture over top of apples.
- Bake at 350° for approximately 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
- While cake is baking, prepare glaze.
- Remove cake from oven and allow to cool completely before adding glaze.
GLAZE:
- Place apple cider in saucepan and bring to a boil (like before).
- This time reduce the cider down to two tablespoons.
- (It will take between 7-10 minutes).
- Set aside to cool.
- Place the confectioners’ sugar in a small mixing bowl with the reduced cider and about one tablespoon of the half-and-half or cream.
- Whisk to combine ingredients.
- If necessary, add additional half-and-half to get desired consistency.
- The icing should be thick but you should still be able to drizzle the mixture off a spoon.
- After cake cools, cut in nine pieces.
- Drizzle the icing over each piece allowing the icing to drizzle down the sides of each piece of cake where it has been sliced.
- Serve with ice cream if desired.
Notes
Recipe adapted from A Family Feast.
© Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen
Nutrition
If you enjoy the flavors of fall harvest time, New England Apple Cider Cake is right up your alley.
Everyone will want seconds of this delightful, refreshing Apple Cake.
New England Apple Cider Cake will cure every sweet tooth craving, but be prepared! It’s addictive–you’re going to want more than one serving!
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