New England Apple Cider Cake
This lovely New England Apple Cider Cake features Apple Cider which is boiled down to a syrup and used to flavor both the cake and the glaze. It's a dreamy, nut-free New England-style concoction that will have you swooning. Whether you make this during fall baking and harvest time or serve for family dinners throughout the year, your taste buds will be craving more! If you enjoy vintage down-home recipes, this Apple Cider Cake is for you!
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 9x9" 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 9x9” 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
NOTE: DO NOT USE APPLE CIDER VINEGAR IN THIS RECIPE!
Recipe adapted from A Family Feast.
© Can’t Stay Out of the Kitchen
Nutrition
Calories: 380kcalCarbohydrates: 73gProtein: 5gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 60mgSodium: 284mgPotassium: 160mgFiber: 2gSugar: 49gVitamin A: 289IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 89mgIron: 2mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!