Perfect for sweater weather season and Thanksgiving, this delicious and warm spiced apple cake with an apple cider reduction makes the ideal addition to your dessert table at your next holiday gathering!
Ingredients you need to make this recipe:
- Brown butter: Using brown butter will add extra nuttiness and warmth to the cake.
- Vegetable oil and milk: The secret in a moist cake is to use vegetable oil and milk!
- Spiced apple cider reduction: This is the star of the cake! Sweet and tangy, this sauce will add extra flavors and moisture to your cake. You can easily make your own reduction by clicking on my recipe here.
- Apples: I used 2 medium apples, a combination of granny smith and honeycrisp for that sweet and sourness. They are also perfect for baking.
PRO TIPS FOR MAKING SPICED APPLE CIDER CAKE
PREPARING THE CAKE BATTER
- Preheat oven to 330°F. Brush an 8-inch cake pan with oil and dust with some flour on the side. Line the bottom with parchment paper and set aside. TIP: This will allowyour cake to rise evenly and prevent it from sticking or tearing when you remove it from the pan.
- Slice apples thinly, about ⅛ inch thick, with a mandolin or knife and set aside. TIP: Your apple slices will brown from oxidation but that’s ok because you will be pouring the reduction on top. However, if you want them to remain white, you can squeeze some lemon juice on top to prevent them from oxidizing.
- In a small saucepan on medium heat, brown butter, stirring occasionally to prevent the burning bits from sticking at the bottom, until it smells nutty and turns golden brown, about 6 minutes. Let it cool to room temperature. TIP: Stir occasionally with a rubber spatula while it’s on heat to prevent burning at the bottom of the pan.
- Sift all dry ingredients into a mixing bowl and set aside. TIP: Sifting is important step because it will distribute your dry ingredients evenly, including your baking powder. Additionally, it will prevent any lumps from forming during baking. You want the smoothest cake possible!
- Using a paddle attachment of an electric mixer on low speed (or using a hand mixer on medium speed), add butter, both sugars and mix well. Add one egg at a time until all combined. TIP: Make sure your eggs are at room temperature for better emulsification.
- Add half of the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Add milk until just combined and add the remaining flour mixture. Make sure to scrape the side and bottom of the mixing bowl to incorporate all the flour.
- Slowly drizzle vegetable oil and vanilla extract until all combined. Finish the mixing by hand with a rubber spatula. TIP: Because oil needs to emulsify slowly into the cake batter, it is best to drizzle and not add the whole content all at once.
MAKING THE APPLE LAYER
- Transfer the cake batter into the cake pan. You should expect a semi-thick or easily pourable consistency.
- Gently add apple slices, starting with the outer layer and overlapping each slice halfway onto the previous slice. Continue with the following layers, each layer working towards the center of the cake, with apple slices also overlapping the previous layer.
TIP: You cake will rise and will take more surface area. Therefore, by overlapping the apples, it will prevent them from separating during baking. Of course, if it does, your cake will still taste amazing!
BAKING AND SERVING THE CAKE
- Place the cake pan in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes. TIP: I strongly recommend in investing in a cake strip as it will help your cake bake without having the side overly baked. However, using cake strips will prolong the baking time for about 5 minutes. Moreover, no ovens are made equally so I suggest you take your cake out at the 35 minute mark to check if it is done. You will know your cake is baked when the side will start pulling and separating from the pan. If this is not the case, you can bake for an additional 5 minutes.
- Pour apple cider reduction on the cake and serve hot or room temperature. I highly recommend serving it with ice cream!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How long can I store this cake? This cake can be stored at room temperature, covered, up to 3 days. However, if you like to eat it warm, you can reheat it at 300°F for 3 minutes.
Can I use only butter to make the cake? To have the most moist cake, I strongly recommend a mix of butter and vegetable oil. Butter hardens at room temperature while vegetable oil stays in a liquid form. Using just butter as your fat will harden and dry your cake once it cooled.
What kind of apples should I be using for baking? This is totally up to you. However, I do find the honeycrips apples with a mix of granny smith is the perfect balance between sweet and tangy! In addition, once baked, they yield a great texture!
If you enjoyed this Spiced Apple Cider Cake, you can try my awesome and super moist Orange Blossom Olive Oil Cake!
If you’ve tried this recipe, I’d love to hear from you! You can let me know how it went by commenting in the comments section below and don’t forget to leave a rating!
Servings: 8 servants
Calories: 273kcal
Equipment
- 8-inch cake pan
- Electric mixer
- Small saucepan
- Mixing bowls
- Mandolin optional
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients
- 1 cup (120g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp (4g) baking powder
- 1 tsp (3g) cinnamon
- ½ tsp (2g) ground ginger
- Pinch ground cardamom
- Pinch of salt
Sugars and wet ingredients
- ¼ cup (62g) butter unsalted
- ¼ cup (50g) light brown sugar
- ¼ cup (50g) white sugar
- 2 eggs room temperature
- ¼ cup (60ml) milk, room temperature
- ¼ cup (60ml) vegetable oil
- 1 tsp (5ml) vanilla extract
Apple layer & topping
- 2 medium-sized apples
- ¼ cup (60ml) spiced apple cider reduction
Makes: 8inch round
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 330°F.
- Brush an 8-inch cake pan with oil and dust with some flour on the side. Line the bottom with parchment paper and set aside.
- Slice apples thinly, about ⅛ inch thick, with a mandolin or knife and set aside.
- In a small saucepan on medium heat, brown butter, stirring occasionally to prevent the burning bits from sticking at the bottom, until it smells nutty and turns golden brown, about 6 minutes. Let it cool to room temperature.
- Sift all dry ingredients into a mixing bowl and set aside.
- Using a paddle attachment of an electric mixer on low speed (or using a hand mixer on medium speed), add butter, both sugars and mix well. Add one egg at a time until all combined.
- Add half of the flour mixture and mix until just combined. Add milk until just combined and add the remaining flour mixture. Make sure to scrape the side and bottom of the mixing bowl to incorporate all the flour.
- Slowly drizzle vegetable oil and vanilla extract until all combined. Finish the mixing by hand with a rubber spatula.
- Pour the cake batter into the cake pan. Gently add apple slices, starting with the outer layer and overlapping each slice halfway onto the previous slice. Continue with the following layers, each layer working towards the center of the cake, with apple slices also overlapping the previous layer.
- Place the cake pan in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes.
- Pour apple cider reduction on the cake and serve hot or room temperature.
Nutrition
Calories: 273kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 57mg | Sodium: 120mg | Potassium: 86mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 274IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
