If you are looking for an easy but delicious fall bake, then look no further because this flavorful caramel apple cider cake is the answer! Made with a soft and moist apple cider cake that is topped with a perfectly sweetened caramel buttercream, each bite of this cake is incredibly delicious. For an extra pop of caramel flavor, dollops of caramel sauce is swirled into the buttercream – so yum!
Why You Should Make this Cake Recipe?
- Soft, fluffy apple cider cake that is packed with a fragrant mix of fall spices and the sweet taste of reduced apple cider
- Creamy and flavorful caramel buttercream frosting that literally melts in your mouth
- Extra pop of caramel flavor from dollops of caramel sauce that is swirled into the buttercream frosting
- Seriously easy recipe to make
Easy Apple Cider Cake
In addition to being packed with amazing flavor, this apple cider cake is also so easy to make. It literally takes minutes to whip up and bake. For the maximum apple cider flavor, I used reduced apple cider in this recipe and the outcome was pure deliciousness! To make this recipe, you will need:
Key Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour
- Baking Powder
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Granulated Sugar
- Dark Brown Sugar
- Eggs
- Unsalted Butter
- Full-Fat Sour Cream
- Reduced Apple Cider
- Spice Mix (Cinnamon, Allspice, Nutmeg)
Tips for Making the Best Apple Cider Cake
- Reduce the Apple Cider – cooking the apple cider until it reduces by half results in a more flavorful cider that adds amazing apple flavor to this cake. The goal here is to reduce the cider to amplify the apple flavor but it should still have a thin liquid not thick, syrupy consistency.
- Use Fresh Spices – dry spices tend to lose some of this fragrant aroma and flavor as it ages. For the best aromatic flavor, check the date of your spices and opt to use fresh dry spices in this cake recipe. The flavor and taste is unbeatable.
- Do not Overmix Batter – for a perfectly moist and soft cake texture, avoid overmixing the cake batter. The batter should be mixed just until the dry ingredients are fully incorporated into the wet batter without any streak of flour present.
How to Store
Caramel apple cider cake is best eaten the day it is baked. Leftover cake slices stored in an airtight container will last 2-3 days in the fridge and 1-2 months in the freezer. When ready to serve frozen cake slices, thaw in the refrigerator overnight to restore soft texture.
Recipe Notes and Tips
I used an 8×8 inch square baking pan for this recipe. If using a 9×9 inch baking pan, I recommend increasing the baking powder in the recipe by 1/4 teaspoon to avoid the cake coming out too thin.
For the best tasting, aromatic cake, make sure to check the dates of your spices. Using fresh dry spices will result in a more flavorful cake that is irresistibly delicious.
When reducing the apple cider, make sure not to boil it down into a syrupy consistency. The goal here is to reduce the cider just enough to heighten its natural apple flavor while still maintaining a thin liquid consistency. If the cider gets reduced by more than half, just add enough additional cider to end up 1/2 cup in total.
For the most accurate result, I recommend using a digital kitchen scale to weigh out the ingredients in this recipe. This is particularly important with regards to the flour. If you do not own a kitchen scale, use the spoon and level method to measure out the flour correctly with measuring cups.
Looking for More Fall Bakes, Check Out the Links Below:
PrintCaramel Apple Cider Cake
If you are looking for an easy but delicious fall bake, then look no further because this flavorful caramel apple cider cake is the answer! Made with a soft and moist apple cider cake that is topped with a perfectly sweetened caramel buttercream, each bite of this cake is truly delicious. For an extra pop of caramel flavor, dollops of caramel sauce is swirled into the buttercream – so yum!
- Prep Time: 1 Hour
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Yield: 9 large/16 Small Slices 1x
Ingredients
Apple Cider Cake
- 1 3/4 Cup (228g) Unbleached All- Purpose Flour
- 1 1/2 Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
- 1 1/4 Teaspoons Baking Powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Allspice
- 1/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1/4 Teaspoon Salt
- 1/8 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg, May Use More
- 2 Large Eggs (100g), Room Temperature
- 1 Cup (236ml) Apple Cider, Not Apple Juice
- 10 Tablespoons (142g) Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature
- 1/3 Cup (65g) Full-Fat Sour Cream, Room Temperature
- 1/4 Cup (50g) Dark Brown Sugar
- 1/4 Cup (50g) Granulated Sugar
- 1 Teaspoon (5ml) Pure Vanilla Extract
Caramel Buttercream
- 3/4 Cup (170g) Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature, Not Softened
- 1 1/2 Cups (180g) Powdered Sugar, Plus More as Needed
- 3 Tablespoons (60g) Caramel Sauce, Room Temperature, Homemade or Store-Bought
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt, Adjust to Taste
Assembly
- Caramel Sauce, Homemade or Store-Bought
Instructions
Apple Cider Cake
- In a medium saucepan under medium-low heat, boil the apple cider under it reduces by half. You should end up with a 1/2 cup (118ml) of reduced apple cider (see notes). Set aside to cool to room temperature.
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease and line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugars using a hand mixer at medium until the mixture appears thick and fluffy in appearance, about 2-3 minutes.
- Next, mix in the sour cream and vanilla extract into the wet batter to combine. Beat the eggs into the batter one at a time. Use a spatula to scrape the sides and base of the mixing bowl.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix half of the dry ingredients into the wet batter, followed by all of the reduced apple cider and ending with the remaining dry ingredients.
- Give the batter a quick mix with a spatula making sure to scrape the sides and base of the bowl before transferring to the prepared baking pan.
- Smooth the cake batter into an even layer and bake for 28-32 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean with a few moist crumbs. I like to rotate the pan halfway through bake time for even baking.
- Cool the cake in the pan for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely to room temperature.
Caramel Buttercream
- In a medium mixing bowl with a hand mixer, cream the butter and salt together at medium speed until it has a thick and fluffy consistency, about 2 minutes.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low and mix in the powdered sugar. Once the sugar is fully incorporated, mix in the caramel sauce. Increase the mixer speed to medium and give the buttercream final mix until it looks smooth and fluffy in appearance, about 1 minute. The consistency of the buttercream should be thick but spreadable.
- If buttercream is too soft, mix in additional powder sugar 1/4 cup at a time until a thick but spreadable consistency is reached. Alternatively, if the buttercream is too thick, mix in milk or water 1 teaspoon at a time until you have a thick but spreadable consistency.
Assembly
- Spoon the buttercream on top of the cooled cake. Use an offset spatula to smooth out into an even layer.
- Dollop 5-6 teaspoons of caramel sauce over the top of the buttercream and use the tip of an offset spatula to swirl the caramel into the buttercream.
- Cut the cake into 9 large or 16 small slices and serve.
Notes
- When reducing the apple cider, make sure not to boil it down into a syrupy consistency. If the cider gets reduced by more than half, just add enough additional cider to end up 1/2 cup in total.
- I used an 8×8 inch square baking pan for this recipe. If using a 9×9 inch baking pan, I recommend increasing the baking powder in the recipe by 1/4 teaspoon to avoid the cake coming out too thin.
- Leftover cake slices stored in an airtight container will last 2-3 days in the fridge and 1-2 months in the freezer. When ready to serve frozen cake slices, thaw in the refrigerator overnight to restore soft texture.
- If you are using measuring cups to measure out the flour, use the spoon and level method to ensure that the correct amount of flour is measured.
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