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Caramel Apple Cider Cake

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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!

Ingredients

Scale

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

  1. 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.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease and line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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. 
  7. 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.
  8. Cool the cake in the pan for 5-10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely to room temperature.

Caramel Buttercream

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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

  1. Spoon the buttercream on top of the cooled cake. Use an offset spatula to smooth out into an even layer.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.

Find it online: https://nourishedendeavors.com/caramel-apple-cider-cake/