A “Cup of Cider” Cake
Apple juice, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and a touch of orange zest warmed in a cup is truly one of the comfiest drinks that I know. I love it, but it seems that when it’s served at a gathering, I always have a little left over the next day. I wanted to find a creative way to use the cider and cake came to mind. I searched and ultimately landed a this spice cake. I substituted apple cider for the milk and the result is a moist apple cider spice cake. I rounded out the cake with a cider frosting. I sprinkled it with cinnamon sugar to finish. The cake and frosting combination is an authentic tasting apple cider cake. It’s lovely.
Side of cider with your cider cake?
Apple Cider Spice Cake
Ingredients
- 2-1/2 cups bleached all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 cup high-quality apple cider (original recipe uses milk)
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened until easily spreadable
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 cup sugar
Directions
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and lightly flour a 9-by-13-inch pan.
- Whisk dry ingredients and spices in a large bowl.
- Mix cider, eggs and vanilla extract in a 2-cup measuring cup.
- Beat softened butter into dry ingredients, first on low, then medium, until mixture forms pebble-sized pieces. Add about 1/3 of the cider mixture and beat on low until smooth. Add remaining cider mixture in two stages; beat on medium speed until batter is just smooth.
- Add the sugar; beat until just incorporated, about 30 seconds.
- Pour batter into cake pan. Bake until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the cake’s center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Set pan on a wire rack; let cool for 5 minutes. Run a knife around the pan perimeter and turn cake onto rack. Let cool.
Apple Cider Frosting
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/3 cup apple cider
1 teaspoon cinnamon (I added this)
4 cups (about 1 pound) powdered sugar
Directions
Beat butter, cinnamon, and apple cider in medium bowl until creamy and well blended. Gradually beat in powdered sugar until smooth.
© Dorene Krausnick and KrausnicKitchen 2011-2012. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Dorene Krausnick and KrausnicKitchen with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Yum! This looks so delicious!
Thanks! If you try it, let me know how it turns out!
Gorgeous photo!! Looks yummy!
Thanks, maybe will have to make it the next time we get together. 🙂
I made the cake just because I had half a gallon left over from a party,
and could not bear throwing it away. But I used Splenda brown sugar and white sugar. I thought that the batter was too thick (and was tempted to add more cider) but I followed the directions. I love the resulting golden crusty top. It was sweet, and touch spicy, and really did not need icing. Perfect with a cup of coffee or cider.