Apple Cider Cake is perfect for a Fall birthday party or for the Thanksgiving holidays. This is a moist, delicious cake made with apples and apple cider.
We tested this cake a couple of different ways until we settled on this recipe. The cake has apple cider, applesauce, and shredded apples for that triple apple threat! The cake is moist, tender, soft, and has a great crumb. It's reminiscent of those classic fall apple cider donuts.
Let's get to the recipe
Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour/ Plain Flour. Make sure to measure the flour properly. I suggest weighing it with a scale.
- Baking Soda. This chemical leavening agent will help the cake rise.
- Salt. The salt enhances all of the other ingredients flavor profiles.
- Spices. Ground cinnamon, ground ginger, and ground cloves are my favorite blend but you can use some ground nutmeg or allspice if you want.
- Salted Butter. Make sure the butter is softened to room temperature, so it creams with the sugar.
- Sugar. I love the combination of light brown sugar and granulated sugar.
- Large Eggs. The eggs should be at room temperature to evenly incorporate into the rest of the batter. You can do this quickly by placing the eggs in a bowl of warm water at room temperature
- Apple Cider. This spiced drink adds moisture and flavor to the cake.
- Unsweetened Applesauce. The applesauce adds more apple flavor and moisture to the cake.
- Vanilla Extract. The warmth of vanilla pairs beautifully.
- Shredded Cooking Apples. Granny Smith or Honeycrisp are my favorite
To ensure we get that classic apple cider cake flavor we'll add a butter/ cider glaze that is sealed with a cinnamon sugar topping. The apple cider will be cooked down to reduce to half, this ensures a stronger apple cider flavor. You could skip this step and just use half the amount the recipe calls for to start.
The apples are missing in this photo, you will need two!
For ingredient quantities please reference the recipe card below. On the recipe card there is a button for US or M (Metric) measurements.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350F/180C and grease a 10-cup bundt pan make sure to get every nook and cranny!
In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger. In a medium-sized bowl/ liquid measuring bowl with a spout mix together the apple cider, applesauce, vanilla extract, and grated apples.
In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment beat the butter and sugars together for 3 minutes or so on medium speed. You want the mixture to get very light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add one egg and mix until combined then add the remaining two eggs, one at a time.
Add a ⅓ of the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, mix until just combined, add half of the apple cider mixture, and mix until just combined, then repeat with more dry then wet, finishing with the dry. Make sure not to over-mix, that can create a tough cake.
Pour apple cake batter evenly into the prepared pan and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Depending on the shape of your bundt pan your cake may be wider or taller, a wider cake pan will bake quicker than a taller bundt pan. Let cool in cake pan for 10 minutes then invert into a wire rack.
In a small pot over low-medium heat cook the apple cider for a minute or two to reduce it by half. This will leave you with 1oz or 2 tablespoons of apple cider. Reducing the cider concentrates the flavor.
In a small bowl mix together the apple cider and melted butter. In another bowl mix together the sugar and ground cinnamon.
Use a pastry brush to brush the melted cider/ butter mixture all over the bundt cake, after a few brushes take some of the cinnamon sugar and press it into the cake. Repeat until all of the cake is covered.
Store the cake in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
There you have it, this perfectly spiced fall apple cake.
FAQ and Tips for Success
You could use 9"x5" loaf pans or two 1lb loaf pans.
Use a gluten free one for one flour swap for the all purpose flour.
- Use room temperature ingredients, to ensure everything evenly combines.
- Don't over mix the cake batter or you will over develop the gluten, creating a tougher cake.
- Let the cake cool for ten minutes then place a wire rack on top of the bundt cake and flip it over to inver the cake out of the bundt pan. If you let the cake rest in the pan for too long you risk it getting stuck in the pan.
More cake recipes
- Oreo Cake
- Yellow Cake Recipe From Scratch
- Chocolate Pudding Cake
- Orange Olive Oil Cake
- Pumpkin Pie Cake from my friends blog!
★★★★★ Please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a star rating and comment below!
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PrintRecipe Card
Apple Cider Cake
Apple Cider Cake is perfect for a Fall birthday party or for the Thanksgiving holidays. This is a moist, delicious cake made with apples and apple cider.
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 12-14 Slices 1x
Ingredients
Apple Cider Cake
- 375 grams (3 Cups) All-Purpose Flour/ Plain Flour
- 1 ½ Teaspoons Baking Soda
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- ½ Teaspoon Ground Cloves
- ½ Teaspoon Ground Ginger
- 8oz (1 Cup) Unsalted Butter, softened to room temperature
- 150 grams (¾ Cup) Light Brown Sugar
- 150 grams (¾ Cup) Granulated Sugar
- 3 Large Eggs, at room temperature
- 8oz Apple Cider
- 4oz (½ Cup) Applesauce
- 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
- 250 grams (2 Medium) Shredded Cooking Apples*, Granny Smith or Honeycrisp are my favorite
Cinnamon Topping
- 2oz (¼ Cup) Apple Cider
- 2oz (¼ Cup) Melted Butter
- 50 grams (¼ Cup) Granulated Sugar
- 2 Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F/180C and grease a 10-cup bundt pan make sure to get every nook and cranny!
- In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger.
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment beat the butter and sugars together for 3 minutes or so on medium speed. You want the mixture to get very light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add one egg and mix until combined then add the remaining two eggs, one at a time.
- In a medium size bowl mix together the apple cider, applesauce, vanilla extract and grated apples.
- Add the ⅓ of the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, mix until just combined, add half of the apple cider mixture and mix until just combined, then repeat with more dry then wet, finishing with the dry. Make sure not to over mix, that can create a tough cake.
- Pour apple cake batter evenly into the prepared pan and bake for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Depending on the shape of your bundt pan your cake may be wider or taller, a wider cake pan will bake quicker than a taller bundt pan. Let cool in cake pan for 10 minutes then invert into a wire rack.
Cinnamon Topping
- In a small pot over low-medium heat cook the apple cider for a minute or two to reduce it by half. This will leave you with 1oz or 2 tablespoons of apple cider. Reducing the cider concentrates the flavor.
- In a small bowl mix together the apple cider and melted butter. In another bowl mix together the sugar and ground cinnamon.
- Use a pastry brush to brush the melted cider/ butter mixture all over the bundt cake, after a few brushes take some of the cinnamon sugar and press it into the cake. Repeat until all of the cake is covered. Store the cake in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Notes
*Cooking Apples: Granny Smith, Honey Crisp, Fuji, Gala, Braeburn, Cortland
Freezing: You can totally freeze the apple bundt cake. To freeze the cake let it cool completely then wrap in plastic wrap, tightly, then wrap it again. This helps avoid any freezer burn. Let the cake thaw on the counter overnight. You can also freeze individual slices of cake the same way. Wrap in plastic wrap tightly, twice, then store in a freezer-safe container like a plastic bag. To thaw let a slice sit on the counter at room temperature for a couple of hours.
- Prep Time: 15 Minutes
- Cook Time: 45 Minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: apple cider bundt cake, easy apple cider cake
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Debbie Br says
Great recipe! Just to clarify, do you mean if you plan to freeze, put the toffee sauce on just before you serve it, not freeze it with the toffee sauce on it before you freeze it?
Thanks
Elizabeth Waterson says
HI Debbie, sorry for the confusion there is not toffee sauce on this recipe! That was a copy mistake from my other apple bundt cake recipe. You can freeze this cake with the cinnamon sugar topping or without! Please report back if you try the recipe! XX Liz