We’re in full swing fall now, aren’t we? Today we’re on something very in-season with an apple cider pound cake recipe. It’s a bit of a process, but very worth it, and if we’re not spending time in the kitchen now, then when?
The flavor for this cake comes from a syrup made by boiling apple cider down until it’s dramatically reduced and thick. It becomes a super concentrated syrup that works perfectly in a cake!
How to Make Apple Cider Cake
The first step is to make your apple cider syrup. I first heard about this method from Bon Appetite, and I really love it for cake. You want to take a half-gallon of the freshest apple cider you can get (try to find some that is stored in the refrigerated section of your grocery store) and simply boil it for about an hour to an hour and half.
During this process, the cider will reduce by almost 3/4, and near the end it will start to become fairly thick. You want the final consistency to be similar to real maple syrup. A half gallon will give you a bit more syrup than what you need for the recipe, but trust me, you’ll use it.
The cake comes together pretty easily after that. Start by mixing together the dry ingredients, including a good amount of warm spices cause ya know, fall.
Mix the wet ingredients in a larger bowl, adding the flour mixture finally, and spread the whole affair into a well-greased loaf pan. I like to sprinkle the top with a generous amount of cinnamon and sugar- it creates a crackly, crunchy top!
Pop it in the oven and that’s it guys. You’ve got fall in a pan, plus your house smells flippin’ amazing! What more do we need folks?
Tips & Tricks for Your Cake
This cake has a few steps to it, so it’s important to take your time and get it right. Plus, there’s some variations you can add as well!
- Use fresh apple cider: This is super important. It won’t reduce and become syrup properly if you use the cheap stuff, so look for something fresh- in the refrigerated section of your store.
- Be patient! It takes a long time to reduce the apple cider to a syrup, but listen; your house is going to smell INCREDIBLE, plus you don’t have to stand at the pot the whole time. Don’t worry, keep at it.
- If your cider doesn’t become syrup try to switch the reduced cider to a large, tall-sided skillet. This vessel can sometimes make things move a little faster.
- Use any spices you like, but go for a good amount of warm spices to compliment the apple flavor. I am using cinnamon, ginger, and cloves, but nutmeg, allspice, or really anything you’d like would be great here.
- Add a simple icing if you want to really amp up the apple flavor. Mix together 2 tbs. of the apple cider syrup with 1 cup powdered sugar until smooth, and drizzle it all over the top once the cake has cooled.
I hope you guys love this one! Enjoy!
Apple Cider Cake
Ingredients
- 1 half-gallon fresh apple cider
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 2 3/4 cups flour
- 1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ginger
- 1/4 tsp cloves
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 cup softened butter
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 4 eggs
- 1/3 cup reduced apple cider syrup
- 3 tbs sugar
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
Instructions
-
In a large pot, bring your fresh apple cider to a boil along with the two cinnamon sticks. Boil the cider for 1- 1 1/2 hours, or until it's reduced by about 3/4, and has become thick. It should be about the consistency of real maple syrup. Set it aside to cool.
-
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and generously grease an 8 inch loaf pan. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
-
In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the vanilla extract, eggs, and your apple cider syrup until just combined. Slowly beat in the flour mixture and mix until fully incorporated. Spread evenly into your prepared pan.
-
Stir together your cinnamon and sugar until combined, and sprinkle evenly over the cake batter. Bake for 1 hour, or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool completely, and enjoy!
Hello and welcome! My name is Nicole, and Dough-eyed is a food blog for people who want to bake for their family and friends in high-altitude areas. Think of me as a friendly voice there with you in the kitchen, here to give you confidence when you’re baking, and to help you with the struggles of baking at high-altitude. Come back every week for new recipes, tips, and advice on high-altitude baking!
First attempt today! The syrup totally hardened before I could add it to the batter! Reheated and then it hardened while mixing ????. Help!
Hi there! Oh no! I'm thinking maybe the syrup was reduced too much- it should be thickened slightly, but still a bit runny, similar to the consistency of real maple syrup, so kind of a thin syrup! It should stay liquid even when chilled.
Delicious! And great step by step on making the reduced cider.
So glad you enjoyed it!!
Hi! I’m interested in the recipe but I’m not sure I understand about the cider reduction and the amount of reduced cider that goes in the recipe. 1/2 gal = 64 oz. If that’s reduced by 3/4 you’d end up with 16 oz (or 2 c) correct?
The reduced cider amount going into the recipe reads 1/3 c. Is there leftover reduced cider? Do you just drink the leftover reduced cider or use it for something else like maple syrup?
Thanks for any info you can offer – Colleen
Hi Colleen! I'm sorry, this part is definitely confusing and I'll work on how to clarify in the recipe. Basically, yes, you may end up with more of the cider syrup than what you need for the cake. Because we're reducing it from such a high volume of liquid, the exact amount that you'll end up with in order to reach a syrupy consistency can vary based on the original cider itself. But I would recommend going off of visual cues for it- you want to go until its about reduced by 3/4 in volume, but it should also have a consistency similar to real maple syrup at that point. I hope that's helpful!