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Best Spiced Apple Cider Cake with Caramel Drizzle

spiced apple cider cake - featured image
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A moist, spiced apple cider cake infused with reduced cider syrup and topped with a homemade salty-sweet caramel drizzle. Perfect for fall gatherings and busy weeknights.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
  • ½ cup packed brown sugar
  • 3 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ cups apple cider (reduced to ½ cup)
  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 2 cups apples, peeled and diced (mix of Granny Smith and Honeycrisp)
  • For Caramel Drizzle: 1 cup brown sugar, ½ cup heavy cream, 2 tablespoons butter, pinch of sea salt

Instructions

  1. Pour 1 ½ cups apple cider into a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce to low. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until reduced to about ½ cup. Let cool completely.
  2. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×13 inch baking pan and line with parchment paper.
  3. In a large bowl, beat softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy (3-4 minutes). Scrape down sides.
  4. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in vanilla extract.
  5. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.
  6. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in three parts, alternating with the reduced apple cider. Start and end with dry ingredients. Mix until just combined.
  7. Gently fold diced apples into the batter.
  8. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  9. Let cake cool in pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
  10. While cake cools, make caramel: Combine brown sugar, butter, and cream in a saucepan. Heat over medium, stirring constantly, until smooth. Stir in sea salt. Drizzle over cooled cake.

Notes

Reducing the cider is crucial for flavor intensity and texture; do not skip this step. Do not overmix the batter to avoid a tough cake. Use a mix of tart (Granny Smith) and sweet (Honeycrisp) apples. Cool the cake completely before adding caramel to prevent it from melting into the crumb. For gluten-free, use a 1:1 GF flour blend. For dairy-free, swap butter for coconut oil and cream for coconut cream.

Nutrition

Keywords: apple cider cake, spiced cake, caramel drizzle, fall dessert, easy cake recipe, office party dessert, autumn baking

Find it online: https://sweetstirring.com/best-spiced-apple-cider-cake-with-caramel-drizzle/