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Apple Cider Cake is a fluffy pound cake full of apple cider flavor and dusted with cinnamon sugar. This loaf cake reminds me of those apple cider doughnuts you get when you go apple picking!
Perfect Apple Cider Cake
Apple picking is one of my favorite fall activities. It’s such a fun afternoon activity with the whole family. I always grab a gallon of apple cider while we’re apple picking – and chug it while eating an apple cider doughnut. That’s what this cake reminds me of!
This is my favorite pound cake recipe. It started out as a lemon pound cake that made two loaves. It turned itself into orange pound cake and then banana, and then I decided I didn’t want a huge pound cake just for me, so I turned it into a single pound cake loaf made with champagne.
Apple Cider Cake reminds me of a doughnut – it’s soft and sweet with a hint of apple cider and a crunchy cinnamon sugar topping!
What makes this the best pound cake recipe?
For one, it makes one loaf, which is perfect when you don’t want a full cake.
This cake has a moist and tender crumb that just melts in your mouth, thanks to a few ingredients:
- Melted butter – I love using melted butter in my cake recipes.
- Sour cream – gives it a nice moist and tenderness
- Eggs – 3 eggs for the one loaf, which add to the structure of the cake
- Baking Powder – helps to leaven the cake and make it fluffy
- Flour – I always use all-purpose flour. Be sure to measure it correctly!
- Spices – you need some warm apple spices for this: Cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.
- Apple Cider – Use real apple cider, not apple juice
- Granulated Sugar – How to sweeten the cake
- Vanilla – Use pure vanilla extract for best results.
How to make Apple Cider Cake
- Whisk flour, baking powder, salt , cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in a medium bowl.
- Stir melted butter, sugar, and sour cream in a large bowl.
- Stir in eggs, one at a time, then stir in vanilla.
- Add apple cider and dry ingredients and stir just until moistened. Pour into a greased loaf pan.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 34-40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Make the glaze: Heat the sugar and apple cider in a small saucepan over medium heat until it boils. Boil for 1 minute, then remove from heat.
- Stir together topping ingredients, sugar and cinnamon, in a small bowl.
- Cool pound cake for 15 minutes in the pan. Use a knife to loosen around the edges, then carefully remove the cake and place it on a cooling rack set over a cookie sheet. Use a pastry brush to brush the apple cider glaze over the top of the cake. Immediately sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
FAQs
We all hate the word moist, but when you’re talking about cake it’s an important distinction. This cake is not dry and it’s got extra flavor thanks to my secret ingredient: I give the cake extra apple cider flavor with a glaze.
Yes you can freeze this – it’s best fresh but freeze leftovers tightly covered for up to 2 months.
If you double the recipe it will fit in a large bundt pan, baking time will increase.
Apple Cider Pound Cake
Recipe Video
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 1 ½ cups (186g) all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon cloves
- 7 tablespoons (99g) unsalted butter melted
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon (15g) sour cream (or plain Greek yogurt)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla
- ½ cup (118ml) apple cider
For the glaze:
- 2 tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup (79ml) apple cider
For the topping:
- 2 tablespoons (25g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of a 9×5″ loaf pan with parchment paper, then spray it with nonstick cooking spray (the kind with flour) or grease and flour it.
- Whisk flour, baking powder, salt , cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Stir melted butter, sugar, and sour cream or Greek yogurt in a large bowl. Stir in eggs, one at a time, then stir in vanilla. Add apple cider and dry ingredients and stir just until moistened. Pour into prepared pan.
- Bake for 34-40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. (Mine took 39 minutes.)
- While the cake is baking, make the glaze. Heat the sugar and apple cider in a small saucepan over medium heat until it boils. Boil for 1 minute, then remove from heat.
- Stir together topping ingredients, sugar and cinnamon, in a small bowl.
- Cool pound cake for 15 minutes in the pan. Use a knife to loosen around the edges, then carefully remove the cake and place it on a cooling rack set over a cookie sheet. Use a pastry brush to brush the apple cider glaze over the top of the cake. Immediately sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture. Let cool before eating.
- Store loosely covered at room temperature for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month. I like to slice and freeze the slices in sandwich bags.
Recipe Nutrition
Other perfect apple recipes:
- Apple Cider Pie
- Apple Cider Cinnamon Rolls
- Apple Fritter Pull Apart Bread
- Apple Butter Snickerdoodles
- All my Apple Recipes
This would go great for brunch with:
Enjoy this easy loaf cake – an Apple Cider Pound Cake Loaf that’s the perfect dessert for fall.
I have never been apple picking but it is something I have always wanted to do!! And now this beautiful apple cider pound cake is giving me another reason to go SOON!
This pound cake looks epic! Love the cinnamon sugar topping 🙂
This pound cake looks epic! Love the cinnamon sugar topping 🙂
This cake looks amazing and I would love to make it, but I don’t have any yogurt or sour cream. Could you please suggest a substitute I may try instead? Maybe another tablespoon of butter?
BTW, I am somewhat of a packrat also. I am trying to be better with getting rid of things (progress!) — but admittedly it’s also been great to use things I already own without buying anything new. 🙂
That’s a good question! I was already subbing yogurt for the sour cream, so I’m not sure what else will work. A quick google search led me to this page: http://www.livestrong.com/article/411079-what-is-a-good-substitute-for-sour-cream-when-baking/, which mentions buttermilk or cottage cheese. Let me know if it works!
Thank you for your reply; I appreciate it! I’ll definitely report back if I wind up making a modification. 🙂
I happen to have a quart of apple cider and planning to use some to make dinner tonight. Now I have a great dessert idea!
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