This Triple Glazed Caramel Apple Cider Cake is bursting with apple and the flavors of autumn! Shredded apples and an intense apple cider syrup flavor the moist, tender cake. Three glazes send it right over the top - an apple cider syrup glaze, an apple cider icing, and a caramel drizzle.
I adapted this recipe from Cook’s Illustrated so you know it’s a keeper. The only changes I made were increasing the amount of apple cider syrup, doubling the amount of apple cider icing, and adding a caramel drizzle – all in the name of extravagance! The cake I didn’t even think of messing with – it’s absolutely perfect.
I added a caramel drizzle to this Triple Glazed Caramel Apple Cider Cake because I love the combination of autumn flavors – it’s like a caramel apple! It also adds a delicious, sweet contrast to the tangy apple cider. This cake is bursting with flavor! Check out my Easy Caramel Sauce for a super easy, super delicious caramel sauce.
This Triple Glazed Caramel Apple Cider Cake is so easy to make. It mixes up by hand, no mixer necessary. The apple cider reduces quickly in a skillet while you grab the other ingredients. You can grate the apples by hand or with the grating attachment on a food processor.
Apple Cider vs. Apple Juice:
Apple cider is a raw, non-alcoholic apple juice that hasn’t undergone a filtration process to remove coarse particles of pulp or sediment. It is usually darker and more opaque than apple juice. It may or may not be pasteurized and has a shorter shelf life. It is often found in supermarkets or farmer’s markets during apple season. Apple juice, on the other hand, has been filtered to remove solids and pasteurized so that it will stay fresh longer. Outside of the U.S. apple cider refers to an alcoholic beverage. Americans would call this a hard cider.
I love freezing individual slices of this cake for an occasional treat. Simply slice cake into individual pieces. So I don’t disturb the icing, I put the slices in a single layer on a wax paper covered tray in the freezer. As soon as it’s firm, I wrap each slice tightly in plastic wrap and return to the freezer. To heat, warm up in the microwave for about 30 seconds and enjoy fresh, warm Caramel Apple Cider Cake any night of the week!
Enjoy! Don't forget to pin for later!
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Recipe
Triple Glazed Caramel Apple Cider Cake
Ingredients
- 6 cups apple cider
- 3 ¾ cups all-purpose flour 18.75oz, 532g
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 ½ cups confectioners' sugar 6oz, 170g
- 16 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- 1 ½ cups packed dark brown sugar 10.5oz, 298g
- 3 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 ½ pounds Honey Crisp or Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and shredded 680g
- ¾ cup caramel sauce
Instructions
- Boil the apple cider in a 12-inch skillet over high heat until it is reduced to 1 ½ cups.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a 12-cup nonstick Bundt pan by buttering and flouring or spraying with nonstick cooking spray.
- Place confectioners’ sugar in a separate small bowl. Add 5 tablespoons of the reduced apple cider syrup and whisk until smooth. Cover and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and allspice in large bowl and whisk until combined.
- In another mixing bowl, combine ½ cup apple cider syrup, melted butter, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla and whisk until smooth.
- Pour the liquid mixture over the dry mixture and stir with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until almost fully combined. Add the shredded apples and their juices. Stir until evenly distributed.
- Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in the middle of a 350 degree F oven until a skewer inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean, about 55 minutes to 1 hour 5 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let cool on a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Invert cake onto cooling rack set on top of a baking sheet. Brush top and sides of cake with remaining apple cider syrup. Pour the excess syrup into a bowl and serve alongside the cake if you would like an extra drizzle.
- Optional: For an even moister cake, poke holes into cake with a skewer before brushing with syrup.
- Let cake cool completely, about 2 hours. Stir icing until smooth. Add a little apple cider syrup if it needs to be thinner. Drizzle apple cider icing and caramel sauce evenly over cake.
- Store in a covered container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Notes
- I love freezing individual slices of this cake for an occasional treat. Simply slice cake into individual pieces. So I don’t disturb the icing, I put the slices in a single layer on a wax paper covered tray in the freezer. As soon as it’s firm, I wrap each slice tightly in plastic wrap and return to the freezer.
- To heat, warm up in the microwave for about 30 seconds and enjoy fresh, warm Caramel Apple Cider Cake any night of the week!
Nutrition
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Eugene says
Made this and it was absolutely fantastic!
Kelly says
Thanks Eugene!