Buzz
All the talk about Thanksgiving pie has made me yearn for cake. While pie is a classic, sometimes it’s just too much. Between its delicate layers, heat-sensitive filling, and tricky crust, pie can be a nightmare for the cook. As a guest, pie is a joy when it’s perfect, but I’ve had enough of soggy crusts. I can even spot a bad one from across the room. Why not offer something else for a change? If you’re tired of bringing another pie to Thanksgiving, why not wow everyone with this irresistible apple cider cake? (And hosts, you can make this too.)
I crafted this cake to be delicious but also Thanksgiving-friendly. It's sturdy enough to transport to your host’s home (and back again) and easy to serve in to-go boxes at the end of the evening. After the party ends, this cake stays fresh for up to a week at room temperature or in the fridge, unlike pie, which doesn’t always keep as well.
Among all the fall cake flavors, pumpkin, apple, and spice reign supreme. While pumpkin gets plenty of attention, I decided to spotlight apples. This cake is a true celebration of everything wonderful about them. It brings the sweet and tangy flavors of mulled apple cider into a concentrated syrup. (Here’s how to make apple cider syrup.) It’s like squeezing half a gallon of apple cider into a cake, as most of the water evaporates. The result is a large, soft, and fragrant cake bursting with apple and brown sugar flavor. It’s a showstopper that’s perfect for sharing, but the recipe can also be halved to make a smaller version if preferred.
Though the butter is melted in this cake, we use a modified creaming technique. Typically, this method involves beating butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, but since the fats are liquid here, they’re stirred into the sugar. Then, eggs and extracts are incorporated, followed by alternating additions of dry ingredients and liquid. In this case, the liquid is apple cider syrup. The resulting batter will be somewhat runny. Pour it into a generously buttered and floured bundt pan and bake for 50 to 55 minutes at 350°F. Once done, invert the cake pan onto a cooling rack, leaving the pan on top for 10 minutes. Afterward, remove the bundt pan and allow the cake to cool completely, which takes about an hour.
Top the cake with apple cider glaze or simply dust it with powdered sugar. You can enjoy it warm with a scoop of ice cream, cold from the fridge, or, in true Thanksgiving style, as part of a dessert plate loaded with three other sweets.
Apple Cider Bundt Cake
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons melted butter
1 cup vegetable oil
1 ½ cups brown sugar
6 eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup reduced apple cider syrup
1 ½ tablespoons apple cider (optional for glaze)
1 ¼ cup powdered sugar (optional for glaze)
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Prepare a standard 12-cup bundt pan by greasing and flouring it well, ensuring you reach all the way up to the rim. Set it aside on a baking sheet.
In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the dry ingredients. Set this mixture aside.
In a large bowl, combine the melted butter and oil with the sugar, stirring until the mixture is smooth. Add the eggs in two batches, ensuring the mixture is fully blended between additions. Stir in the vanilla extract.
Gradually whisk in one-third of the dry ingredients, followed by half of the apple cider syrup. Alternate between the two, finishing with the last third of the flour mixture. Pour the batter into the prepared bundt pan and bake at 350°F for 50-60 minutes. The cake should begin to pull away from the pan's sides, and a toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean.
Invert the cake onto a cooling rack, keeping the pan on top for 10 minutes. Remove the pan and let the cake cool completely. Serve as is or drizzle with the apple cider glaze.
For the glaze, whisk together powdered sugar and apple cider until smooth and thick. Spread it generously over the top of the cake, allowing it to naturally drip down the sides.
