Apple Cake with Apple Cider Buttercream
Am I the only one who finds it relaxing to curl up on the sofa during these frigid days of winter and page through back issues of cooking and baking magazines? I’m guessing I’m not alone here.
Following an autumn and early winter filled with travel and holidays, I finally have time to relax and bake, just for the fun of it. The other day I was craving cake. So, grabbing a stack of magazines from the coffee table, I began to flip through them for inspiration. It wasn’t the first time I had looked at these magazines. Many of the pages had dog-ear’d corners, a kind of ‘note to self’ to re-visit that recipe at some other time. One such recipe was a beautifully photographed apple cake from an article in ‘Bake From Scratch‘ titled Baking the Harvest.
Thank goodness for apples! During the winter months, when the produce section at the market is absent juicy stone fruits and freshly picked locally grown berries, there are apples! Reliable apples! Apples are often thought of as a fall fruit, but we all know that any given day of the year, we can grab a variety of apples from the market. They are always there for us, willing and ready to be eaten out of hand or baked into a delicious cake, pie, or dessert.
Since I usually have apples on hand, I immediately got busy baking the cake from the magazine article. The cake frosting from the recipe was a whipped cream type frosting, but I opted for a buttercream, mostly because I wanted to photograph the cake and knew that a buttercream would be a more stable choice. I loved the combination of the apple cider buttercream with this cake because neither are overly sweet, which allows the spice to take center stage in both. I love this cake! I can’t wait to make it again to serve to company. After all, who doesn’t like apples, especially when presented as the star in a tender moist slice of cake.
Note: I used three 6-inch cake pans to produce a towering cake, however, two 8-inch cake pans can be used as well.
Note: If a Swiss buttercream isn’t your thing, feel free to use a good ole American frosting. A cream cheese frosting would be equally delicious on this cake.
Apple Cake with Apple Cider Buttercream
3/4 cup (170grams) butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups (330 grams) firmly packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs (150 grams)
1 tablespoon (13 grams) vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups (219 grams) all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon (6 grams) ground cinnamon
1 1/4 teaspoon (6.25 grams) baking soda
1 teaspoon (2 grams) ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon (1 gram) ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (120 grams) sour cream
3/4 cup (150 grams) shredded tart apple
Apple Cider Buttercream (recipe follows)
Preheat oven to 350˚. Grease three 6-inch round cake pans with butter, then dust with flour and line with parchment paper.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and brown sugar at medium speed until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in vanilla.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, allspice, ginger and salt. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add half of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beating just until combined. Beat in the sour cream. Add the remaining flour mixture, beating just until combined. Gently stir in the apple. Divide batter among prepared pans.
Bake until a cake tester inserted in center comes out clean, 25-30 minutes. Let cool in pans for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and let cool completely on wire racks.
If necessary, level each cake layer before frosting. Spread Apple Cider Buttercream between layers. Using an offset spatula, spread remaining frosting on top and sides of cake.
Apple Cider Buttercream
1 cup spiced apple cider
3 large egg whites
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, cut into cubes, at room temperature
In a small saucepan, bring the apple cider to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer until the cider is reduced to approximately 1/3 cup. Cool cider to room temperature.
Combine the egg whites, sugar, and salt together in the bowl of a stand mixer. (Make sure the bowl is very clean and free from any residual fat.) Bring a pan of water to a gentle simmer. Place the bowl of egg whites over the simmering water, making sure the bottom of the pan does not come in contact with the water.
Whisk the egg until the sugar has melted, then stir frequently until the egg whites have reached a temperature between 145˚ and 150˚ on an instant read thermometer.
Remove the bowl from the pan and place on a stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, beat the whites on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Continue to beat until the whites are completely cool. Test this by feeling the bottom of the bowl. It should feel completely cool to the touch.
Turn the mixer down to medium-low and begin adding the butter, a piece at a time. Once all the butter has been added, scrape down the side of the bowl and whisk for a few more seconds. With the mixer on low speed, drizzle in the reduced apple cider, and whisk until combined.
Note: I found this spiced apple cider at Trader Joe’s. If it’s not available in your area, use plain apple cider and add a cinnamon stick along with a few whole cloves to the cider while reducing.
Inspired by a recipe in Bake From Scratch contributed by Kelsey Siemens
Such a gorgeous cake! The buttercream is fabulous and reminds me of winter snow. Reducing the apple cider bring so much apple flavor to this lush winter dessert.
Thanks Deb! Trying my utmost to make the best out of winter’s available fruits.
This makes me so so happy! Yours turned out so beautifully! <3
This is truly one of my favorite cakes Kelsey! BTW, your blog is beautiful!!