Old Fashioned Fresh Apple Cake Recipe (with Apple Cider)

Old Fashioned Fresh Apple Cake. It's that time of year again when everyone goes apple picking and has an abundance of apples that they don't know what to do with. But I have an idea! Try my Old Fashioned Apple Cake recipe. I know a traditional old fashioned fresh apple cake recipe uses fresh apples like granny smith apples or golden delicious apples. But my apple cake recipe uses fresh apple cider which enhances the tart apple flavor and also makes this recipe so easy! You don't have to deal with peeling and cutting a ton of apples, all you need is high quality fresh apple cider and you're set! My old fashioned apple cake recipe is sweet, tart, and perfectly moist. The cake has a cinnamon streusel swirl in the center and the outside is coated in cinnamon sugar providing the perfect bite. This cake is a show stopper!

This apple cider cake is the perfect recipe for your Thanksgiving dessert table. If you are looking for more fall desserts, you can also try:

Bourbon Pecan Pie Cheesecake with a Pecan Crust

Maple Pecan Shortbread Bars

Apple Galette with a Puff Pastry Crust

Macadamia Nut Chocolate Caramel Pie

Top Reasons to Make an Old Fashioned Fresh Apple Cake with Apple Cider

• Using apple cider enhances the apple flavor! Apple cider is very concentrated which can make it hard to drink on its own, but when you add this to a recipe, it provides a strong, tart apple taste.
• Using apple cider will help cut down prep time significantly. It can take forever to wash, peel, and dice up tons of apples but with apple cider, you get all of that apple flavor in a liquid form.

Ingredients Needed to Make This Moist Apple Cake Recipe

Apple cider. This is the most important ingredient! This cake has 4 full cups of fresh apple cider in it! The cider is reduced down, eliminating all of the water content so that we can jam pack this cake with apple flavor!

Warm spices. This cake has cinnamon, allspice, and a little nutmeg which all highlight the apple flavor but not enough to overpower it!

Brown sugar. The brown sugar gives the cake a rich flavor and a chewy outer bite that I love so much.

Vegetable oil. Vegetable oil adds so much fat to the cake creating a super moist cake.

Butter. This provides the perfect texture and tender crumb to your cake.

Baking powder. This makes your cake rise up!

Variations and Substitutions

Change up how you finish the cake. I traditionally use a cinnamon sugar topping to finish off my cake but you can top this apple cake with a cream cheese frosting or even a simple but delicious maple brown sugar glaze! I'll have the recipes for those linked here.

Use a different style of pan for a unique design. This recipe uses a Bundt pan but you can use a tube pan or even a loaf pan to make individual loaf cakes. Remember though, baking times vary based on the pan.

Step by Step Directions

Apple Cider Cake

1. In a medium sauce pan add your apple cider and reduce. Simmer on a medium low heat until lightly boiling. Stir and simmer for about one and a half hours or until your cider is a thick syrup consistency and reduced down to about ½ a cup. If your cider reduction is still ¾ cup or more, then continue to reduce. Once completed, put aside.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat your butter until soft and airy. Then add your sugar and brown sugar and mix until combined. Then add your eggs, vanilla, and oil. Mix until combined. Slowly add your cider reduction while mixing.
3. In a small bowl, combine your flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg. Slowly add your flour mixture to your cider mixture and whisk until combined
4. Set your batter aside.

Cinnamon Streusel& How to Assemble

1. In a small bowl, add your flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon until combined. Add your melted butter and mix until combined.
2. Butter and flour your Bundt pan. Then pour half of your batter into the prepared Bundt pan and smooth it out. Then add all of your streusel mixture on top of that. Then add the remaining half of your batter on top of that and smooth it out. Bake your cake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes. Then without opening up your oven, lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another 35-40 minutes or until a skewer comes out mostly clean.
3. Take out and let completely cool
4. Once cooled, very gently run your knife along the edges of your pan (outer circle and inner circle).
5. Place a plate on top of Bundt pan and using both hands quickly flip your cake releasing your cake out of the pan!

Cinnamon Brown Sugar Topping

1. In a small bowl, combine your cinnamon and sugar.
2. Brush your melted butter all along the whole outside of your Bundt cake, then sprinkle your sugar mixture over the whole cake.
3. Serve and enjoy!

Tips for Making an Old Fashioned Apple Cake

1. To reduce the cider or to eliminate water content out of a liquid, simmer it on a medium low heat for a long time until you reach the consistency you desire. The light boil will evaporate all the water and create a thicker syrup. Be careful to keep stirring and to not burn your reduction.
2. I have a little trick to guarantee the highest rise out of your cake. Start baking your cake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes. The super hot heat will help create a burst in the rising process. Then change the temperature of the oven to 350 degrees (without opening the oven) and bake for the remaining 35-40 minutes to bake the center of the cake.
3. To ensure your cake will come out of the pan cleanly, you have to butter and flour your pan! To do so, rub some butter on every edge of your pan and the coat it in flour. shake out the remaining. Make sure to not skip the flour because just the butter itself will burn the outer edge of your cake.

Lastly, if you try out this Old Fashioned Fresh Apple Cake Recipe, be sure to leave a comment/rating on how it turned out. I love hearing from you guys and will try my best to reply to every comment! And don’t forget to tag me on Instagram!