What if your favorite fall drink could become a soft, warm cake that fills the whole kitchen with the smell of cinnamon and baked apples?
That’s exactly what apple cider cake does.
Apple cider brings a naturally sweet apple flavor to cake, but when you reduce it first, something even better happens. The flavor becomes deeper and more concentrated without adding a ton of extra liquid to the batter.
Add cinnamon, nutmeg, brown sugar, fresh apples, and maybe a little caramel, and you’ve got a dessert that feels made for crisp fall evenings.
And you don’t need to be an experienced baker to make it.
I’ve put together five easy apple cider cake recipes here, including a classic apple cider cake, cinnamon swirl cake, caramel apple cider cake, apple cider Bundt cake, and a simple crumb cake.
Some are perfect with coffee in the afternoon.
Others are made for bringing to a fall gathering when you want something homemade sitting in the middle of the dessert table.
The trick that makes all of them better?
Reduce the cider before it goes into the batter.
Let’s get into it.
What You’ll Need
Classic Apple Cider Cake
- 1 1/2 cups apple cider
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup diced apple
Apple Cider Cinnamon Swirl Cake
- 1 1/2 cups apple cider
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup sour cream
For the cinnamon swirl:
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Caramel Apple Cider Cake
- 1 1/2 cups apple cider
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup diced apple
- 1/3 cup caramel sauce
Apple Cider Bundt Cake
- 2 cups apple cider
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup sour cream
For the glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons apple cider
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Apple Cider Crumb Cake
- 1 1/2 cups apple cider
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup diced apple
For the crumb topping:
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
Tools You’ll Need
- 9-inch round cake pan
- 9×5-inch loaf pan
- 10-inch Bundt pan
- Large saucepan
- Large mixing bowls
- Medium mixing bowls
- Small mixing bowls
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Whisk
- Rubber spatula
- Wooden spoon
- Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
- Parchment paper
- Cooling rack
- Pastry brush
- Fine-mesh sieve
- Serrated knife
5 Apple Cider Cake Recipes to Make This Fall
1. Classic Apple Cider Cake
Start here if you want a simple fall cake that doesn’t need much decorating.
It’s soft, lightly spiced, and filled with little pieces of apple.
Start by pouring the apple cider into a saucepan.
Bring it to a gentle boil and reduce it from 1 1/2 cups to about 3/4 cup.
Let it cool.
Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Grease a 9-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
In another bowl, beat the softened butter and brown sugar until creamy.
Add the eggs one at a time.
Mix in the vanilla.
Stir in the sour cream and cooled reduced cider.
Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
Fold in the diced apple.
Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
Let the cake cool in the pan for about 10 minutes.
Transfer it to a cooling rack.
You can serve it plain, dust it with powdered sugar, or add a light caramel drizzle.
Don’t overbake this one.
You want the center soft and tender, not dry.
Pro Tips
- Reduce the cider first: This concentrates the apple flavor and keeps the batter from becoming too wet.
- Use room-temperature ingredients: Softened butter and eggs mix more evenly.
- Don’t overmix: Once the flour disappears, stop stirring.
- Use firm apples: Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, and Pink Lady hold up nicely during baking.
- Let the cake cool: It continues to set after leaving the oven.
2. Apple Cider Cinnamon Swirl Cake
If cinnamon sugar is your weakness, this is the cake to make.
The cake is soft and lightly spiced, but there’s a buttery cinnamon ribbon running right through the middle.
Reduce the apple cider from 1 1/2 cups to about 3/4 cup.
Let it cool.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Grease and line a 9-inch round cake pan.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
In another bowl, beat the butter and granulated sugar until creamy.
Add the eggs one at a time.
Mix in the vanilla.
Stir in the sour cream and reduced cider.
Add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
For the swirl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, and melted butter.
Pour half the batter into the cake pan.
Sprinkle the cinnamon mixture over the batter.
Add the remaining batter.
Use a butter knife to gently swirl the mixture through the cake.
Don’t keep swirling.
A few passes are enough.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes.
Let the cake cool before slicing.
That cinnamon layer is the little surprise hiding inside.
And because it’s baked into the cake, you don’t need frosting to make it feel special.
3. Caramel Apple Cider Cake
Apple and caramel already make sense together.
Add apple cider and warm spices, and you’ve got a cake that’s hard to ignore.
Reduce the apple cider from 1 1/2 cups to about 3/4 cup.
Let it cool.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Grease and line a 9-inch round cake pan.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
In another bowl, beat the softened butter and brown sugar until creamy.
Add the eggs one at a time.
Mix in the vanilla.
Stir in the milk and reduced cider.
Add the dry ingredients.
Mix just until combined.
Fold in the diced apple.
Pour half of the batter into the cake pan.
Add small spoonfuls of caramel sauce over the surface.
Cover with the remaining batter.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes.
Let the cake cool before serving.
Drizzle extra caramel over each slice if you want an even sweeter finish.
Keep the caramel away from the edges of the pan.
If too much caramel touches the sides, it can stick as the cake bakes.
4. Apple Cider Bundt Cake
There’s something about a Bundt cake that makes a dessert table look instantly more inviting.
This one is soft, buttery, and packed with cinnamon and apple cider flavor.
Reduce 2 cups of apple cider to about 1 cup.
Let it cool.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Grease a 10-inch Bundt pan thoroughly, making sure to get into all the grooves.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
In another bowl, beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy.
Add the eggs one at a time.
Mix in the vanilla.
Stir in the sour cream and reduced cider.
Add the dry ingredients gradually.
Mix until just combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan.
Bake for 50 to 60 minutes.
Check the center with a toothpick.
Let the cake cool in the pan for about 15 minutes.
Carefully turn it onto a cooling rack.
For the glaze, whisk together the powdered sugar, apple cider, and vanilla.
Drizzle it over the completely cooled cake.
Grease the Bundt pan carefully.
Those beautiful ridges are also where cake batter likes to stick.
5. Apple Cider Crumb Cake
This is for the people who believe cake should come with an unreasonable amount of crumb topping.
The cake is soft and lightly spiced, with diced apple throughout.
Then comes the buttery cinnamon topping.
Reduce the apple cider from 1 1/2 cups to about 3/4 cup.
Let it cool.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Grease and line a 9-inch round cake pan.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
In another bowl, whisk the melted butter and brown sugar.
Add the eggs and vanilla.
Stir in the sour cream and reduced cider.
Add the dry ingredients.
Mix until just combined.
Fold in the diced apple.
For the crumb topping, combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter.
Mix until coarse crumbs form.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Scatter the crumb mixture evenly over the top.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes.
Let the cake cool before slicing.
Don’t press the crumb mixture into the batter.
Keep it loose on top so it bakes into those buttery little pieces.
How to Get More Apple Cider Flavor
This is the step that makes a noticeable difference.
Reduce the cider.
When apple cider simmers, some of its water evaporates.
What’s left has a more concentrated apple flavor.
For most of these cakes, reduce 1 1/2 cups of cider to about 3/4 cup.
For the Bundt cake, reduce 2 cups to about 1 cup.
Let the reduction cool before adding it to the batter.
Don’t rush this step by turning the heat extremely high.
A gentle boil gives you more control and makes it easier to avoid scorching.
You can also prepare the reduction ahead of time and refrigerate it.
Substitutions and Variations
These cakes are easy to adjust.
Apple cider: Apple juice works as a substitute, although the flavor will be milder.
All-purpose flour: Use a 1:1 gluten-free baking flour if needed.
Sour cream: Plain Greek yogurt works well.
Whole milk: Oat milk or almond milk can replace it.
Butter: Plant-based baking butter can be used for a dairy-free variation.
Brown sugar: Granulated sugar works, though it will change the flavor slightly.
Walnuts: Add chopped walnuts or pecans for crunch.
Apples: Try Granny Smith for tartness or Honeycrisp for a sweeter bite.
Spices: Apple pie spice can replace the cinnamon and nutmeg.
Caramel: Add a caramel drizzle to the classic cake or Bundt cake.
For extra texture: Add chopped pecans to the crumb topping.
What Apples Are Best for Apple Cider Cake?
You want apples that stay relatively firm while baking.
Good choices include:
- Granny Smith
- Honeycrisp
- Pink Lady
- Braeburn
- Fuji
Granny Smith gives you a tart contrast against the sweet cake.
Honeycrisp adds sweetness and a little crunch.
Pink Lady is a nice middle ground.
Whichever variety you choose, cut the apples into small, evenly sized pieces.
Large pieces can release too much moisture in one area of the cake.
Make-Ahead Tips
Apple cider cake is a great make-ahead dessert.
You can prepare the cider reduction 1 to 2 days ahead.
Let it cool completely and refrigerate it in an airtight container.
The cakes themselves can also be baked the day before.
Let them cool completely before wrapping or covering them.
For the Bundt cake, wait to add the glaze until you’re ready to serve it.
For the caramel cake, drizzle the caramel shortly before serving.
This is especially useful for fall dinners and gatherings.
You can bake the cake the night before and save the finishing touches for the next day.
How to Keep Apple Cider Cake Moist
Moist cake starts with the right balance of ingredients.
Adding more liquid isn’t the answer.
Too much liquid can leave the center gummy.
Instead:
- Measure flour carefully.
- Use room-temperature eggs and butter.
- Don’t overmix.
- Don’t overbake.
- Let the cake cool naturally.
Ingredients such as sour cream, butter, whole milk, and reduced cider help create a tender texture without flooding the batter with liquid.
And keep an eye on the oven.
A few extra minutes can make a bigger difference than you might expect.
What to Serve With Apple Cider Cake
Apple cider cake works beautifully with warm drinks.
Try it with:
- Coffee
- Chai tea
- Hot apple cider
- Black tea
- Hot chocolate
- Pumpkin spice latte
For dessert, add a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
A spoonful of whipped cream also works.
And if you’ve made the caramel apple cider cake, you already know what to drizzle over the top.
More caramel.
Leftovers and Storage
Let the cake cool completely before storing it.
Place it in an airtight container or wrap it tightly.
Most of these cakes are best within 2 to 3 days at room temperature.
Cakes containing cream-based toppings or fillings should be refrigerated as needed.
The Bundt cake can be stored covered at room temperature if it doesn’t have a perishable filling.
For longer storage, freeze the cake without glaze or caramel when possible.
Wrap it tightly and freeze for up to 2 to 3 months for the best quality.
Thaw it at room temperature.
Add fresh glaze or caramel after thawing.
Individual slices are especially easy to freeze.
Wrap them separately and take one out whenever you want a quick fall dessert.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use apple juice instead of apple cider?
Yes.
Apple juice can be substituted, but cider usually gives the cake a stronger apple flavor.
Why do I need to reduce the cider?
Reducing the cider concentrates its flavor while removing some of the water.
This gives you a stronger apple taste without adding too much liquid to the cake batter.
Can I add fresh apples?
Absolutely.
Firm apples such as Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, and Pink Lady work particularly well.
Why is my cake gummy in the middle?
It may be underbaked, or the batter may contain too much liquid.
Make sure your cider has been reduced properly and check the center with a toothpick before removing the cake.
Can I make apple cider cake ahead of time?
Yes.
Most versions can be baked a day ahead.
Keep them covered and add glaze or caramel closer to serving.
Can I freeze apple cider cake?
Yes.
Wrap the cooled cake tightly and freeze for up to about 2 to 3 months for the best quality.
Can I make this cake without fresh apples?
Yes.
The apple cider provides the main apple flavor, while fresh apples add texture.
What makes Bundt cakes stick to the pan?
Not greasing every groove thoroughly can cause sticking.
Take your time when preparing the pan.
Can I use apple pie spice instead of cinnamon and nutmeg?
Yes.
Apple pie spice is an easy substitute and works nicely with apple cider.
How do I know when the cake is done?
Insert a toothpick into the center.
It should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs, but not wet batter.
Wrapping Up
Apple cider doesn’t need to stay in your mug this fall.
Turn it into cake.
Reduce it first, add warm spices, fold in fresh apples, and you’ve got a dessert that feels right at home on a chilly autumn evening.
Make the classic version when you want something easy.
Try the cinnamon swirl when you want a little surprise in every slice.
Add caramel for a sweeter treat.
Bake the Bundt cake when you’re feeding a crowd.
Or go straight for the crumb cake if that buttery topping is what you’re really after.
The trick is simple:
Reduce the cider before adding it to your batter.
That one step gives the cake a much deeper apple flavor.
If you make one of these apple cider cake recipes, leave a comment and tell me which version you tried.
I’d love to hear which one you made, what apples you used, and how it turned out.
