This apple cider cake with bourbon icing is a boozy dream of a layer cake. The cake has all the best parts of an apple cider donut; reduced apple cider, Honeycrisp apples, and so many warm spices. It's then topped with an incredible bourbon cream cheese frosting!
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Why This Recipe Works:
- This layer cake is so delicious because it takes all the favors of an apple cider donut and an apple cider cocktail and turns it into a gorgeous layer cake!
- Reduced apple cider concentrates all that great flavor and adds moisture to the cake. The cider I used is Trader Joe's.
- The base for the bourbon icing is a cream cheese frosting, but it isn't as tangy as most cream cheese frostings, and you can definitely taste the bourbon, which makes it a real party.
- Its the perfect fall recpie and I also have paired down cupcake version too, these Bourbon Apple Cider Cupcakes.
About this recipe:
- Taste - Apple Cider, apple spice, and bourbon!
- Texture - fluffy and tender cake with cream cheese frosting.
- Effort - Medium; the cake and the frosting are easy to make, but layer cakes do take a little bit more time and concentration.
- Time - about 1 hour 30 minutes from start to finish.
Key Ingredients:
- Apple Cider: apple cider is key in an apple cider cake; it helps the cake to taste like apple cider. Any cider will do, but I would not substitute for plain apple juice.
- Honeycrisp Apples: Honeycrisp apples are more sweet than tart, which makes them perfect for this cake. Feel free to substitute for another sweet variety like a Fuji or Gala apple.
- Vanilla, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice: this occasion cake is all about the spices. The balance of these flavors brings out and complements the cider perfectly.
- Bourbon: Bourbon is what makes the cream cheese frosting really pop! If you don't like bourbon or want non-alcoholic icing, use any cream cheese icing recipe you like! For the bourbon, I used Woodford Reserve.
How to make this recipe:
Cream butter and sugar together in a stand mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time.
Add in the milk and vanilla.
Followed by the flour, spices, salt, and baking powder.
Mix until there are no streaks left.
Add in the pureed apples and reduced apple cider and mix to combine.
Divide the mixture evenly between the cake pans and bake for 25 minutes.
Make the icing by beating the cream cheese and butter together. Slowly add in the powder sugar one cup at a time. Add in the vanilla and bourbon and mix until combined.
Frost the cake!
Tips and tricks for this recipe:
- Use room temperature, eggs, butter, and milk. This is key to having a good, even cake. Ingredients that are too cold can cause the cake to split in the oven. It's also a good idea to tap your pie pans against the counter to release any air pockets and that have been created. Lastly, lining your pans with parchment will make the cakes so much easier to remove.
- Use full-fat cream cheese because low fat will make the frosting too watery.
- If the frosting becomes too watery, chill it for 20 minutes, and it will be perfect!
- This recipe makes enough icing to make a naked-looking cake and gives a nice thin layer of frosting around the cake. If you want a fully frosted cake, double the recipe.
FAQ's:
Yes and no, they taste like the cider that gives them their name. That cider contains apple and all the fall spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and clove.
The cake will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Looking for more fall recipes! Check these out!
Festive Bourbon Apple Cider Cake
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 1 9inch 3 layer cake 1x
- Category: Layer Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Dessert
Description
This apple cider cake with bourbon icing is a boozy dream of a cake. The cake has all the best parts of an apple cider donut; reduced apple cider, Honeycrisp apples, and so many warm spices.
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 2 cups apple cider
- 3 ½ cups of all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 8 ounces of unsalted butter (two sticks)
- 2 ¼ cups sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 2 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground clove
- ¼ ground nutmeg
- 1 ½ tsp allspice
- 2 Honey Crisp apples, peeled and cored, and then pureed
For the icing:
- 1 8 ounce package of cream cheese
- 1 stick of butter
- 5 cups of powdered sugar
- ¼ cup plus 3 teaspoon bourbon
- ½ tsp vanilla
Instructions
For the cake:
- Heat the apple cider in a small saucepan on medium heat until it reduces by half, making 1 cup
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees, grease 3 9 inch cake pans and prepares ingredients.
- Whisk flours, salt, spices, and baking powder together in a large bowl.
- Cream butter and sugar together in a stand mixer until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs one at a time beating completely before adding the next egg.
- Mix milk and vanilla together and while the mixer is on low add ⅓ of the flour mixture followed by ⅓ of the milk, keep alternating wet and dry ingredients until all are incorporated.
- Pour in the pureed apples and reduced apple cider and mix to combine.
- Divide the mixture evenly between the cake pans and bake for 25 minutes.
For the icing:
- In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together.
- Slowly add in the powder sugar one cup at a time.
- Add in the vanilla and bourbon and mix until combined.
- After frosting the cake add 4-5 tablespoons of honey, caramel, or dulce de leche as a glaze.
Notes
- Use room temperature, eggs, butter, and milk. This is key to having a good, even cake. Ingredients that are too cold can cause the cake to split in the oven. It's also a good idea to tap your pie pans against the counter to release any air pockets and that have been created. Lastly, lining your pans with parchment will make the cakes so much easier to remove.
- Use full-fat cream cheese because low fat will make the frosting too watery.
- If the frosting becomes too watery, chill it for 20 minutes, and it will be perfect!
- This recipe makes enough icing to make a naked-looking cake and gives a nice thin layer of frosting around the cake. If you want a fully frosted cake, double the recipe.
Sarah says
This looks and sounds delish, I’ll be trying for sure. My issue with all cakes is that they NEVER rise. Any suggestions? I always serve very flat and dense cakes and I’d love to resolve this!
pate giltner says
Thanks so much!! Try getting some new baking soda / powder. If it's been sitting on the shelf for a while the chemicals lose their effectiveness. If that doesn't work, try adding a tiny bit more to help it along.
Anonymous says
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Anastasia says
Would these come out as cupcakes?
Pate Giltner says
🙂 I actually have an adjusted cupcake version of this here: https://thegandmkitchen.com/apple-cider-cupcakes-with-bourbon-icing/
Becky says
Must have underbaked the cake, even though I baked it 10 minutes longer than recipe suggested. Cake fell apart as I took them out of the pans. Couldn't use them that way so after making the frosting I stirred it into the fallen cake mess and made cake balls. Decorated as mummy's. They were so moist and tasty!! Tragedy averted!
Pate Giltner says
I'm so sorry it came out underbaked! But I'm so glad and proud of your agile thinking that you were able to to fix it!
Lauren Clever says
What is on top of the cake that is drizzled over the sides?
Pate Giltner says
In the picture it is honey, but caramel or dulce de leche would be a delicious addition.
SP says
What did you use to thin your honey in order to drizzle it that thin? Thank you!
Pate Giltner says
I belive i just used thin honey, but you could always warm it up a bit.
Anonymous says
How would these work with gluten free 1:1 flour? Would any adjustments need to be made?
Pate Giltner says
Unfortunately, I am not very experienced with gluten free flour and can't give an exact answer.
Lexi says
Could you do this in s bunt cake I wanted to make two and make a pumpkin shaped cake
Pate Giltner says
I bet you could. I would lower the baking temperature and really grease the bunt pan and take care taking it out (this is a more delicate cake than is traditionally used in an bunt).
Susie says
Hi, I saw a recipe of yours on Pinterest for Bourbon Banana Cake w-Bourbon Caramel Frosting but when I try to go to your page it say's "Forbidden"
I'd sure like to make that cake!
Any ideas on how to get to it?
Thanks, Susie
Pate Giltner says
Hi Susie! Here's the link for the cake! https://thegandmkitchen.com/bourbon-banana-cake-with-caramel-frosting/
Amy says
How did you puree your apples?
Pate Giltner says
I pulsed them in a food processor, you could also mince them with a knife.
Becky says
Any idea of how many cups you used of apples since they are so different in size? Thanks!
Pate Giltner says
I would stick to a 1/4-1/3 cup of the puree, the apples don't effect the final outcome of the cake and are just there for flavor so I wouldn't stress to much about them.
Ange says
Haven’t made it yet but excited too! Was just wondering if I could freeze the sponges?
Anonymous says
Disaster! Literal apple soup. The only thing I did different was used a hand held mixer. I kept it on and added the ingredients slowly as directed. My batter was liquid and just boiled in the oven. I even tried cooking longer but the liquid was going nowhere except my trash bin.
Pate Giltner says
I’m so sorry that happened! Did you reduce the apple cider as directed?
Anonymous says
I did. Despite reducing to 1 cup, it was still liquid. I even used less apple puree thinking it was too much liquid.
Pate Giltner says
I am so sorry, I've made this cake upwards of 20 times and thats never been an issue, so I'm not sure what went wrong. I am so sorry it was a disappointment.
Michelle V. says
I had great success with this cake. I've never had an apple cider donut but my son has and he said it tasted exactly like it. He said the consistency was the same as well: dense like a cake donut. It was a bit too dense for me to be honest. I cut back on the sugar (I do that in all my baking...european sweets are so much less sweet than American and I prefer that...honestly can't imagine this cake with honey drizzled on it! Very sweet! 🙂 ). Thanks for recipe. Icing was amazing!!
Claira Sohn says
This is absolutely an amazing cake! I added half the amount of sugar to the cake itself and I didn’t add any honey on top (we don’t like a lot of sweets). The apple really keeps the cake moist and the buttercream is great.
Pate Giltner says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Its one of my favorite cakes!
Lady Grey says
The cake is very dense. I was worried that cake was too wet going into the oven. It did not grow in the oven. Not sure if that happens to everyone. The cake itself was good, just wish it was a little more fluffy. The cake didn't have as much apple taste to it. So I'm planning on adding a layer of cooked cinnamon apples into the middle layer. I nearly had a heart attack looking at the amount of sugar in the cream cheese frosting. Only used a 1/4 of the recommendation.
Candice says
Did you serve this immediately or could I refrigerate overnight or should I just make the cake the night before and do the icing the next day
Pate Giltner says
Yes! It would keep wonderfully in the fridge overnight - then just make the glaze right before serving.
Emily says
Hi! This recipe looks delicious and I'd like to make it a bit ahead of my gathering. How many days do you think this will hold? And should it be kept refrigerated or at room temperature? Thank you! I can't wait to try this!
Pate Giltner says
Hi Emily! Would keep it in the refrigerator and say it it would keep for up to 1-2 days.